Boats Will Float

February 1, 2020
Many types of working and pleasure craft are depicted in this humorous, straightforward picture book. Curzon's vibrantly colored illustrations bubble with plenty of detail, enough to help children recognize different boat types they may encounter on a trip to the ocean or harbor. The storyline progresses more or less through the day in different marine locations, from early morning, when fishing boats are starting out and dragon boats are "flying by," to a gentle nighttime sailing scene. The view changes as the boats change, cycling through rolling waves, a festive beach tableau, underwater scenes as studied by divers from a research vessel and the crew of a submarine before culminating in the family depicted in the opening illustration, going to bed in their houseboat. This family is white; the crews of the various boats include some people of color. Rosenbaum's text consists of easy, rolling rhymes, with plenty of descriptive language to conjure up the scene: "Sunlight sizzles, hot and bright"; boats "rise and fall in liquid motion"; Salty breezes. / Seagulls squalling." There's plenty of engaging visual detail, including a spread in which the signal flag alphabet is shown and the flags on two boats spell out the book's title. A buoyant introduction to many different maritime pursuits. (picture glossary) (Picture book. 4-6)

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March 27, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-Rosenbaum's jaunty rhyming text describes the seafaring activities of many types of boats throughout the day. "Early morning, rise and shine, Fishing boats with nets and line. Underneath a cloudless sky, Dragon boats go flying by." The waterways are filled with tankers, trawlers, and schooners. The action is swimmingly captured with poetic phrases such as, "Boats will float into the ocean, rise and fall in liquid motion." Colorful scenes offer views from above and below sea level, including a fireboat attending to an emergency and a submarine with sailors waving from portholes as they pass by a striped octopus. There are lots of clever details to pore over in Curzon's cartoon illustrations, from a reenactment of the famous Titanic scene at the bow of a large cruise ship, to a secret message that can be decoded using the accompanying nautical flag alphabet. Back matter features a picture glossary of the boats mentioned in the story. VERDICT A shipshape offering sure to appeal to young boating enthusiasts.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ont.

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