The Boy Who Built the Boat

by Ross Mueller, Craig Smith (Illustrations)

In this charming and creative picture book, a young boy sets out to build a boat just like the ones his dad makes. Repetitious, tongue-twisting language traces Henry’s journey as he collects the tools he needs—including a saw, drill, and hammer—and enlists the help of his sister and her teddy bear. Beautifully detailed illustrations show Henry's father watching from a distance and capture the youngster's facial expressions and body language as the boat starts to take shape. This joyful, read-aloud tale celebrates the power of a child’s imagination and the simple delight of making things.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 28, 2007

Reviews

[Romanus Elangwe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Down at the bottom of Henry's (little boy) backyard is a shed where his dad builds boats. Henry in helping his dad learns how to build boats; so one day he decides to build his own boat out of the materials he finds in the workshop. He collects all the tools necessary for the work - hammer, nails, drill, saw, drop sheet, a wheelbarrow (to see if the boat will float) and of course a helper, the sister. Henry builds a nice boat he named "SS Henry" and sails in an imaginary ocean. He invites his dad to appraise the work and gets a pat on the back for a job well done.

The book encourages children to watch and learn and try to build things. We will the read the book aloud and we will use the rich vocabulary words in the book in my classroom. In building a boat, bridge or a table, a builder will need materials such as wood, nails, drill, harmer, saw and a helper(team work).