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Boat Book

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Rowboats, canoes, sailboats, speedboats, cruise ships, submarines, tugboats, and more! Boats come in all sizes and we use them in different for recreation, for transportation, and even for police work and fighting fires. This bright and strikingly graphic introduction to boats from award-winning author and illustrator Gail Gibbons is both basic and inviting, making it perfect for very young children.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1983

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About the author

Gail Gibbons

233 books166 followers
From gailgibbons.com: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together. I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.

Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.

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5 stars
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35 (52%)
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Profile Image for Janet.
3,756 reviews37 followers
February 3, 2019
While this is in the Gail Gibbons style of busy illustration, Gibbons has done an excellent job of paring down her style to be appropriate for younger eyes as well as including just a bit of information regarding various types of boats.

My own bias is showing when I criticize the fact that most times when showing examples of boats that carry heavy loads it is usually ocean going vessels that are illustrated. Twenty four hours per day 365 days per year towboats with barges weighing millions of pounds ply navigable rivers of the world in continuous motion, stopping only to take on or off load cargo.
Profile Image for Katie Fitzgerald.
Author 33 books257 followers
October 31, 2020
I borrowed this book from the library thinking it would appeal to Miss Muffet, who likes nonfiction, but it didn't impress her very much. We read through it once, and she liked looking at the illustrations but she hasn't asked to hear it again. Personally, I thought it was just okay. it's definitely a serviceable book for introducing a young child to boating vocabulary, but its not particular memorable, and it didn't feel as comprehensive as some of the other Gibbons books we've read (our favorite of which so far has been Emergency.)
60 reviews2 followers
July 23, 2019
A board book meant for babies, this book is a simple to understand introduction to all things boats related. From canoes, kayaks, rowboats, sailboats, speedboats, cruise, submarine, task oriented boats.
Profile Image for Tyler McGaughey.
566 reviews4 followers
September 10, 2024
My apologies to author and illustrator Gail Gibbons, I'm sure you're a lovely person but I do have to report that after I finished reading Boat Book to my 4-yr-old daughter she did a huge sigh and said, "That was boring." I am only the messenger here.
Profile Image for Faven.
17 reviews
January 11, 2026
Great if your neurodivergent special interest is boats
Profile Image for Sandy Brehl.
Author 8 books134 followers
July 20, 2012
Gail Gibbons reliably creates focused non-ficiton books in which her illustrations and comprehensive text are appealing and accessible when shared with the very young, but also serve the more detailed interests of young independent readers. Boat Book is no exception.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews

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