The Blue Canoe
by Sheryl McFarlane; illus. by Laurel Aylesworth
Preschool, Primary    Familius    32 pp.
7/24    9781641709156    $16.99

A growing family is exciting, but for young children this time can also bring anxiety. A little girl with a beloved stuffed bear in tow enjoys a “paddle-on-the-lake day” with her mother in their blue canoe. The girl is excited to become a big sister and eagerly tells her bear all the big-sister duties she will take up, such as helping put on a life jacket. But the girl’s excitement is mixed with feelings of trepidation. She worries that the canoe might not be safe for “coming-soon baby,” that her mother might be too tired or busy for their outings, that the baby might not even like canoeing. The girl’s mother lovingly calms every worry. McFarlane incorporates important life lessons, such as “it’s OK for different people to like different things.” Poetic language throughout describes the abundant wildlife (e.g., “Lazy dragonflies sun on lily pads, and pond skaters skip across the water like miniature rowboats”). Aylesworth’s lush watercolor illustrations beautifully enhance McFarlane’s figurative ­phrasing, from the opening pages detailing a verdant water’s edge to a tender moment on the dock in a purple-hued twilight. The family theme is further reinforced as the girl encounters different animals in their family units, such as a mother mallard and her fuzzy ducklings.

From the ">September/October 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.