Anyone who has spent time near water has probably had an experience with seagulls. I know we have, including a poop incident when in Myrtle Beach. This is a story about a mischievous seagull named Gary. He is hungry and there are just too many smells and offerings on the beach to eat garbage. This is just a fun, relatable book for kids. Gary's antics were hilarious. He was a rather cunning seagull and figured out where his best chances to get food would be. The funny illustrations really bring the story to life. It is a fun and lighthearted read and the ending was great. My grandkids laughed most of the way through and I was asked to read it again. This is one that I will keep on my bookshelf to read again, especially if and when we head to a beach or seaside.

A cute story of a seagull trying to trick a little boy into giving him part of his lunch. Gary's favorite thing to eat is beach lunches, but all the kids chase him away, yelling "Shoo, bird! Shoo!" When Gary spots a little boy eating alone, he figures he's found an easy mark. Gary tries to trick the boy using disguises, but the boy's not having it. Finally, Gary says "Look, kid. I'm hot, I'm tired, and I'm hungry. If you can spare a bit of lunch, I promise I'll fly off and stop bugging you." Turns out honestly works! Gary gets some food, flies away, and the boy is left in peace .....or is he?
The story has lots of action and fun, and the repeat of the phrase "Shoo, bird! Shoo!" will make for a great read-aloud refrain. The illustrations are bright, bold, and cartoony, and add greatly to the amusement. An enjoyable read!

#GarytheSeagull #NetGalley

A hilarious tale of a hungry seagull on the beach. It will make kids laugh out loud! (note to author - minnows are not found at the seaside!)

I read this story to my daughter 3 days after we visited the seaside, so not long after we were actually hounded by seagulls for food, so the story actually made me smile at the lengths Gary went to , in order to get food!
Enjoyable, and short with bright and colourful illustrations.

Kids will love this book and especially the main character, a bold ( but loveable ) seagull named Gary! Gary lands on a crowded beach one hot sunny day looking for people food. He knows all those beach-goers come loaded down with yummy picnic lunches and he is starving!

Try as he might to abscond various mouth-watering snacks the reaction is always the same... kids shouting... "SHOO, BIRD! SHOO!" His tummy rumbles louder. He wants food! Then his luck changes. Gary spots a little boy sitting away from the crowd ready to scarf down his lunch. Mmmmmmm a tasty sandwich, watermelon and Gary's favourite... ketchup chips! Oh yea! Bingo!

Gary tries very hard to deceive the little guy into sharing his food but the boy has the same reaction as the others on the beach.... "SHOO, BIRD! SHOO! " Poor Gary is salivating for just a crumb of those amazing ketchup chips! If his trickery didn't work will telling the truth do it?

This book is a perfect read-aloud that allows kid's to participate in shouting, "SHOO, BIRD! SHOO!" The illustrations are vibrant, bold and humorous breathing life into the text. I love a book with a fun twist at the end and I highly recommend it. A great debut book by a talented Canadian author.

This is a fun picture book that captures the feel of summer at the seaside. Worked round the common issue of seagulls stealing food, this mixes it with fun disguises and a lesson that polite manners get you further than subterfuge. I liked the illustrations and it's a good length for a storytime, one I will probably use in future.

Thank you NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for a copy of this children's book in exchange for my honest review!

I have 2 toddler boys who love reading, and I love reading to them. I have high standards, however. From an infant--preK book I expect the following:
- Beautiful, imaginative illustration
- Easy to read aloud (good meter, balanced vocabulary, etc)
- Easy to follow story that either excites imagination or has a strong moral message
- Pleasant for me to read out loud 3,857,283,648,723,648 times
- Diversity in characters, setting, culture where applicable

In Gary the Seagull, I liked the illustrations. I liked that there were a few pages without words that my 3.5 yr old and I were able to look at and discuss we felt led to. I very much loved the diverse crowd at the beach! There were so many different sorts of people! But ultimately, it wasn't a pleasant read aloud. Too much of the dialogue was very cheesy. The seagull uses the expletive "Rats!" many times, and frankly, I don't want my 3 yr old using expletives like that at this age! I found the story neither particularly inspiring or imaginative, and the message of the book defeats itself by the last page.

