The Story

Reginald P. Lizard - A Day At The Beach

Discover the truth behind the ghost of the picnic cloth and meet a crabby crab who decided to be crabby until exactly 4 P.M.!

Join Reginald P. Lizard, Lady Horse, Ellington Owl, Thelonious Melon, and Bootsy Bat who spend a remarkable day at the beach where they meet new friends, fly kites, and discover Turkish coffee!

With light situations, humor, and a few morals sprinkled in for good measure, these stories will entertain both children and adults.

Great for reading aloud—and be sure to use separate voices!

In a world with a talking melon, anything is possible.






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Author's Notes

This third book (BOOK 3) of the series was written five years after the second book. Life got in the way as it sometimes does, but I needed a break from other projects. I asked Lady Horse if she wanted to star in another book, and she replied, "Yes, yes, yes, YES!"

The story-within-a-story of Lone Fly McQuade was fun, albeit a little edgy since we know that R.P.L. eats flies! Would reader balk at the demise of a fly given anthropomorphic qualities? It was like sending a redshirt crew member down to a planet on Star Trek. Still, I enjoyed writing from the perspective of a fly. Lone Fly McQuade was patterned after an actual fly who buzzed around my lamp on 2018.07.07. A totally different fly bugged me on 2018.07.18, and I named him Lone Fly McQuade. In case you were wondering, any fly can be called Lone Fly McQuade so long as there is only one. Anyway, I chronicled the event in an email to my sister:

A single fly somehow got into my home. Another visit from Lone Fly McQuade! Well, I shooed him away, but he would have none of my shooing. In fact, he made a point of taunting me by immediately dive-bombing my left ear. He thought he was being funny or some such thing.

Well, that’s when I got out the RAID. I pursued him into the kitchen and gave him a little taste. He took off when the compressed spray reached him, but then he landed immediately—a speckle or two of the aerosol tincture must have touched him. I could have sworn he said, in a buzzy David Copperfield voice, "Please sir, may have some more?" Me being charitable and all, I gave him just a wee bit more.

I suspect I will find Lone Fly McQuade on the floor with X’s on his eyes.

In this book, I continued to name characters after jazz musicians, well, at least a few of them. Buddy Crab was named after Buddy Rich (or Buddy Miles), and Peggy Lee Crab was named after Peggy Lee—yes, her full name. Since there were many more characters than previous books, I gave up trying to name them after musicians. Rino the dog was named after a real dog with whom I played ball and sometimes ran.

Oh, the bit about Turkish Coffee originally came from a BBC dramatization called McLevy starring Brian Cox (the actor, not the physicist) as a Victorian detective. After listening to the entire 12 series, twice, James McLevy's love of amazing coffee (received from Jean Brash) prompted me to try Turkish Coffee. I liked it a lot, but not as much as R.P.L. did!

Buy at Amazon.com!Book Series is Available at Amazon.com & Smashwords.com!

A gift of fun, friendship, and adventure!







BOOK 1: Ellington Owl's Awesome Birthday (Free!)

BOOK 2: The Voyage of Captain Reginald P. Lizard And His Amazing Crew

BOOK 3: Reginald P. Lizard - A Day At The Beach

BOOK 4: Reginald P. Lizard and The Case of the Missing Gemstone

BOOK 5: Wind Stories - You know how the wind can get


The World of R.P.L.!Reginald P. Lizard (R.P.L.)

A Book Series of Fun, Friendship, and Adventure!

Welcome to a world where improbable things are possible, the wind plays an active role (you know how the wind can get), and you might just learn a thing or two.

This book series was written at a middle school level; however, they are fun for adults, too. These kid-safe adventure fantasies host unusual friends, odd circumstances, and a great deal of humor.

The lead character is none other than Reginald P. Lizard, an intelligent lizard of few words. His best friend is the regal, proper, elegant "Lady Horse" with a positive demeanor. Ellington Owl is a lovable, cuddly, yet uncoordinated owl, who flies just fine, but doesn't land so well. Finally, Bootsy Bat and Thelonious Melon (Yes, a melon!) are an inseparable pair who crack jokes and play games on each other.

These five charming friends get into light, non-threatening, and fun adventures, and they meet the most interesting creatures. You will be entertained by songs, jokes, games, puzzles, manners, and interesting facts, too! The world of Reginald P. Lizard (and his friends) is waiting for you. Yes, yes, yes, YES!

As one reviewer writes of the fourth book:

"This book defies categories and nearly eludes description—clever, witty, and tongue-in-cheek, but at the same time gentle, sincere, and reassuring. Like so many of the best stories, different layers will appeal to multiple ages; you will find yourself giggling and pondering in equal measure. Also, there is an awful lot of coffee, an enviable coat of infinite cookies, a bathysphere, and poetry. What's not to love?"

Join our five friends on their first adventure!

Read online now! Download Free!


Interest Level: Grades 3 - 7 & Adults!
Reading Level: Grades 4 - 8 
ATOS Book Level: 5.2

The Core Characters

The World of Reginald P. Lizard has five main characters who are the best of friends. Many other characters are introduced throughout the books, some of whom appear in multiple books.

Click any character's name for a full "Character Sketch."

Image Character Favorite Drink Favorite Saying About
Reginald P. Lizard Coffee Just so. A lizard of few words. Loves to eat flies!
Lady Horse Coffee Yes, yes, yes, YES! A positive, proper, regal, and ladylike horse. She often wears a tiara.
Ellington Owl Coffee Hoo! Round, soft, and huggable. Although he flies, he doesn't land well.
Thelonious Melon Coffee Oh dear, oh dear . . . An anxious melon who talks, rolls around, and cracks jokes. He's sometimes a rascal.
Bootsy Bat Coffee Muffin Crunch! A brown bat who likes to get to the bottom of things.

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