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)
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!
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?
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.
- Reviewed by Ronna Mandel
Here are two other board book roundups:
Reviewed by Hilary Taber
Reviewed by Ronna Mandel