Working Boats: An Inside Look at Ten Amazing Watercraft

Explore ten incredible working boats—and discover how their crews, engines, and specialized equipment get important jobs done on the water.

“Boys and girls—and grown-ups—intrigued by the maritime world of the North Pacific will get much pleasure and a pack of insider knowledge from Tom Crestodina’s Working Boats.”
—The New York Times

Working Boats is an illustrated hardcover picture book that takes curious kids ages 4+ inside ten real watercraft through detailed cross sections, exploded views, and full-page scenes. Young readers will discover how each vessel works, what its crew does, and how its design helps it accomplish its unique mission.

Inside this fascinating boat book, kids will:

• Go behind the scenes of a Coast Guard rescue
• Explore a science research vessel and learn about its mission
• Discover what it takes to work aboard a crabbing boat
• See how water moves through a fireboat
• Learn about radar, diesel engines, pumps, mechanics, and water-safety equipment
• Meet the hardworking people who operate boats and experience daily life on board

Combining maritime science, engineering, technology, and real-world careers, this fact-filled guide makes complex machinery engaging and easy to understand. Its intricate illustrations encourage children to study every page and make new discoveries with each reading.

A standout among boat books for kids, Working Boats is a memorable gift for boys and girls who love vehicles, machines, transportation, engineering, ocean adventures, or learning how things work. It makes a perfect gift for birthdays, Christmas, classroom libraries, homeschool learning, and family reading.

Born in the Midwest, artist Tom Crestodina has been working as a fisherman in Alaska for over 20 years and studied marine engineering at the Seattle Maritime Academy. After the birth of his first child with his wife, Ania, he began making cutaway drawings of the vessels he was working on as a way to communicate with his small child while he was at sea. After other seafarers began to ask for drawings of their own vessels, he went on to document the maritime trades in his whimsical style, and his work is now carried in shops and galleries all over the Pacific coast of North America. He lives in Bellingham, Washington, with Ania and their two children.  You can find out more about Tom and his work on his website: TheScow.BigCartel.com