Jack's New Boat [Hardcover]

Sarah McMenemy (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

With a bold summer palette and an enticingly retro feel, the creator of WAGGLE captures the familiar pang of losing a favorite toy — and the pleasure of finding a sympathetic companion.

When Jack goes to the beach to stay with his sailor uncle, he finds a wonderful surprise waiting for him. Uncle Jim has made him his very own toy boat! Jack can't wait to sail it on the ocean, but there’s a big storm coming, and as the rain pours down and the waves crash, he finds himself bursting with impatience. At last the rain stops, and Jack can't wait another minute. "Not too far!" he calls to the bobbing boat, but then — oh no! Will Jack ever see his red boat again?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2–When Jack's Uncle Jim makes him a toy boat, Jack wants to sail it right away, but since a storm is approaching, his uncle tells him to wait. When he finally puts his sailboat in the water, it bobs farther and farther out to sea. The pair search along the shore for hours and resume the hunt the next morning without luck, until they walk to the harbor. The paper-collage and gouache pictures are bright and splashy. The gold and tan of the beach and the blue and white of the sea create a sunny atmosphere for this simple story. However, the text refers to a red boat, but the illustrations consistently depict one that is dark blue, almost black, with bright red sails. As Jack runs along the dock, he names the colors of the hulls of the real vessels and of the sails on his toy. This significant inconsistency is sure to confuse children who are learning the names of colors and the concepts of boat and sail, and limits the usefulness of an otherwise appealing book.–Linda Staskus, Parma Regional Library, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-K. In this summery picture book, the British author-illustrator of Waggle (2003) offers a reassuring story about the emotions surrounding a lost (and found) toy. Too impatient to wait for a storm to subside before playing with his new, handmade red boat, young Jack loses it to the waves. Jack and his uncle scour the beach, finding many interesting articles--a bottle, seaweed, a net--but the cherished toy is nowhere to be found. Happily, it turns up on a visit to a nearby fishing village, and kind Uncle Jim restores it to seaworthy status. McMenemy's text is simple and engaging and offers a rare depiction of a child spending a vacation alone with an uncle. But the book's most striking and appealing feature is its beautiful, collage-and-gouache illustrations. Painted primarily in reds, yellows, blues, and whites, the boldly composed pictures are by turns dramatic and cheerful, as appropriate to Jack's experiences. A good choice for boat lovers and beachcombers alike. Jennifer Locke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (May 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763624772
• ISBN-13: 978-0763624774
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 0.3 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,402,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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