A young deaf boy awakens to the light of his special alarm clock, puts in his hearing aids, and tiptoes to awaken his father. Together they walk to the beach, observing nature. Jacob and his father have "lots of ways of talking...signing or lipreading or just squeezing each other's hands." For the most part, the straightforward text employs vigorous language: crunchy shells and snaky seaweed, hermit crabs scoot and sea gulls swoop and gobble; but a few of the word choices, such as "eensy" and "orangier," are less effective. Each page of text, placed on a pastel rectangle and bordered by lots of white space, faces a full-page, full-color illustration. Steele's striking watercolors employ earth tones; blues and greens; and red-orange, pale gold, and pink. The range of light is effectively conveyed, from the predawn dark to the brilliant sunrise at the end. (A quibble-two double-page spreads depicting the sunrise are actually darker than the four previous pictures, one of which finds Jacob saying, "It's getting lighter.")