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Summary
Summary
Buckley and his Mama live in a cozy cabin by the ocean. He loves to carve boats out of the driftwood he finds on the beach nearby.
He makes:
big boats
long boats
short boats and
tall boats,
each one more beautiful than the last, and sends them out to sea. If they don't come back, he knows they've found their way to his papa, whom he misses very much.
In this stunning debut, author/illustrator Jessixa Bagley explores the subtle and deep emotions associated with loss in a heartwarming tale that is sure to stay with the reader long after the book is closed.
A Neal Porter Book
Author Notes
Jessixa Bagley is an author and illustrator originally from Portland, Oregon. She spent many days in her childhood combing the Oregon Coast for the perfect sand dollar. Now, she lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband in a castle in the sky. Boats for Papa is Jessixa's first picture book.
Reviews (6)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-"They didn't have much, but they always had each other." So begins this spare tale of longing and acceptance. Buckley and his mother (a pair of beavers) spend their days near their ocean-front home, gathering driftwood treasures, playing together, and having picnics in the sand. His favorite pastime is using his discoveries to make miniature ships to send out to sea with a note that reads, "For Papa, Love Buckley." He is sure the boats will reach his father if they don't wash back up on shore. He works tirelessly over the course of a year to create new and beautiful boats for his absent parent. One evening when he forgets his customary note, he runs back to grab a piece of paper from Mama's desk and discovers his ships hidden there.That night when Mama goes to retrieve Buckley's boat, the note reads, "For Mama, Love Buckley." Bagley's tender watercolors and lyrical text give weight and volume to a family's grief. Her portrayal of Buckley's hope and his mother's acts of love are heartbreakingly beautiful and authentic. The ambiguity of Papa's absence allows this story to transcend specifics and gives it a timeless and universal appeal. VERDICT The only thing better than this title for anyone who has experienced loss is the redemptive nature of time.-Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Buckley, a beaver, lives with his mother at the shore. Papa isn't with them; what happened to him isn't revealed, but it's clear that mother and son are coping with a big loss. Buckley spends his days creating increasingly more elaborate boats for his father from driftwood he finds on the beach, lovingly launching each one with a note, "For Papa. Love, Buckley." "If it doesn't come back to shore," Buckley tells his mother, "I'll know he got it!" One day, Buckley discovers that all the boats have come back-and he learns something important about his mother's love as well. Bagley makes an impressive debut with this somber but never maudlin story about sadness, resilience, and an emotional coming of age. The pen-and-watercolor renderings of her two characters can feel slightly blocky and awkward, but it's a deeply empathic story with an accomplished sense of place. In beautiful tones of blue and brown, she immerses readers in the coastal world where Buckley and his mother are trying to make sense of their lives. Ages 3-7. Agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow Literary. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Young beaver Buckley lives with his mother in a small house on the beach and makes boats out of driftwood, launching them out to sea in hopes they will reach his absent father. Eventually, Buckley realizes the worth of his caring mother--and has meanwhile become a skilled craftsman. The strength of this quiet, contemplative book is its gorgeous pen and watercolor illustrations. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
An anthropomorphic beaver child makes driftwood boats and sets them to sea, hoping they'll reach his father, who has passed away. Buckley and his mama "didn't have much, but they always had each other." Their house by the ocean is small and spare, but because of this, items of great import are visible: a family portrait, a snapshot of a moment at the beach, Buckley's artwork. Buckley spends his days exploring the beach, finding serenity and joy in the natural world. From its driftwood he makes a boat for Papa, casting it off on his birthday with a note: "For Papa. Love Buckley." This physical connection, with its message of love and longing, inspires Buckley to continue to create. With practice and care he learns to make wondrous boats, sending his best ones to Papa. Repeat reads reveal how deeply Mama treasures and supports Buckley, how much she wants to make life beautiful and full of wonder for him, and how much he appreciates her in turn. The simplicity of the artwork enhances the quiet, meaning-drenched momentsa solitary walk under the moonlight; the reassurance of a hand held; the warmth of a goodnight kiss. Done in washes of color in a gentle, earthy palette, the ink drawings have an honesty and earnestness worthy of the story. Heartbreaking and hopeful, innocent and wise, a gentle story about healing and finding connectionboth in the past and present. