Before visitors arrive with their blankets and radios and suntan lotion, the beach is a wild place. In this book, a girl and her dog explore the natural landscape in the quiet of early morning. They watch seabirds circling the dunes and the ocean uncurling on the sand, while gulls laugh and a cool breeze rich with sea smells washes over them. Through encounters with a ghost crab, sea oats, whelks, and many other fascinating plants and animals, the girl and her dog witness the wild world that goes unnoticed by many daytime visitors to the beach.