With a little imagination, a boy and his dog, Skipper, turn a backyard wading pool into the high seas—thanks to Denton's transformative powers—and embark on a series of adventures. They sail on a magnificent clipper ship and encounter a nine-headed "foul-smelling beast/ With mean teethy mouths,/ Ready to feast." They find buried treasure on a tropical isle and give some pirates (as well as some admiring mermaids) the slip by hopping aboard a porpoise. Heidbreder's (I Wished for a Unicorn) rhymes tend to thud more than soar ("Ahoy!/ A ship came billowing by./ Aboard we sprang,/ Skipper and I"), but Denton is in fine, freewheeling form. She takes the rhyme "I wished so hard/ To sail the sea/ That the sea/ Sailed right to me!" as a launch point, and the boy's wading pool metamorphoses as a slowly encroaching wave sweeps the initially dubious, then delighted, young fellow and his dog off their feet. The subsequent pages glow with iridescent color and wry details, and the hero has an appealing Sendak-like impishness. Ages 3-8. (Apr.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationPreS - Gr 2 - "I wished so hard/To sail the sea/That the sea/Sailed right to me!" A boy and his dog, Skipper, take off from their small urban backyard into an ocean full of adventure, complete with a ship. Together they encounter enormous waves, a foul-smelling beast with nine heads, mermaids, and an island of crocodiles, pirates, and buried treasure. The rhyming text gives the boy's account of their fast-paced voyage and eventual getaway. Finally, they land safely back home where the sea morphs back into a small wading pool. The warm gouache illustrations full of soft lines and sharp humor really bring this book to life. On the final spread, the child winds down with an evening bubble bath, but readers will know that he and Skipper are already planning their next high-seas escapade. For young children wishing for adventure, this book celebrates the art of pretend.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
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