Ahoy!

Hardcover

Grades Preschool – 3
Ages 4–8

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!

★ "[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

ISBN 9780593429396 (Hardcover)
Published on Apr 2, 2024
Published by Anne Schwartz Books
Pages 48
Dimensions 10 x 10
Age Range 4-8 years
Grade Preschool - 3
Reading Level Lexile: AD410L | Fountas/Pinnell: L

ISBN 9780593429419 (Ebook)
Published on Apr 2, 2024
Published by Anne Schwartz Books
Pages 48
Dimensions 10 x 10
Age Range 4-8 years
Grade Preschool - 3
Reading Level Lexile: AD410L | Fountas/Pinnell: L

Sophie Blackall

Sophie Blackall has illustrated more than twenty books for children, including Big Red Lollipop, which was a New York Times Top Ten Picture Book, and the ongoing Ivy and Bean series, which has over a million copies in print. She won her first Randolph Caldecott Medal for illustrating Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear and her second for Hello Lighthouse. If You Come to Earth, her most recently published children’s book, has received wide acclaim. Her first book for adults was Missed Connections: Love, Lost and Found. She has created highly coveted limited edition holiday cards for the Museum of Modern Art, and her editorial illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Town & Country, and other publications.

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Ahoy!

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