Little People

ImagiNation(R) Resources

The Must-Have-Aboard Book List for 5-9 Years:

Toy Boat by Randall de Seve and Loren Long Philomel Books, 2007 A sweeter story you will not find about a relationship between a boy and his boat. The illustrations are artistically beautiful and the emotional connection made between the reader and the boat is powerful. Buy this for your children the moment it becomes available.
Flush by Carl Hiaasen Random House, 2005 Yes, this is the Carl Hiaason known for twisted adult humor books such as Sick Puppy, and Basket Case. In this, his second book for young readers, Carl has teemed up with The Nature Conservancy to raise environmental awareness and to support the goal of saving the last great places on earth. Comes with the "Think before you Flush!" kit as a giveaway so get yours early. Hiaasons first book for young people, Hoot, won multiple awards and has over 1 million in print.
Jolly Mon by Jimmy Buffet and Savannah Jane Buffet Hard & soft cover, 32 pages. 1988. Adventure tale about enchantment and music, trickery and pirates, loyaty and a dolphin...by our all time favorite sailing lifestyle guru.
Hello grand mamoon! by Donna Steinmann and Tamara Guion Hard cover, 40 pages. 2005 A most lovely book about a young girl who misses her grandmother's fabulous stories about what the ancients saw in the night sky...stories that always ended with search for the woman in the moon. Tula finally finds the woman in the moon and realizes it's her grandmother. If you look hard at the full moon, you'll see grand mamoon as well! A must have for those nights onboard.
Zodiac: Celestial Circle of the Sun by Jacqueline Mitton and Christina Balit Hard cover, 40 pages. On press. Release in September 2005. A beautifully illustrated book offering a factual, astronomical guide to the zodiac and the stars that form them. Shiny foil stars will dazzle budding navigators. Great introduction to the night sky. The author is a PhD astrophysicist.
The picture history of great explorers by Gillian Clements Hard cover, 96 pages, On press. Release in September 2005. A fun, informative chronological illustrated narrative about 75 male and female explorers from Alexander the Great to Yuri Gagarin. Encourage your child to add his or her own story to the end!
Tom Crean's Rabbit by Meredith Hooper Hard cover, 32 pages. On press, coming in Septmber 2005. A sailor onboard the Terrra Nova looks for a cozy spot for his pet rabbit to make her nest during their trip to Antarctica. A true story based on the diaries of men who sailed aboard the Terra Nova.
Create your own masterpiece by the National Gallery of Art, Wash. Soft, 48 pages, On press, coming in September 2005. Contains 22 drawing, coloring, painting, and collage projects based on original works of art in the National Gallery reproduced in full color to show how the artist approached the theme. Artists represented include Bellini, Van Gogh, Mary Cassatt and Cezanne.
Kid's Travel Journal by Creative Team Pages for kids to keep track of their adventures, including what was done, seen and eaten.
My Best Book of Pirates by Barnaby Harward Hard cover, 32 pages. 2002. Lots of illustrations and exciting stories bring pirates to life. Has an illustrated gloosary of pirate terms.
Chadwick the Crab by Priscilla Cummings Soft cover, 30 pages. Classic Chesapeake Bay favorite, Chadwick is a little blue crab with a great circle of friends, and one big dream.
Winking blinking sea by Mary Batten Soft cover, 30 pages. 2000. All about sea creatures that produce bioluminescence to make the sea come alive at night.
Little Rat Sets Sail by Monika Bang-Campbell A wonderful story about a little girl rat in her first season of learning how to sail. She starts out being terribly afraid...of just about everything...including the water, the other children, walking to the waterfront, and sailing. Each day, she perseveres, and she ends up overcoming all of her fears better than any of the other children in her sailing class.
Sailing Home: A Story of a Childhood at Sea by Gloria Rand and Ted Rand (Hardcover) This picture book follows four children who grow up sailing the oceans on the John Ena, a four-masted cargo ship on which their father is captain. Young Matilda narrates the days when "every morning we woke up far away from where we'd gone to sleep." Working from the journal of a real 19th-century seafaring family, the Rands pack the pages with remarkable facts, historical detail, and emotional range. Balls bounce overboard, so Matilda and her siblings play catch on deck with beanbags instead. The family buys gifts for Christmas and birthdays months ahead of time. And when the seas grow rough, they tie furniture to the walls and the floor. From cheerful anecdotes about pets and games to a gripping description of the heroism of the children's parents when their ship broaches. Skillfully drafted watercolors show action at an angle to convey the sense of the ship pitching on the waves and a life in constant motion. An afterword with period photographs describes the children's post-oceangoing life.
Salty and the Pirates by Marie Delaney Amazing activity book that includes a set of colored pencils, a sharpener, a coloring book section, a book section with 16 chapters of stories, 16 full color illustrations, a glossary, logbook, and a CD-ROM with 12 sing-along dittys (sheet music included) and additional materials to print out as well as computer graphics files for coloring by computer. Could last a whole summer at 224 pages!
The Merbaby by Teresa Bateman and Patience Brewster One of the most beautifully illustrated books I've seen, this book presents the wonderfully touching story of a fisherman whose catch one day includes a merbaby. While his brother wants to put her in a cage and charge admission, the gentle fisherman returns her to her family and becomes a treasured friend of the merfolk. I hate to admit it, but I cry every time I read it. I adore this little story.
*The Klutz Book of Knots* by John Cassidy (Spiral-bound) This is a great hands-on book for teaching a beginning sailor the basic knots. The directions are easy and clear. The die cut board pages illustrate what the knot is supposed to look like when done and actually have rope tied through the board over the illustrations that you can untie and retie right there. Sending your kids to sailing school? Get them this book first, and spend some time walking through it with them. They'll be way ahead of the game when they start. Even you old salts might learn a trick or two.
Nicola's Floating Home by Bobbie Kalman Although this book goes into great detail about the technical terminology inherent in a cruising sailboat, it falls short of explaining what the liveaboard cruising lifestyle is all about.
Captain Cook: Great Ocean Explorer by Haydn Middleton