One grain at a time, Frederick builds a beautiful sandcastle only to see it fall under a series of disastrous misfortunes, all of which require feats of his perseverance. While he begins to reconstruct the castle, he turns his attention instead to winning a sandcastle competition, but suffers a tragic defeat. Heartbroken, he imagines he could shrink himself in size to live in what he believes is his perfect castle. But when he looks closer at his work, he discovers a vibrant world far more incredible than he could ever have built himself. After observing the inhabitants of his castle, his considers that living within a perfect world is less imaginary than he had thought.
Lushly illustrated and told in verse, Frederick and the Sand Castle brings to life a soft world where creation is only the beginning of possibility.