(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Niki Smith. This heartfelt graphic novel explores the uncharted waters of growing up, friendship, and self-discovery. Soon after Janey finishes third grade, she and her family move onto their red-sailed schooner to live and to sail the Caribbean Islands. Janey misses her home and wishes for an ordinary life with a "Normal House" and "Real School" rather than "Fourth Grade in a Box" (what Mom calls homeschool). But then she befriends Astrid, another boat kid who is older and more daring. Janey finds herself both drawn to and frustrated by her new friend's unpredictable personality until she learns that Astrid harbors her own secrets and wishes. Janey discovers the value of leaving your comfort zone as she is forced to confront fears, examine boundaries, and understand what it means to trust others. Bakes's narrative effectively integrates ideas of belonging and gratitude and uses the ocean and weather as metaphors for personal growth. Smith's colorful illustrations reflect the ocean's -- and the protagonist's -- ever-changing moods. Inventive panels that showcase handwritten letters, maps, and annotated sketches further immerse readers in Janey's world. An appended author's note explains connections to Bakes's childhood.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) 4-6 Survival Scout series. In this third installment in the humorous and informative comic-format series (starting with Lost in the Mountains, rev. 7/23), Scout (a highly capable child) and Skunk (a snarky skunk) find themselves alone in a small boat when Scout’s hapless older brother is whisked away by an offended porpoise. After making a clearheaded assessment of the situation, Scout asserts to her friend that “today, we’re going to rescue ourselves.” The book shares a common-sense overview of real-life sailing and survival skills through a combination of captions, cartoony diagrams, and word-balloon dialogue between Scout and Skunk (who, through questions and irreverent quips, serves as a stand-in for curious readers). A squall forces Scout and Skunk to apply all their sailing knowledge when it most counts; they successfully navigate through the storm, reunite with the brother, and eventually encounter land -- and Mom. Additional details appear in the back matter, including more technical know-how, recommended reading and resources, and an author’s note extolling the joys of sailing.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(1) K-3 Picture books about imaginary play can be belabored or overly precious. Not so Blackall's brilliantly constructed latest. The opening setting is a living room (just a suggestion of one -- we mostly see an ocean-colored rug). Here we meet a child gathering items needed for a pretend sea voyage while an adult vacuums. As the child exhorts the adult to join in, we begin to see intimations of the coming seascape: the cat, poking its head under the rug, creates swelling waves; patterned pillows evoke shark fins; etc. Then, with a page-turn, we are plunged into the book's make-believe world -- child and adult aboard a fully rigged multi-masted schooner on the high seas, about to encounter a storm (and sharks!). The mixed-media and digital illustrations are alternately gorgeous and rich in character and humor. For example, on one spread the adult's cell phone rings ("blah blah blah..."), temporarily returning us to real life ("we are in the doldrums," bemoans the discouraged child). Blackall excels at setting the stage for the imaginary play with one-to-one equivalents (the vacuum, with its long cord, easily transforms into a giant squid; a paper-towel roll becomes a spyglass) and then making us forget all that, immersing us in the book's imaginary world, wholly capturing the experience of imaginary play. "ANCHORS...AWEIGH!" Glossary of sailing terms included.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. A mouse with nautical aspirations realizes her dream. Wee Mabel gazes with longing at the cunning model ship fashioned by the man who lives in the lakeside cabin where she makes her home. It is the man's "prized possession," the product of many months of painstaking labor; he is so possessive that he won't even let the boy who lives with him touch it. Then one blustery night the cabin door is blown open and Mabel gets her chance. Using a mouse-sized block and tackle and some tiny logs as rollers, she lowers the boat and pushes it into the water to sail it all night long. When the man panics at the ship's loss but then sees it under sail with Mabel at the helm, man, boy, and mouse are united in awe and glee. Jonker taps into many children's delight in miniatures; they will thrill along with Mabel at her adventure. Cordell's scratchy ink and wash illustrations have a faded look, their sepias and pale blues giving the tale an old-timey feel that a gooseneck desk lamp only slightly diminishes. Mabel and the boy each wear a knitted watch cap, hers a pale red and his blue; when he lifts her in his hand at the end of the story, they smile at each other, fast friends. The illustrations mix full-bleed spreads with vignettes; the latter are framed in knotted rope. Sweet wish fulfillment.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Paula's father tells her, "I can't get up just yet. I'm sad." Undaunted, Paula "know[s] what to do." Paula's picture of a sailboat becomes the stage for an imaginary father-daughter sea-set adventure ("Mommy would want us to"). Dufft's art combines Paula's childlike, primary-color paintings and more realistically rendered figures depicting characters and background settings. The text doesn't gloss over the different ways parents and children can grieve.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(2) 4-6 This equally fast-paced, action-driven sequel to The Flooded Earth begins with a storm at sea, three weeks after twins Will and Annalie and their friends escaped Little Lang Lang Island. McConnochie expands the setting of her post-Flood world--sending the characters to distant lands and introducing new cultures as they continue to search for the twins' father--while also exploring the scientific and ethical challenges of climate-altering technology.