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Bernie and Boatie
December 2022 sees Bernie Hollywood OBE cross the Atlantic alone on an epic 3000-mile they in a small rowing boat bearing the artwork of renowned mural artists, Justin Eagle ton and the talented children of the UK. Bernie will experience great physical and mental hardships, and must overcome them in order to reach the other side.
The Boat of Hope project is built for the primary purpose of opening up a conversation with children across the world. Our team listens and provides support to young people and their families as they navigate their mental health.
"Hope is a boat that keeps us all afloat."
The Boat of Hope project is built for the primary purpose of opening up a conversation with children across the world. Our team listens and provides support to young people and their families as they navigate their mental health.
"Hope is a boat that keeps us all afloat."
30 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 1, 2021
What an absolutely corker this little book is!
It's cover & pages illustrated beautifully by Lisa Williams, very brightly coloured & eye-catching, designed to attract the attention of your little ones. I loved that the boat was in the colour of the Love Rowing logo as well.
An amazing little story that any young child will enjoy, with a positive impact & if it helps one child reach out & realise they're not alone, then it's done admirably.
As someone who struggles with their own mental health, I was delighted to see that the book accompanies the 'Boat of Hope' child mental health campaign & all proceeds will go to the Samaritans.
Many thanks to Random Things Tours & the author for my gifted copy.
𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 5 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
It's cover & pages illustrated beautifully by Lisa Williams, very brightly coloured & eye-catching, designed to attract the attention of your little ones. I loved that the boat was in the colour of the Love Rowing logo as well.
An amazing little story that any young child will enjoy, with a positive impact & if it helps one child reach out & realise they're not alone, then it's done admirably.
As someone who struggles with their own mental health, I was delighted to see that the book accompanies the 'Boat of Hope' child mental health campaign & all proceeds will go to the Samaritans.
Many thanks to Random Things Tours & the author for my gifted copy.
𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 5 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
October 16, 2021
My little girl is a huge fan of this author’s books so you can imagine her excitement when she received a copy of Bernie And Boatie. It quickly got ripped open and I think I’d read it six times before she’d gone to bed – almost able to know the book off by heart.
Natalie really knows how to write books that capture children’s imagination and draw them into the story so they soon become firm favourites. My kids were soon sitting in cardboard boxes in our sitting room pretending to go on their own sea adventure.
I thought the story was well written, showing kids the dangers that Bernie may face at sea, managing to spark their interest without scaring them. The story is told in a gentle rhyme similar to Natalie’s other books and accompanied by some bright, beautiful full page illustrations that were just stunning to look at. My daughter and I spent ages looking at them and finding little details which we’d missed before. I particularly liked the inclusion of the famous Beatles statue and that the author herself was featured cheering Bernie on at the end. Each picture includes a rainbow which I absolutely loved as I have a thing about rainbows (as you can probably tell from my blog name). I thought this was a nice touch as they are known for being a symbol of hope – perfect colours for the boat of hope!
There is an important message hidden in the story to tell people that they aren’t alone and to encourage people to talk to other people if they have a problem. My initial thought was that this would go over my five year olds head but when I asked her she said the book was about helping people and being a friend to others so the message obviously gets through.
Overall we absolutely loved this book and I’m already thinking about giving it to friends children for Christmas, as well as a copy to my children’s school. Proceeds from this book and donations towards Bernie’s real life Atlantic challenge will go towards mental health charities aimed at helping children with their mental health.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Natalie for my copy of this book.
Natalie really knows how to write books that capture children’s imagination and draw them into the story so they soon become firm favourites. My kids were soon sitting in cardboard boxes in our sitting room pretending to go on their own sea adventure.
