LONG TROUSERS & LITTLE SHORTS AT THE BEACH
A BOOK IN THE LONG TROUSERS & LITTLE SHORTS
Long Trousers, Little Shorts and all the other clothes live in this wardrobe.
Long Trousers, being the eldest, is in charge. He makes sure that the shirts are tucked in every day and that the pyjamas are tucked in every night.
Long Trousers also makes sure that the singlets never go out without a top on. After all, he doesn’t want them to catch a cold!
Even though Little Shorts is only knee high, he is old enough to dress himself.
Today, Long Trousers and Little Shorts are going to the beach. That’s why the wardrobe is wearing a sun hat!
Can you see it?
Because it is so hot, Long Trousers rolls up his legs. Joey Jumper rolls up his arms. The Brothers Boots pant from the heat, tongues hanging out, laces drooping.
They all set off for the beach.
Bill Baseball Cap has already gone on ahead.
Nobody waits for the Sockses, who have an odd habit of always losing themselves whenever they’re taken out anywhere.
Little Shorts wants to go to the beach too.
“Serves you right!” Emmet T-Shirt declares. “Not even the stockings are allowed to run in the house!”
Little Shorts hurries after Long Trousers but can’t run very fast.
“No wonder,” exclaims Emmet T-Shirt to Little Shorts. “You’ve gone and put Theobald and Thingammy Thong on the wrong feet.”
At the beach, Long Trousers and Little Shorts change into swimmers. That’s easy magic! Do you know you can change into swimmers too?
Long Trousers and Little Shorts cover themselves with sunscreen. Rubin Lotion Bottle shows them how.
They all sing the rub-it-on song:
“Sunscreen, fun screen, Protects against the sun, None screen, you’ll scream ‘I am overdone!’
Zinc cream goes On your nose… But I haven’t got one!”
Now that both Long Trousers and Little Shorts have changed into swimmers, how can we tell them apart?
Is this Long Trousers jumping into the water – or is it Little Shorts?
Here is a clue: Long Trousers always jumps with his left leg first and Little Shorts always jumps with his right leg first.
Phyllis Bucket and A. Spade (nobody knows his first name) are going to build a sandcastle. Will it be too big?
Will it be too small?
Phyllis Bucket and A. Spade decide that if they join these two heaps of sand the castle will be just the right size.
“Build it bigger! Much, much, much bigger!” yell Theobald and Thingammy Thong. They love to tramp and stamp and stomp all over sandcastles – especially the big ones! The thongs kick up such a racket that, in the end, the only way to keep them quiet is to bury them under a mound of sand so that only their feet stick out.
Phyllis Bucket and A. Spade build an enormous sandcastle, which is decorated with seashells. From the top of a piece of driftwood on the tallest tower, Bill Baseball Cap watches out for the incoming tide.
However, a gust of wind blows Bill Baseball Cap onto the sand, bowling him head-over-heels to where Miss Fancy T. Hat is sitting, in the shade. Miss Fancy T. Hat is about to get up (you’ve all seen a hat stand, haven’t you?) when Bill Baseball Cap bumps into her.
The two quickly become friends and are soon chatting away about this and that and that and this and many other interesting things besides.
Bill Baseball Cap tells Miss Fancy T. Hat that she is the prettiest sun hat on the beach. He also says, “When I grow up, I’m going to be a fireman’s helmet!”
The wind gusts again, blowing Lofty Beach Ball high into the sky. “Look at me!” he exclaims. “I can reach the sun!”
Lazy Rus Beach Towel lies flat on his back, dozing on the sand.
Lazy Rus Beach Towel loves to do nothing better than to do nothing, and he does this better than anyone else.
However, when Long Trousers comes out of the water, the water has to come out of Long Trousers.
The wind has blown Lofty Beach Ball into a litter basket, on top of empty softdrink cans and ice cream wrappers.
“Help!” he cries. “Don’t throw me away!”
Soon, it is time to go home. Long Trousers and Little Shorts change out of their swimmers and back into their clothes.
But where has Little Shorts gone to? “There he is!” cries Long Trousers.
Goodness me, everyone’s looking at you! Don’t tell me you’re wearing Little Shorts! The next thing you’ll say Dad is wearing Long Trousers!
What a struggle it is to get everything packed back into Carey Beach Bag!
“Don’t worry, you just go ahead and push and shove me about,” grumbles Carey Beach Bag. “And if you tear my seams trying, won’t you split your sides laughing at that! While you’re about it, why don’t you kick some more sand in my face? Don’t let me stop you having your fun!”
A quick check to see that nothing has been left behind, and then Long Trousers and Little Shorts set off home.
Miss Fancy T. Hat, the sun hat, watches the sun sink slowly over the sea.
When she thinks how Bill Baseball Cap told her she was the prettiest sun hat on the beach, she feels rather pleased with herself.
Only now, when she looks around, she realises she is the only sun hat there!
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