Sail Away

A family is going out on a sail boat for the day and they get caught in the middle of a storm, but they make it safely back to port. Donald Crews used a much softer illustration style than he has used in other of his books, like "Freight Train". These softer, brighter colors seemed to flow much easier, like the water flowed under the sail boat. The tone becomes darker once the storm clouds appear, adding darkness and worry for the family. The family is prepared, however, and manage to maneuver through the storm and all the darkness to arrive at safety just as the sun is setting. The images of the dark silhouette of the sail boat returning past everything they had passed on their way out to sea, helped guide the story to a calm end. I show more feel this book would be an excellent book to read to children before bed. show less

Bold pictures and words define this picture book intended for ages 3-5.
A crew goes to sea on their sail boat. The book describes their journey on the ocean. It describes the waves and the ocean and the sun and everything!

Pretty exciting for the fairly young. Ages: 3-7 (can begin to establish some vocabulary with them)
Source: Tacoma Public Library System

Donald Crews teaches a little about how sailboats work. He uses the words, putt...putt...putt to let the reader know that the sailboat is using it's motor. When the motor is off then the sail takes over. The illustrations made me feel like I was out sailing.

The large, colorful illustrations in this book show both the turbulent and peaceful sides of sailing. This book is ideal for children who are interested in sailing or boats in general.

This is a great book for children interested in boats or sailing. It can be used to teach prediction. The book also has several big words that can help use context clues

A beautiful book about boats. A family goes sailing only to get caught in a storm.

Sail Away shows different things that can happen to you while sailing in the water as well as what to expect while sailing. This book is a great way to interest kids in a new topic.

Age - 4-5
Source - Pierce County Library