I thought the story was well written, showing kids the dangers that Bernie may face at sea, managing to spark their interest without scaring them. The story is told in a gentle rhyme similar to Natalie’s other books and accompanied by some bright, beautiful full page illustrations that were just stunning to look at. My daughter and I spent ages looking at them and finding little details which we’d missed before. I particularly liked the inclusion of the famous Beatles statue and that the author herself was featured cheering Bernie on at the end. Each picture includes a rainbow which I absolutely loved as I have a thing about rainbows (as you can probably tell from my blog name). I thought this was a nice touch as they are known for being a symbol of hope – perfect colours for the boat of hope!
There is an important message hidden in the story to tell people that they aren’t alone and to encourage people to talk to other people if they have a problem. My initial thought was that this would go over my five year olds head but when I asked her she said the book was about helping people and being a friend to others so the message obviously gets through.
Overall we absolutely loved this book and I’m already thinking about giving it to friends children for Christmas, as well as a copy to my children’s school. Proceeds from this book and donations towards Bernie’s real life Atlantic challenge will go towards mental health charities aimed at helping children with their mental health.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Natalie for my copy of this book.
October 13, 2021
This fun, colourful book is such a delight to read and makes it all the more special knowing that this book was written for The Boat of Hope project. Their purpose is to help open up conversations with children about mental health across the world and to provide help and support for young people and their families.
Bernie and Boatie tells the story of a little boat anchored in Liverpool docks. She is too scared to sail the sea until one day Bernie comes along, he promises to take her for a ride. Along the way they face a terrible storm which threatens to destroy them both. But through the ups and the downs and the support they give one another they ride that storm and realise they are not alone and in this together.
Natalie Reeves Billing is such a magical lyrical storyteller, her writing flows beautifully through the book capturing the characters' emotions and echoing words of encouragement that every child needs to hear. Although the characters face moments of stress, anxiety and difficultly there is also a calmness that is portrayed which encourages the reader to acknowledge that these moments don't last forever.
The illustrations are so fun and you may be able to spot a few celebrities hiding in the pages. Another thing to spot is the hope spark on each page.
All proceeds from the book go the The Boat of Hope charity.
Bernie and Boatie tells the story of a little boat anchored in Liverpool docks. She is too scared to sail the sea until one day Bernie comes along, he promises to take her for a ride. Along the way they face a terrible storm which threatens to destroy them both. But through the ups and the downs and the support they give one another they ride that storm and realise they are not alone and in this together.
Natalie Reeves Billing is such a magical lyrical storyteller, her writing flows beautifully through the book capturing the characters' emotions and echoing words of encouragement that every child needs to hear. Although the characters face moments of stress, anxiety and difficultly there is also a calmness that is portrayed which encourages the reader to acknowledge that these moments don't last forever.
The illustrations are so fun and you may be able to spot a few celebrities hiding in the pages. Another thing to spot is the hope spark on each page.
All proceeds from the book go the The Boat of Hope charity.
November 11, 2021
My 8 year old daughter and I really loved this book. The message that it's OK to feel muddled, worried, tired, sad or cross is so important and it gave us a great opening for a discussion about, to quote the book "a problem is halved when it's shared with a friend"
This beautifully illustrated book follows Bertie and Boatie as they journey across the sea. They support each other when each one gets nervous, tired or worried.
The author has taken inspiration from the real life Bertie Holywood OBE as he prepares for a 3000 mile journey across the Atlantic in a small rowing boat to raise money for charity.
The book is part of the Boat of Hope child mental health campaign and all proceeds from the book will go to charity.
We have already read this books lots of times and it is a firm bedtime favourite🚤🌈
This beautifully illustrated book follows Bertie and Boatie as they journey across the sea. They support each other when each one gets nervous, tired or worried.
The author has taken inspiration from the real life Bertie Holywood OBE as he prepares for a 3000 mile journey across the Atlantic in a small rowing boat to raise money for charity.
The book is part of the Boat of Hope child mental health campaign and all proceeds from the book will go to charity.
We have already read this books lots of times and it is a firm bedtime favourite🚤🌈
October 3, 2021
I was lucky enough to have been given a copy for a blog tour.
Its an amazing book for a good charity,
Its an amazing book for a good charity,
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews