The boy who built the boat

With a quintessential Australian coastal setting, The Boy Who Built the Boat combines warmly observed detail with a joyful read-aloud text that celebrates the power of a child's imagination.

Henry sets out to build a boat one day.
He has a hammer and a saw
and a sister and a Teddy
and a shed full of big ideas.

With a buoyant, rhythmic text, ideal for reading aloud, The Boy Who Built the Boat celebrates the simple joy of making things.

Henry is a little boy who lives near the beach. Henry's dad has a shed down at the bottom of the yard where he builds boats, Henry loves helping him and is allowed to use his own set of tools whenever his dad is working in the shed. One day Henry decides it's time to build a boat of his own, so he uses his tools and the materials he finds in the shed. With the help of his big sister, Henry builds a mighty fine boat that he sails in a wonderfully imagined ocean.

Set in a gorgeous coastal landscape, The Boy who Built the Boat is an immensely satisfying story that encompasses building with tools, father-son relationships, imagination, independance and achievement.

About the Author:
Illustrator Craig Smith has illustrated over 300 books in a thirty-year career. He is one of Australia's most popular illustrators with a style that is energetic, individual, carefully observed and full of life and humour.

Author Ross Mueller is a writer, performer, musician and teacher. He has travelled to schools throughout Victoria with The Living Poets Society, bringing writing to life in performance and song. His work has been produced by La Mama, Playbox, the Storeroom, the National Theatre (St Kilda), St Martin's Theatre for Young People, the Melbourne Theatre Company and the Melbourne International Festival and has been adapted for ABC Radio Drama. Mueller's plays have been nominated for numerous awards and Steel & Rust was awarded Best Music Theatre at the 1997 Melbourne Fringe Festival.

The Boy Who Built The Boat
Allen & Unwin
Author: Ross Mueller
Illustrator: Craig Smith
ISBN: 9781741143935
RRP: $24.95


Reviews:
'Subtle yet distinctively Australian this book may well prove a serious contender for the status of favourite read aloud and read along book.' Lizzie Whyte AB&P July 2004

'A particularly good book, gentle and funny and a real testament to both author's and illustrator's imagination. Craig Smith's drawings are brilliant ... This is a very Australian book, with warbling magpies and plenty of space to roam, but it has universal appeal. Very highly recommended for four to nine year olds.' Melbourne's Child Oct 2004