Jonathan and the big blue boat / Philip C. Stead.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781596435629 (hbk.)
- ISBN: 1596435623 (hbk.)
- Physical Description: 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 27 cm.
- Edition: 1st ed.
- Publisher: New York : Roaring Brook Press, c2011.
Content descriptions
General Note: | "A Neal Porter Book." |
Summary, etc.: | When Jonathan's parents decide that he has gotten too old to have a stuffed animal, they trade his favorite bear, Frederick, for a toaster, so he sets off aboard a boat, looking for Frederick. |
Search for related items by subject
Genre: | Picture books for children. |
Available copies
- 12 of 13 copies available at Bibliomation. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Rowayton Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 13 total copies.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rowayton Library | J STE (Text) | 33625122736346 | Juvenile Red Dot | Available | - |
Kirkus Review
Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat
Kirkus Reviews
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
After Jonathan's parents trade his teddy bear Frederick for a more useful and age-appropriate toaster, he sets sail on a rusty Big Blue Boat to find his lost toy.Layers of watercolor over bits of collaged found paper deliver deft, dappled illustrations with remarkable depth, leaving readers feeling as if they're peering down into rippling waters. Children will happily shift their focus from big to little, from large shapes to tiny numbers, from Jonathan's story to the pieces that make up its pictures. A similar, subtle (and enchanting) disjointedness occurs as readers hear how Jonathan picks up his unlikely crew: a mountain goat, a circus elephant and a whale. The story sounds almost improvised, spouting spontaneously from a child's rambling mind and taking a random, fanciful course. The Big Blue Boat teeters on top of a mountain after a storm, then runs into a circus, then meets up with scaredy-cat pirates, then finds itself saved from sinking by a whale. Stead gently establishes an element of suspense through both his patchwork illustrations and his bumpy narrative, keeping readers on their toes. When Jonathan steps inside a city shop and sees his bear in the arms of the girl behind the counter, they're right with him. Stead encourages children to puzzle over minutia, readying them to think about more opaque topics: growing up, obsolescence and the intrigue of old, forgotten things. (Picture book. 2-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
BookList Review
Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat
Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Wild adventure blends with cozy togetherness in this picture book about a kid's desperate, worldwide search for his missing teddy bear. Devastated when his parents trade his best friend, teddy-bear Frederick, for a toaster, Jonathan takes off to find his toy. Steaming out of the harbor on a big blue boat, he picks up a goat and a sad elephant that has grown too old for the circus. Together they fight off pirates and meet a lonely whale, who carries them all piled on his back. Finally, they find Frederick, who has a new little best friend, and everyone takes off again. The vivid, unframed illustrations in textured, warm-toned collage artwork capture the excitement of the big journey, while the surprising, subtle details invite repeated viewings and keep the focus on the boy's expressive body language as his sadness and loneliness disappear.--Rochman, Haze. Copyright 2010 Booklist
Publishers Weekly Review
Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
"You're getting too old for a stuffed animal," young Jonathan's parents tell him. "So we traded your bear for a toaster." Jonathan doesn't argue; instead, he drifts down to the wharf to visit the Big Blue Boat he admires. Suddenly he has a plan; with the turn of a page the boat is "steaming like a tea kettle," and Jonathan is off to search the world for his bear, Frederick. Children crave the power to control their own lives, and Jonathan's adventure offers just that. Animal friends join the crew when there's trouble; pirates attack, but they're not too scary. Stead (A Sick Day for Amos McGee) uses squiggly ink lines and washes of warm color against a background of collaged newsprint, charts, and stamps that underscore the nautical theme and distance traveled. Frederick shows up at the end in the nicest possible way, and Jonathan's slow, reflective journey-filled with pitch-perfect details, sound effects, and vocabulary ("Full steam ahead," "marooned," a cannon's "ker-blammm!!!")-offers a lovely, gentle adventure for younger readers. Ages 4-8. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal Review
Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
K-Gr 3-When Jonathan learns that his parents have traded his stuffed bear for a toaster, he seeks solace at the wharf where he and Frederick have spent happy hours viewing a big blue boat. In a flash of inspiration, Jonathan decides to take the retired vessel on a voyage, around the world if necessary, to find his bear. Several animals join him: a goat who frees the boat marooned overnight atop a mountain, an elephant retired from the circus, and a whale that saves the sinking ship after it is fired upon by pirates. They eventually arrive at a pawnshop where they find the girl who now owns Frederick, and she and the bear also come aboard. Youngsters will enjoy repeating the sentence that announces each traveler's addition to the expedition: "And that is how ___ came to sail the sea on a Big Blue Boat." And they will especially relish poring over the collage, acrylic, and ink artwork. Sepia-colored vignettes alternate with large illustrations that incorporate maps, stamps from distant places, postcards, and marine signals. Stead skillfully employs color to reflect Jonathan's mood: an initial bright sky when the boy and Frederick are together, growing darkness as he sets off alone, and a final scene in which an orange-bright "globe" sun beams its rays on the reunited travelers. A gentle tale heralding imagination's triumph over disappointment.-Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
The Horn Book Review
Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat
The Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
When Jonathan's parents trade his teddy bear for a toaster, he takes the Big Blue Boat in search of Frederick, enlisting unlikely (goat, elephant, whale) helpers along the way. Although the premise and writing are too twee, the text's simplicity and rhythm have appeal. Stead's glorious painted-collage illustrations involve all manner of seaworthy papers: stamps, timetables, maps, and nautical charts. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.