Frederick & the Sandcastle — Mark Johnson

Frederick and the Sand Castle is the heartwarming tale of a boy and his beloved, yet fragile sand castle, which he builds with care, one grain of sand at a time. Disasters mercilessly wash away his walls and towers, but nothing can disturb his spirit as he rebuilds his fortresses anew, each one more ambitious than the last. When Frederick suddenly finds himself a participant in a sand castle competition that has sprouted around him, his dreams turn to winning the first-place trophy. But, he is then saddened to learn his castle has placed last. Frederick feels his heart is beyond repair. He wishes to shrink himself in size so that he can inhabit his tiny castle, and is soon comforted to discover a host of curious and fascinating creations. In his excitement he very nearly misses the most astounding discovery of them all...