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* A gentle storyteller's voice, in a soothing cadence, introduces the details of this simple, moving tale. Buckley, a young beaver, lives with his mama in a small wooden house by the sea. He clearly loves his mother. He also loves finding beach treasures and crafting boats from driftwood. Watercolor illustrations in warm tones range from expansive two-page spreads to full page and more intimate vignettes, capturing the quiet setting, the bond between the two, and their activities. Only one thing is missing: Papa. When Buckley makes a boat of which he is especially proud, he decides to set it adrift with a note to Papa. If it doesn't return to shore, Buckley will know that Papa has received it. Mama agrees; she misses Papa, too. Buckley builds many beautiful boats for Papa. It is only at the end of the year that Buckley makes a discovery: Mama has all the boats. The pacing is exquisite as Buckley absorbs and reacts to this information, recognizing and expressing love in return. These two will persevere in the tender journey of life. Reassuring, consoling, and lovely.--McDermott, Jeanne Copyright 2015 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
Buckley, a beaver child, lives happily with his mother, but he misses his father. So he builds small boats and brings them to the beach, sailing them off with a note to Papa. This enchanting debut never lets on where Papa has gone, reminding us that loss comes in many forms, and that there's no need to rush a child's reckoning with it. Bagley mixes dreamy watercolors and fine-grained, lovingly detailed pen-and-ink drawing, creating a paradoxical mood that's both adorable and heartbreaking. LITTLE TREE Written and illustrated by Loren Long. 32 pp. Philomel. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 8) Long's gentle but powerful story about a young tree who holds tight to his leaves, even as everyone else lets theirs drop, takes on nothing less than the pain and sorrow of growing up. Season after season, Little Tree clings to his brown-leaved self until he can take a leap and shed his protection. He feels "the harsh cold of winter," but soon grows tall and green, and it's not bad at all. As in Long's unaccountably profound books about Otis the tractor, a pure white background somehow adds to the depth. GRANDMA LIVES IN A PERFUME VILLAGE By Fang Suzhen. Illustrated by Sonja Danowski. Translated by Huang Xiumin. 32 pp. North-South. $19.95. (Picture book; ages 2 to 6) Fang, a beloved Taiwanese author and children's literature advocate, offers a tender look at the time just before a child understands the finality of death. A toddler named Xiao Le rides the train to see his sick grandmother with his mother, who looks grief-stricken as they play with the cat and drink tea. When Grandma passes on and Xiao Le talks to her in the sky, his sweetness comforts his mom. Danowski's realistic illustrations of contemporary Chinese life add a wistful, vintage-photo feel. BUG IN A VACUUM Written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt. 96 pp. Tundra. $21.99. (Picture book; ages 5 to 9) In a story heady and intellectually ambitious enough for a jaded adult, yet suited to a child's down-to-earth appetites, a wide-eyed fly gets vacuumed up. Trapped, it goes through the five stages of grief (from "It's awfully quiet. . . . Could this be a surprise party?" to "I'll make the best of things"), each first depicted by Watt as a funny retro product like bug spray ("Denial"). There's a journey, yes, into the light, but it's a happy ending that may just prompt sheer joy at the simple fact of being alive. A YEAR WITHOUT MOM Written and illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova. 168 pp. Groundwood/ House of Anansi. $19.95. (Graphic memoir; ages 10 to 14) Dasha's strange and difficult 13 th year - she's left with her grandparents as her mom decamps to America for graduate school; her dad's long gone to Los Angeles - coincides with the end of the Soviet Union in this perceptive story about change, aloneness, ambition and, ultimately, resilience. Tolstikova's delightful drawings vibrate with nervous life against stark washes of gray and black. She nails her characters with telling gestures and cheeks shading, revealingly, from white to red. ONLINE An expanded visual presentation of this week's column at nytimes.com/books.