About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
Every summer morning, Ellie and her Nonna go to the beach. They swim and build sandcastles, and while Nonna reads, Ellie watches the other children play.
One day Ellie builds up the courage to approach an older girl playing on her own in a beached rowboat. Piper has a gift, an imagination so great that she whisks Ellie off on grand adventures, going high in the air, deep below the ocean and everywhere in between in their little blue boat, their magic boat. When Piper has to leave, Ellie discovers she has her own vivid imagination.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 3 to 5
- Grade:
- p to k
- Reading age:
- 3 to 5
Awards
- , Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award
- Short-listed, Blue Spruce Award
- Commended, OLA Best Bets—Honorable Mention
- Short-listed, Victoria Book Prize Society Children's Book Prize
- Commended, Ontario Library association (OLA) Best Bets - Honourable Mention
- Commended, Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee Best Children's Books of the Year
- Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens, starred selection
- Short-listed, City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize
- Commended, Bank Street College of Education Best Books
Editorial Reviews
"Can be used by parents and grandparents, teachers and caregivers to plant the idea in the minds of shy children that they can venture forth in life, because life is an adventure. Recommended"
— CM: Canadian Review of Materials
"Pearson and Farris' prose moves seamlessly from the easy unhurriedness of summer play to the weightier awe of discovery. Grimard keeps visual pace with warm watercolors and pencil-sketched shading and lines that feel light but never fluffy, capturing the dynamic fluidity between real and pretend…Infectiously delightful."
— Kirkus Reviews
“A beautiful voyage into the imagination…Schools and homes with pre-school children will find this to be a favorite read.”
— Must Read Literature: K thru YA
“Pearson and Farris’s text is engaging, moving us seamlessly between reality and imagination…Grimard’s pencil and watercolour illustrations are lovely.”
— Canadian Children's Booknews
"Sensitive and imaginative...Grimard’s bright and exuberant illustrations give life to Pearson and Farris’s gentle text."
— The Globe and Mail
“The Magic Boat is a beautiful book with a special story…Grimard’s illustrations are full of colour and summer sunshine, which perfectly complement this beachy and magical story.”
— Resource Links
“The message of reaching out past one’s shyness works well.”
— Kiss the Book blog
“This heartwarming tale encapsulates the childlike happiness of being at the beach.”
— Eight Cousins Bookshop
