Boats

Get on Board With a New Board Book by Toni Buzzeo & Tom Froese – Whose Boat?

WHOSE BOAT?
Written by Toni Buzzeo
Illustrated by Tom Froese
(Abrams Appleseed; $9.99, Ages 2-4)

Whose Boat? by Toni Buzzeo cover art by Tom Froese

 

Little ones will love learning all the cool terminology and designs for all the boats in the harbor when they get their hands on Whose Boat? I know I did! Just imagine the fun you’ll have pointing out the various parts of these boats and figuring out which boat goes with which person. With the help of this colorful, 16-page gatefold board book from the folks who brought you Whose Tools? and Whose Truck?, kids can become mini-experts of all sorts of boats and who operates them such as the patrol boat operated by the Harbormaster, the tugboat operated by the Tugboat Pilot, the car ferry operated by the Car Ferry Captain (always a favorite in our family), the lobster boat operated by the Lobsterperson, the emergency lifeboat operated by the Coxswain, the fireboat operated by the firefighters, and last, but definitely not least, toy boats for water play operated by kid power! 

 

Int artwork from Whose Boat? by Toni Buzzeo with illustrations by Tom Froese
Interior spread from Whose Boat? written by Toni Buzzeo with illustrations by Tom Froese, Abrams Appleseed ©2018.

 

 

Int artwork from Whose Boat? by Toni Buzzeo with illustrations by Tom Froese
Interior gatefold spread from Whose Boat? written by Toni Buzzeo with illustrations by Tom Froese, Abrams Appleseed ©2018.

 

When kids memorize the question, “Whose Boat is That?” and the corresponding reply, it won’t take long before they take over the roll of tour guide when you visit a harbor near home or on holiday. They’ll thoroughly enjoy lifting the seven sturdy gatefolds to reveal the answer to the question each time it’s posed. Make a game out of it and quiz each other on the parts of the boats (I’d lose that easily) and watch how fast they pick up all the details.

Smoke billows up.
Cool water flows.
Whose boat is that?
Do you know?

Int artwork from Whose Boat? by Toni Buzzeo with illustrations by Tom Froese
Interior spread from Whose Boat? written by Toni Buzzeo with illustrations by Tom Froese, Abrams Appleseed ©2018.

 

Int artwork from Whose Boat? by Toni Buzzeo with illustrations by Tom Froese
Interior gatefold spread from Whose Boat? written by Toni Buzzeo with illustrations by Tom Froese, Abrams Appleseed ©2018.

 

Buzzeo’s taken a popular nonfiction topic and made it fun for the youngest of boat fans. And Froese, whose stylized illustrations have a vibrant and retro feel about them somewhere between Dan Yaccarino and Salvatore Rubbino, makes turning each page a treat. Head to your local independent bookseller and pick up all three books for handy reference at home or give them as a preschooler birthday present to all the curious kids in your life.

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The Hole Story of The Doughnut by Pat Miller

THE HOLE STORY OF THE DOUGHNUT
Written by Pat Miller
Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; $17.99, Ages 6-9)

 

The Hole Story of The Doughnut by Pat Miller book cover

In The Hole Story of the Doughnut by Pat Miller, the beloved doughnut’s history is traced back to 1847. Hanson Crockett Gregory, an American born in Maine, was only thirteen years old when he went to sea. At age sixteen, while working as a cook’s assistant on the Ivanhoe, Gregory decided to try something new. Their typical breakfast of sweet fried dough was known as “sinkers” because the middles remained raw and heavy with grease, making them “drop like cannonballs” in the stomach. Using the lid of a pepper can, Gregory cut holes from the center of the dough. By lightening them up, they emerged from the bubbling lard fully cooked, browned, and sweet.

 

Interior spread of first doughnut invention from The Hole Story of The Doughnut
Interior artwork from The Hole Story of The Doughnut by Pat Miller with illustrations by Vincent X. Kirsch, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ©2016.

 

These new treats became known as “holey cakes;” Gregory’s mother sold large batches of them on the docks to hungry sailors. To offset the simple origins of the doughnut, sailors invented wild tales about how Captain Gregory’s invention occurred while he was wrestling with stormy seas or rescuing sailors who had fallen overboard.

 

Interior spread of sailors eating doughnuts from The Hole Story of The Doughnut
Interior artwork from The Hole Story of The Doughnut by Pat Miller with illustrations by Vincent X. Kirsch, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ©2016.

 

The colorful pages of The Hole Story of the Doughnut utilize a doughnut-shaped theme and lively illustrations to depict historical scenes with interest and humor. The tale brings us full-circle in Gregory’s life. In an interview with Gregory at age sixty-nine, he seemed amazed at the fuss over his now world-famous invention claiming he had merely invented “the first hole ever seen by mortal eyes.” A hole which has made a mighty impression.

Both children and adults should find this history of the doughnut to be a fun and interesting read. The next time I eat a “holey cake,” I’ll think back upon the story of Captain Gregory and be thankful we’re not still eating “sinkers.”

  • Reviewed by Christine Van Zandt

Writer, editor, and owner of Write for Success www.Write-for-Success.com

@WFSediting, Christine@Write-for-Success.com

Co-editor of and writer for SCBWI’s Kite Tales https://SCBWIKiteTales.wordpress.com/

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