THE OLD BOAT
Norton Young Readers | March 2, 2021
Description
The creators of The Old Truck set sail with an old boat and an evocative, intricately crafted exploration of home and family.
Off a small island, a boy and his grandmother set sail in their beloved fishing boat. They ride the waves, dreaming, catching fish, and seeing the wonders of the ocean. But soon the boy is sailing the boat himself, venturing further from shore as the waters grow dirty and polluted. When a storm washes him ashore and wrecks the old boat, he sees home in a new light. He decides to turn the tides of his fortune, cleaning the island’s waters and creating a new life with a family to call his own. With an eye-catching design and masterfully detailed illustrations,
The Old Boat is an exquisite story about caring for the places we call home.
Available everywhere books are sold!
Best Children’s Books of 2021
“I can’t help but think of my son listening to my dad share stories about his rings and how they connect us to our great-great-grandparents whenever I read a book by the Pumphrey brothers. On the Old Boat a grandson learns the old ways of connecting to the sea from his grandfather, with every passing page years go by and little by little the effects of pollution begin to affect the world they inhabit. Created with stamps, the Pumphrey book beautifully weaves an origin story of a fisherman reborn to battle the pollution that has overtaken their shores and in the process asks us to reflect on our wasteful habits.”
—Raúl the Third
- "A quiet, thought-provoking story of environmental change and the power humans have to slow it."–Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
- "This sensitive message about growth and connection is perfectly pitched to resonate with readers young, old, and journeying between."
- "A call to action toward stewardship of the natural world on shore and off."
