A Bright and colourful nautical story. ‘Big Blue Boat’ by Susea Spray and Illustrated by Lesley Cybulka is a simple story of a boat and its captain, heading out to sea, then finding a bay to rest in in the evening. The story starts off simple with “A boat” then builds, with each page, showing the towering mast, the billowing sails, the twirling wheel and the Captain that is “as brave as brave can be”. As the story picks up, so does the wind and the vibrant images depict the intrepid captain sailing some very choppy seas before the images and the text calm down again and a place to stop and sleep is found. The images of the boat and the sea and the landscape throughout are lovely. However I think that the close-up images of the captain are a little uncanny. She looks rather like a porcelain doll, lacking dimension and nose, and she isn’t always in proportion. Throughout the text some words are in a bold and coloured font for emphasis. I personally would have considered using this emphasis to highlight the nouns each time (so emphasising Boat not Blue), and maintained some consistency on which type of words were emphasised throughout. I think younger readers will enjoy the repetition of this story and looking at all the pictures. It could also be beneficial for young readers who are looking to build sentences, with the structure of the story at the beginning becoming gradually more complex. This is a great book for showing that girls can dream big, be strong and sail boats and go on solo adventures. The glossary at the end helps readers learn and remember the different parts of the boat and what they’re used for.
Seas are calm and winds gently blow as the Big Blue Boat and her Captain set sail. With the passing of the hours, winds strengthen and seas build, becoming increasingly livelier. The reader is kept on the edge of their seat in this cumulative tale that tells a story. By the time a full image of the Big Blue Boat and her Captain is constructed, the seas have become rollicking frolicking and the boat bounds along with her captain. Day’s end arrives and being close to shore, a peaceful protected bay is found. In here, dolphins play, birds soar, and winds roar as the boat surfs into shore on a rollicking ride. Waters surge as the captain rapidly prepares the boat for anchor. The wheel twirls, the rudder slides, sails rustle, and then the heavy grey anchor hits bottom. The boat comes to a hip - hopping stop. Floating safely at rest, the captain heads down below for a good night’s rest and dreams her dreams of a big blue boat on the rollicking, frolicking seas. The first in a series, and a 2021 Page Turner Awards Finalist, A Big Blue Boat fills the niche market of realistic sailing stories for young children, especially girls. Written in the tradition of There Once Was A Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree, A Big Blue Boat takes readers on an ever growing rhyming song in this story about boats and sailing for early readers. 546 words in length, A Big Blue Boat also has a glossary and activity that children will love. A Big Blue Boat will appeal to readers of Lynley Dodd, Julia Childs, Dr Seuss and children who love boats and sailing.
