Sailboat Lost (Hardcover)

~ (Author, Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An adventure filled with wonders yet fraught with underlying danger begins as a freak wave drives a small sailboat from the safety of "the secret shore" and carries it out to sea. Fisher's ( The ABC Exhibit ; The Great Wall of China ) pictorial narrative, prefaced by a spare but richly suggestive poem, chronicles the journey with surprising intensity and emotion. Rendered in brilliant blues, his paintings invite imaginations to roam as they eloquently convey the excitement of the open sea and the feel of wind in the sails--even the relentless midday sun is suggested by the artwork's slight haziness. While some may consider the sequence of events somewhat contrived (a seagull and dolphins nudge the boat back to shore), this lyrical tribute to the sea will appeal to sailors and landlubbers alike. All ages.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2 --Two boys set out for a secret shore in a small boat with its red and white sail jauntily flying. While they are exploring, the tide rises and the sailboat is cast adrift, its fate at the mercy of the elements. A poem at the book's beginning details the entire experience, thereby eliminating any surprise at the outcome, but insuring that no text interferes with the glorious acrylic paintings. Fisher displays an artful sense of perspective--a large yacht passes the small craft emphasizing its vulnerability, and on the following spread the skipperless vessel and a powerboat ride the waves in a beautifully balanced circular composition. The pace and tempo of the adventure are fine-tuned as well; tension heightens as a menacing sequence of submarines, sharks, fog, and lightning threaten the craft, but in the final pages a sense of peace and friendliness reigns as dolphins nudge and a sea gull brings the battered but unscathed boat back to the island. Using a rich and varied palette, the artist captures both the texture of fog, foam, and clouds, and the blue and green essence of the sea. The book might have been simply a portfolio of dramatic paintings and the boat, eerily devoid of its human crew, just an inanimate object, but the boat itself becomes a character and there is enough inherent excitement in its survival for both landlubber and sailor to book passage. --Caroline Ward, Nassau Library System, Uniondale, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; 1st edition (August 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0027353516
• ISBN-13: 978-0027353518
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,480,513 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)