Boats for Papa
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Buckley and his Mama live in a cozy cabin by the ocean. He loves to carve boats out of the driftwood he finds on the beach nearby.
He makes:
big boats
long boats
short boats and
tall boats,
each one more beautiful than the last, and sends them out to sea. If they don't come back, he knows they've found their way to his papa, whom he misses very much.
In this stunning debut, author/illustrator Jessixa Bagley explores the subtle and deep emotions associated with loss in a heartwarming tale that is sure to stay with the reader long after the book is closed.
A Neal Porter Book
Jessixa Bagley
Jessixa Bagley is an author and illustrator originally from Portland, Oregon. She spent many days in her childhood combing the Oregon Coast for the perfect sand dollar. Now, she lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and son in a castle in the sky. Her books include Boats for Papa and Before I Leave.
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Reviews for Boats for Papa
41 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sweet, a little sad, and wonderful illustrations -- simple, but with yummy textures.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Buckley and his mother lived in a modest wooden house by the sea, leading a quiet life together. The young beaver liked living by the beach. He liked collecting all the things he found washed up on the shore. Most of all, he like making boats. Buckley made all kind of boats - big and small, long and short. The best boats were always reserved for his absent Papa - launched onto the sea with a message of love, in the hopes that they would somehow reach the beloved paternal recipient for whom they were intended. When Buckley discovers that his Mama has been secretly collecting the boats, once they wash up on shore, rather than letting him know that they did not reach their intended target, his response demonstrates both his love for her, and the distance he has come in the healing process.Boats for Papa was a book I picked up mostly on a whim while at work, not really having much idea what it was about. It was an unexpectedly poignant little gem, one which explores loss, and the grieving process in young children (or beavers). I appreciated the open-ended nature of the language here, as Jessixa Bagley never explicitly states in her spare narrative that Buckley's father has died. Although the beaver and his mother both miss Papa, it is possible that he is simply absent from the home - working as a sailor, serving as a soldier abroad - rather than dead. In either case, the young child will encounter a gentle but emotionally truthful tale about living without a much-loved parent. I was close to tears by the end, as it is revealed that Mama, who is also depicted as missing Papa, is a caring and careful mother, one who has taken great pains to protect her young son. The artwork, done in pen and watercolor, evokes the sun and moon-drenched feeling of the shore, and adeptly complements the narrative. All in all, a beautiful book, both in art and text, one I would recommend to anyone looking for picture-books that address grief and loss in a young child's life.