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(2) 4-6 In a futuristic world suffering the effects of a catastrophic flood, twins Annalie and Will set sail in search of their father after agents of the dictatorial Admiralty come looking for him. McConnochie creates memorable images of abandoned waterfront communities and effectively develops technical and governing structures. The plot-driven adventure is deepened by interactions and revelations that shape the characters.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stephen Michael King. "I am the drifting boat / you are the quiet deep / buoy me." A lilting prayer to hope accompanies delicate watercolor and ink illustrations picturing a family (aboard a small wooden sailboat) escaping a barbed-wire landscape. Double-page spreads feature delicate panel vignettes conveying the lengthy journey to safer shores. Mid-journey, a stranded polar bear catches a ride, providing a lighthearted interlude.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) YA Escape: Survive series. Teens face natural disasters and evildoers in standalone survival stories. Gloria braves the harsh Arizona desert after an airplane crash (Crash); two frenemies lost at sea overcome the elements and modern-day pirates (Skies); an American church youth group escapes a volcanic eruption and flees Congolese rebels (Wind). The hi-lo narratives are accessible, but the melodramas become tiresome. There are three other fall 2017 books in this series. Review covers these titles: The Evil Wind, Crash, and Red Skies.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(1) PS As in Fire Engine No. 9, Austin live-streams an intense rescue mission: Rescue Squad No. 9's helicopter and boat crews race into a storm to find a stranded kid sailor and a Dalmatian. Dynamic illustrations and forceful text ("S O S / MAYDAY! / MAYDAY! / MAYDAY!"), skillfully incorporated in a propulsive, left-to-right design, telegraph the situation's urgency. Practical, helpful "Water Smart" tips are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(3) 4-6 This adaptation of Tougias's adult book will thrill readers who relish survival stories. A vicious, unexpected storm capsizes a sailboat, nearly destroys the life raft to which three men cling, and threatens the lives of the coast guardsmen sent to rescue them. Tougias describes their peril and courage in exhilarating detail. An insert with photos and maps helps landlubbers comprehend the true events.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) YA Sixteen-year-old Clementine embarks on a summer-long sailing trip with her family, in time to escape the fallout from a fight with her best friend. Alternating present-day scenes with flashbacks, Walker tells Clem's story with expert pacing, making Clem's growing feelings for her best friend's boyfriend and the resulting crisis feel intensely real. This is a classic teen drama with a fresh setting.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ian P. Benfold Haywood. One hot day at the beach, Tim sets off by boat for the North Pole to find an iceberg to surprise his grandfather. He's just successful enough in his mission to make their day together even better. The narration, though heartfelt, is wordy and not always authentically childlike. The art, featuring soft outlines and a cool palette, recalls John Burningham's work.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Brotherband Chronicles series. In this new companion series to Ranger's Apprentice, Hal Mikkelson enters Skandian (read: Viking) "brotherband" training as the leader of a group of underdogs. The band's clever thinking and teamwork--and Hal's revolutionary sail design--propel them to victory. Flanagan's sympathetic characters and meticulous descriptions of the band's training (races, strength tests, military-style discipline, sailing) will gratify boys and tomboys alike.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 4-6 Know Your Sport series. Each how-to volume provides an introduction to the equipment, techniques, and safety measures for the title water sport. Serviceable instructive photographs help illustrate such concepts as tacking a sailboat and paddling a kayak, while engaging stock images capture the excitement on the water. The volumes conclude with racing information, profiling top racers, rules, and tactics. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Know Your Sport titles: Sailing and Canoeing and Kayaking.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) 4-6 Ignored and unpopular, Verity lives invisibly until the Storm docks in the local harbor. Then a vicious, otherworldly grandmother makes life unbearable. Armed with two friends, a strange book, and a mysterious talisman, Verity must find strength to reshape her life's tale. Rich characters and a credible seaside location weave a satisfying narrative of greed, ambition, and the power of stories.

Reviewer: Bethany Templeton Klem

(2) 4-6 Ben's grieving widower father sells their home, buys a boat, and takes Ben and his brothers sailing for a year. Halfway through the narrative, Dad goes missing. Did he fall overboard or commit suicide? Either way, the boys must face a fierce storm on their own. With precise, adrenaline-raising descriptive prose, Herlong recounts their seemingly superhuman struggle against wind and wave.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2009

(4) PS Lois Lenski's charming books about Mr. Small will continue to charm small readers, but did they really need to be colorized? [Review covers these titles: The Little Airplane and The Little Sailboat.]

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2037

(2) K-3 A 1984 Boston Globe-Horn Book honor book, Bang's modern adaptation of the Japanese folktale "The Crane Wife" is illustrated with hauntingly beautiful, realistic artwork that does full justice to the tale. Originally done in calligraphy, the text in this reissue is in a large, clear type that, while less elegant, is certainly easier to read.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: October, 1983

(4) K-3 "One day I chanced to stop for t," begins a rebus-style tale of an all-alphabet crew's quest for buried treasure. The clever concept works with varying degrees of success throughout the rhymed text. Jovial watercolors are sprinkled with speech balloons bursting with corny alphabet puns.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin