Working Boats: Safety, Salvage, and Rescue: An Inside Look at Eight Adventurous Watercraft

by Tom Crestodina

Overview

Featuring exploded views of 10 brave working boats built to save lives, save ships, and raise wrecks, this stunning picture book dives deep into the everyday lives of those assisting with daring rescues at sea and the dangers they face every day.

Perfect for elementary-school aged kids (and their adults) curious about the mechanics of boats and the lives of people who work on boats, this eagerly anticipated follow up to Working Boats will look at the brave watercraft who ensure the safety and rescue of people at sea, and even those who safely salvage shipwrecks for valuable parts and cargo.

You'll discover:

• what goes on behind the scenes of a motor lifeboat rescue on a dangerous and unpredictable river bar
• what’s involved above and below the water when underwater welders need to repair holes in ships to keep it from sinking
• boats whose job it is to lift shipwrecks out with a big crane
• and many more!

Perfect for kids interested in how things work, this book is packed with detailed practical info to answer such questions as: What are each boat's mission? What are the jobs people do on board? What are the key components of each vessel (such blocks and tackles, steam engines, & anchor warps)—sure to sate even the most curious seafarer!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632175786
Publisher:	Blue Star Press
Publication date:	02/10/2026
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	56
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Born in the Midwest, artist Tom Crestodina has been working as a fisherman in Alaska for over 20 years and studied marine engineering at the Seattle Maritime Academy. After the birth of his first child with his wife, Ania, he began making cutaway drawings of the vessels he was working on as a way to communicate with his small child while he was at sea. After other seafarers began to ask for drawings of their own vessels, he went on to document the maritime trades in his whimsical style, and his work is now carried in shops and galleries all over the Pacific coast of North America. He lives in Bellingham, Washington, with Ania and their two children.  You can find out more about Tom and his work on his website: TheScow.BigCartel.com

Editorial Reviews

"Boys and girls — and grown-ups — intrigued by the maritime world of the North Pacific will get much pleasure and a pack of insider knowledge from Tom Crestodina’s Working Boats"—New York Times

“Working Boats” is a great resource for kids, and as I mentioned earlier, their parents as well. The drawings will attract beginning readers, the text will keep bringing them back as they master their skills, and the complete package will appeal to grownups.—Anchorage Daily News

"If a photo illustration is worth a thousand words, Crestodina’s cut-away drawings give us more like five thousand words each. . .  It is no cliché to say that, for the mariner inclined, from eight to eighty, this is the one book that does it all."—National Fisherman

"Cross sections and exploded views abound in the detailed illustrations."—Kirkus Reviews

"An informative and fun book for readers interested in boats and how they work, and the target audience will be engaged by the high level of detail."—Booklist

"If your young reader is less interested in story and more interested in non-fiction — especially the workings of a seagoing vessel — then this book is a great gift choice."—Montreal Gazette

From the Publisher