Mayday! Mayday!: A Coast Guard Rescue [Hardcover]

Chris L. Demarest (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

A thirty-foot yacht,

adrift well out to sea,

sends, "MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

Please respond to our plea!"

Hearing this call for help, the United States Coast Guard leaps into action. A team of four highly trained rescue specialists head out in an H-60 Jayhawk helicopter. Battling fierce conditions, the Coast Guard team finally locates the disabled boat, rescues the crew, treats injured passengers, and carries them back to safety.

Complemented by dramatic, striking illustrations, Chris L. Demarest's text brings into vivid focus one of the many important jobs performed by the U.S. Coast Guard. A detailed author's note provides additional information about the search-and-rescue process, making this a terrific book for any school or home library.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–Rhyming text and breathtaking illustrations show how the Coast Guard uses aircraft and highly trained personnel to respond to a call for help. The spare yet informative text conveys the urgency and drama of a rescue at sea. The specific role played by each member of the crew is made clear as the pilot locates the troubled vessel, the flight mechanic directs the operation, and the rescue swimmer assists the frightened sailors. Stunning two-page paintings, rendered in pastels, capture the excitement of the action. Also included are large diagrams of the uniforms of the rescue swimmer and flight crew and the H-60 Jayhawk used during the mission. An author's note offers more information about the history of the U.S. Coast Guard, the helicopter, and the actual rescue. This attention-grabbing book will be useful for reports and will satisfy browsers.–Doris Losey, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library, Tampa, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. Similar in format to Demarest's Smokejumpers One to Ten (2002) and Hotshots! (2003), this title features rhyming text and action-filled illustrations that show a Coast Guard rescue. Responding to a call for help from a yacht caught in a storm, the four-person team goes into action. Each highly trained specialist has a particular job to do as they locate the boat, rescue the crew, treat the injured, and carry them back to safety. Although children unfamiliar with Coast Guard terminology will need help understanding some of the terms, the pastel illustrations show not only the drama but also the details of a rescue at sea. An author's note explains a rescue operation, and full-page drawings show the special gear and the parts and specifications of the helicopter. Karen Hutt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books; 1st edition (May 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689851618
• ISBN-13: 978-0689851612
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #592,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #92 in Books > Children's Books > Transportation > Boats & Ships

More About the Author

Born in the 1950s, Chris Demarest was influenced by both his parents' artist abilities. His mother once worked for the Walt Disney animation studios and his father was a life-long doodler. In the upstairs attic of his parents' house, Demarest's father escaped to draw pictures of airplanes. That passion led his father to join the US Army Air Force in WWII, flying the dangerous missions from India into China, referred to as 'the Hump".

Demarest spent most of his years in publishing doing a cartoon, light-hearted style, but tapped into his youth and began working on a series of adventure books. Firefighters A to Z became a NY Time Best Book 2000. Documenting more firefighting careers, USCG work and the Hurricane Hunters, Demarest does all his research first hand. In 2004, he flew with the Hurricane Hunters out of Biloxi Mississippi into Hurricane Ivan, a Cat 4 storm.

His latest book, ARLINGTON: A History of Arlington National Cemetery will be published by Roaring Brook Press, Fall 2010.

Contact info: [e-mail]
Website: http://www.pbase.com/chrisdemarest
603 460-3095

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best "boy" books ever written, January 9, 2007

By 

John Faughnan "John G Faughnan" (St. Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mayday! Mayday!: A Coast Guard Rescue (Hardcover)

Demarest is a genius, and this is probably his best book. There are very few great "boy" books (I use the word carefully, it's for "boys" of either gender) in the world, and Demarest has written most of them.

The illustrations are marvelous and the poetry is excellent. It stands quite well as a poem all by itself.

I have a 9yo with a reading disability who's probably read this (with me) about fifty times. We now own most of Demarest's adventure books. It is a testament to their excellence that most remain in print, despite a lack of classy prizes. The latter, by the way, is an indictment of the industry that assigns "prizes" to children's books.

The only downside is that you run the risk of inspiring a child to become a rescue swimmer, fortunately the illustrations are worrisome enough that my son prefers to speak of becoming a mech. As noble and inspiring as these heroes are, it is not the sort of profession to ease a parent's heart.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great action, great illustrations, September 12, 2007

By 

S. McFarland (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Mayday! Mayday!: A Coast Guard Rescue (Hardcover)

Yes, the rhyming text is a bit labored, but my almost-4-year-old doesn't care. This is my favorite of Demarest's books because the story arc is really satisfying. (Although we love all the fire fighting books as well.) The illustrations are exciting and action-packed.

Of all the hundreds and hundreds of books we check out from the library, this is one of the few that I've felt is worth buying. My son has come back to it repeatedly since we discovered it nearly a year ago. He reenacts the story's daring rescues with Legos, with play-acting, and with friends. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for younger children, August 9, 2011

By 

zachswifey - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mayday! Mayday!: A Coast Guard Rescue (Hardcover)

My son is 4 years old. Daddy is in the coast guard and my son loves to hear anything about the coast guard. The short pages and rhymes keep him interested.