The Old Boat
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- $17.99
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
A Washington Post Best Children's Book of 2021
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021
The creators of The Old Truck set sail with an old boat and an evocative, intricately crafted exploration of home and family.
Off a small island,
an old boat sets sail
and a young boy
finds home.
Together, boy and boat ride the shifting tides, catching wants and wishes until fate calls for a sea change. Brothers and collaborators Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey’s newest picture book is a masterfully crafted celebration of the natural world and tribute to the families we make and the homes that we nurture.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This tale from the Pumphrey brothers (The Old Truck) excels at showing rather than telling. Tight, vivid prose by Jarrett Pumphrey telegraphs the story's essence, while spreads by Jerome Pumphrey show outings shared by two brown-skinned figures—one young, one old—who together take a green fishing skiff out to open sea. As the pages turn, "the old boat caught wants// and wishes,// waves// and wonders," the child and the adult mature, and the waters fill with garbage—"First shallow.// Then deep." One fateful day, the child, now grown, takes the craft out alone and is overtaken by a storm, the boat sinking just offshore alongside plastic bags, tires, milk crates, and more. Carried back to the beach, the pilot sees that honoring intergenerational memories requires work close to home. Helpers fill garbage bags, and swimmers with nets clean farther out. Soon, fish return to the shallows, sea plants grow, and the sunken boat hosts life. The artwork's sun-bleached shapes have immediate visual impact, and the story conveys the idea of change, both damage and restoration, occurring on a relatively brief human scale. Ages 6–8. Agent (for author and illustrator): Hannah Mann, Writers House.
