Praise for This is the Boat that Ben Built
2023 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Picture Book Award Winner
2022 CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens selection
2022 Ontario Library Association "Best Bets" selection
2023 SCBWI "Celebrate the Earth" Reading List selection
2022 SCBWI Recommended Reading List feature
2022 The Children’s Book Council “March: Hot Off the Press” feature
2022 BookFlap “Finding our Place in the Universe” feature
“Bailey’s debut puts an ecological spin on “This Is the House That Jack Built,” in a cumulative tale of a boy exploring a northern river ecosystem”—School Library Journal
“This Is the Boat That Ben Built is a collaboration that exudes a sense of happiness. It is the meeting of pleasant story and informative nonfiction that will be useful in primary classroom and library collections.”—CM Magazine
“The illustrations are really lovely and capture the river and its animals in a way that is sure to appeal to children. The buildable story is great for toddlers and preschoolers who will appreciate the repetition and understanding the way that things begin to relate to each other in the story.”—YA Books Central
“This is a sweet, rhyming early look at ecosystems in the forest. Back matter talks about keystone species, and asks readers questions about the story.”—Youth Services Book Review
“At the end of the book, Bailey talks about the Northern River ecosystem and goes into information about the creatures she featured in her book. The pictures are adorable.”—Book Time
“Fun to read over and over with young students and create your own story based on animals your students may spot in their own surroundings.”—The International Educator
“With its lyrical text and amazing tapestry of illustrations, this book is destined to become a classic.”—CLCD - Children’s Literature
“Early readers (ages 4-7) will enjoy chanting along with the text.”—Winnipeg Free Press
“Young readers will enjoy the fun story and quality illustrations.”—Metroland Media
“The lively text is just right for early readers with its repetitive language. Paired with Maggie Zeng's luminous digital art, it is sure to be read often and soon independently.”—Sal's Fiction Addiction
“Patterned on the familiar “The House That Jack Built” nursery rhyme, Jen Lynn Bailey’s text is fun and easy to read, flowing smoothly with the right cadence that pulls the reader along. Maggie Zeng’s digital illustrations are beautiful and full of detail. Gentle humour infuses the story in both text and illustrations, and readers will enjoy the sense of wonder always to be found in natural settings.”—Canadian Children’s Book News
“5 out of 5 stars…The text is delightful! There is a lilting rhythm as each page adds a repetitive line to the text…There are so many clever little details in this book…I love the beautiful illustrations! The artwork reflects the sunlight on the water in the most attractive way…Ben is such a cute little character, and all the animals are adorable!”—Luminous Libro
“Beautiful picture book—this one has it all….This makes for a great read-aloud to young children, and a great addition to any lesson on ecosystems and river animals.”—Mrs. Makes Reading Fun