The Boat in the Tree. Tim Wynne-Jones. Illustrated by John Shelley. Asheville, NC: Front Street/Boyds Mill Press (Distributed in Canada by Publishers Group Canada), 2007. 40 pp., cloth, $22.50. ISBN 978-1-932425-49-9. Subject Headings: Boats and boating-Fiction. Brothers-Fiction. Adoption-Fiction. Sibling rivalry-Fiction. Preschool-grade 3 / Ages 3-8. Review by Ruth McMahon. ***1/2 /4

excerpt:

I fixed the holes. But it still leaked.
So I saved up my allowance and bought some gum.
A lot of gum.
It worked.
Sort of.

The narrator's voice is authentic and engaging in its simplicity and candor. He tells the story of his love for boats and his skepticism for the role the new member of the family, his adoptive brother Simón, plays in his life. As the narrator's fleet grows, so does his acceptance of his new brother. This acceptance comes slowly and naturally and realistically, resolving itself, at least for a time, with the narrator's telling Simón that there is no way he can sail with him, "Not without a life jacket."

     In the realm of make-believe, anything is possible and this is nicely expanded in the illustrations. The characters' joy, frustration, anticipation and fear are all readily accessible in the illustrations. The illustration of the wild storm and the dreaming scene are particularly engaging.

      The reader is in good hands here with celebrated author Tim Wynne-Jones and his illustrator, John Shelley. The warm gentle story about the bonds of friendship and family developed through shared experience will make a great family story. For those looking for a different take on the adoption story, notably of an older child, this title will be useful.

Highly Recommended.

Ruth McMahon is a professional children's librarian, storyteller, co-chair of the Rocky Mountain Children's Choice Book Award, and the mother of two young children.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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