Ahoy! - by Sophie Blackall (Hardcover)

About the Book

Join a child captain and parent first mate as they embark on a wild high seas adventure-all without leaving the living room! This imaginative romp of a picture book is filled with glorious illustrations from a beloved Caldecott Medalist and New York Times bestselling creator.

Book Synopsis

Join a child captain and parent first mate as they embark on a wild high seas adventure...all without leaving the living room! This imaginative romp of a picture book is filled with glorious illustrations from a beloved Caldecott Medalist and New York Times bestselling creator.

A HORN BOOK AND BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Raise the mainsail!
Batten the hatches!
It's time to set sail...on the couch!

There's a storm coming, and a child is ready to captain the ship. "Make haste and climb aboard," they call out to their parent, "before you're swept out to sea!"

Sea? What sea? The parent is only trying to vacuum the rug. But the child is adamant. It's not a rug--it's the ocean. And that broom? It's the ship's mast. Soon enough, child and parent are both off on an imaginary nautical adventure!

Here is a thoroughly engaging, hilarious picture book that celebrates the joys of playing make-believe--and hanging out with a parent!

Review Quotes

★ "[A] high-seas adventure....Visual inventiveness pays homage to shared adventures in this work that toggles dynamically between two competing universes." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Avast, me mateys! This be good clean fun on the salty seas." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "....Brilliantly constructed....Blackall excels at setting the stage for the imaginary play." --The Horn Book, starred review

★ "Blackall's take on imaginative play is superb, as both the narrative and visuals of this picture book thematically carry readers up and down like a rolling sea." --The Bulletin, starred review

★ "This delightful tale highlights and celebrates the powerful bonding that happens when caregivers engage in imaginative play with children....Tiny sea captains everywhere will cherish this lovely tale." --Booklist, starred review

★ "Imagination fills the sails of this rousing, unusually inclusive, yarn." --School Library Journal, starred review

About the Author

Sophie Blackall is the award-winning illustrator of over 50 books for children, including Finding Winnie and Hello, Lighthouse, which both received the Caldecott Medal. She illustrated A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat, written by Emily Jenkins, which received four starred reviews and was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book. Her most recent picture book, Farmhouse, was an instant New York Times bestseller, received five starred reviews and was also a New York Times Best Illustrated Book. Sophie's many other honors include a BCCB Blue Ribbon, an Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award, Society of Illustrators Founders Award, and a Charlotte Zolotow Honor. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.