Every summer morning, Ellie and her Nonna go to the beach. They swim and build sandcastles, and while Nonna reads, Ellie watches the other children play.
One day Ellie builds up the courage to approach an older girl playing on her own in a beached rowboat. Piper has a gift, an imagination so great that she whisks Ellie off on grand adventures, going high in the air, deep below the ocean and everywhere in between in their little blue boat, their magic boat. When Piper has to leave, Ellie discovers she has her own vivid imagination.
Victoria Book Prize Society Children's Book Prize | 2019 | Short-listed
Blue Spruce Award | 2020 | Short-listed
CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens, starred selection | 2019 | Commended
OLA Best Bets—Honorable Mention | 2019 | Commended
Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee Best Children's Books of the Year | 2019 | Commended
“A beautiful voyage into the imagination…Schools and homes with pre-school children will find this to be a favorite read.”
“Pearson and Farris’s text is engaging, moving us seamlessly between reality and imagination…Grimard’s pencil and watercolour illustrations are lovely.”
“The message of reaching out past one’s shyness works well.”
“This heartwarming tale encapsulates the childlike happiness of being at the beach.”