It's a cute idea that wasn't well executed. It's a shame because something like this would be so fun for a summer vacation read.

Okay. This book is hilarious even to me as an adult. A seagull is just doing his best to get some lunch. He finally convinces a kid to share, and then the kid is swarmed by seagulls in the funniest way. The illustrations are clever and vibrant and compliment the story perfectly.

My two monkeys loved this, I have a 4yo and a 6yo and both were glued to the story. Lovely, colourful pictures, a cheeky seagull with a very funny ending. Perfect for a Wednesday afternoon.

A very sweet and clever story, and great to read to little kids before a beach day! Gary is an especially cunning seagull, and there’s a little twist at the end.

This was cute and funny read that’s perfect for summer. The colorful illustrations and different disguises the seagull wears are sure to be a hit with young readers.

The illustrations in this book are very colorful and easily capture children's attention while they are entertained by Gary the Seagull's fun story. Gary the Seagull does not give up easily but finds he gets the best response by just being honest. I read this to the 3 and 5 year old boys that I nanny and they loved it. They had the giggles throughout and when we reached the end they asked me to read it again. I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an ARC of this fun book in exchange for a honest review. We will be adding this to our bookshelf soon!

This is another book I read with my young son. He was happy shouting out the response to the seagull and loved how colourful it was..

This is a simple story that is very easy for children to follow and understand. I thought it was funny as I could relate to exactly how seagulls act when you’re at the beach.

Overall a fun story for young children that encourages engagement whilst reading

This review is based on a free digital ARC copy provided by NetGalley. My views are provided based on the book content only

I read this book with my daughter and it gave us a real giggle.,

Gary is a great little character and he has all the determination you expect from a Gull at the seaside! he is desperate to get his hands on some food, and will do just about anything to get it!

The illustrations really bring the story to life, it is a fun and lighthearted read and the ending was great - 5 stars from us!! Very highly recommended and will be reading it again before we go on holiday to the Coast in September!

An adorable picture book about Gary the Seagull, as he hunts for food one day at the beach and pesters a boy until he gives up his meal. Hilarious and enjoyable for any age. Very relatable for anyone who's gone on a picnic and met up with the always persistent seagul!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This book is too cute and the perfect read for those heading to the beach this summer.

You really need to meet Gary the seagull. He's not your ordinary seagull. He loves fish & bugs but especially picnic snacks on the beach.
This gorgeous book gives us a fun & original story idea from Christian Johnston with wonderful illustrations by Paul Hammond. I love the idea of a seagull in a disguise but when his tricks don't work the artwork is bold & colourful with great details filling the pages without being overcrowded or confusing. There's plenty to talk about with children after the story is finished.
Gary's lucky to live by the ocean & can fly by the beach any time.
There's a message of honesty & kindness there too, rolled very gently into the quirky story. Loved this!

Gary the seagull is hungry and just wants some food. I enjoyed his antics in trying to get the kid to give him food. The only downside is the book ended a bit abruptly. The ending did make sense- I just wanted abother page or two.

Okay, I requested this book because my little niece's parents are OBSESSED with seagulls. They watch them, they rescue them, their house is entirely decorated with seagulls. So this is definitely a perfect book for them.
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Now, assuming you are not quite as obsessed with seagulls, I think this would still be an adorable book to check out! It's a picture book, I would say aimed at 3 to 6 year olds, about a seagull trying to get this kid to share his (very unhealthy) lunch with him. The ending is pretty funny too!

On the downside, he book isn't diverse. Both protagonists are male. The kid is white. Because my niece is a girl of color, I personally try not to get her new books that lack diversity, because there are plenty of those among the classics already. The text is also on the lengthier side. But overall, it's pretty cute and I think kids will find it funny.

Such a fun story about a trip to the beach. We’ve all encountered those hungry seagulls, but they’ve never been as creative or funny as Gary!