Girl’s family and pets make a discovery on a local beach

Laggie and Grillo: The Sea Glass Mystery by Phyllis Schwartz with illustrations by Siski Kalla; Catch a Leaf Publishing; (c) 2026; ISBN 9781068-469473; 40 pages including appendices; $21.95.

By Donald H. Harrison in San Diego

This is local author Phyllis Schwartz’s second children’s book featuring animal-loving elementary school student Yoshi, her mom, her dad, and her pets Laggie the lizard, Grillo the cricket, and Ketzeleh the cat.

Her family and pets’ names are ethnically diverse.  Yoshi’s dad is of Japanese descent, mom of Ashkenazi Jewish background, and Laggie and Grillo are Spanish names, reflecting the fact that Y0shi’s home in Encinitas is relatively close to Mexico. “Ketzeleh” is Yiddish for “cat.”

One day, when Yoshi, mom, Laggie, and Grillo were beach combing for brightly colored sea glass, they found a shiny green object that stood out from all the other pieces.  When they brought it home, dad said it looked like a gem, more valuable than the others.  Perhaps someone lost it; Yoshi must take it to the local sheriff’s substation where if no one claimed it in 20 days, it would be legally hers.  Searching on the Internet, Yoshi decided the stone was most likely an emerald.

Yoshi asked some surfers if they had seen or heard anything about a lost emerald.  They hadn’t.  She posted handbills around the town seeking information.  Her school newspaper gave the mystery a few lines of type.

The mystery eventually was resolved, just how I’ll leave to your inspired reading.  Yoshi received a reward, and she shared credit with her pets, who were instrumental to the search.

Appendices show not only what emeralds look like, but rubies, garnets, diamonds, and opals, all of which author Schwartz managed to mention in the same text.  She includes a recipe for sea glass cookies, with colorful and safe M&Ms substituting for the glass.

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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.