The Boat

Simply Read Books

Kindergarten-Grade 3–Beautifully illustrated with somber pencil drawings, The Boat is a story closely linked with the biblical tale of the Flood. Text and illustrations support one another flawlessly. A young boy has a special connection to a mysterious man who lives as an outcast on an island with animals that have been hurt or abandoned. To him, the villagers are the noisiest, messiest, most inconsiderate… of all the creatures, while the boy recognizes the humanity in the grumpy old man. When a flood threatens to engulf the island, a boat appears out of the dark, and the boy responds, rowing toward it as the storm rages on. Ward's voice is sometimes self-conscious, stretching a bit to be mythic. Most annoying is the inconsistency of the writing, such as the sudden burst of alliteration: Trickles tipped caterpillars off their twigs, and turned to torrents. The font is elongated and elegant. At crucial moments, the print is quite large, adding dramatic emphasis. In the end, this work reminds readers that an individual, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, can make a difference.–Teresa Pfeifer, Alfred Zanetti Montessori Magnet School, Springfield, MA
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Gr. 1-3. In this brooding, atmospheric story, a boy and his dog observe a grumpy but tenderhearted old man who lives alone with an unusual assortment of once-abused and abandoned animals. When heavy rains and the rising river threaten the old man and his animals, the boy miraculously finds a rowboat and ferries the old man and his menagerie, including the lion, cows, zebra, and giraffes, to safety. Carefully rendered pencil-and-watercolor scenes, done almost entirely in shades of gray, depict the drenching storm and fit the unusual story. Despite the picture-book format, this allegorical story is better suited for older children. There's much to discuss here, especially about the power of helping. Linda Perkins
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