A little boy and his toy boat enjoy life together, although the boat does sometimes wonder what it would be like to float free on the lake where he and the boy sometimes play. Then a strong breeze carries him away, and he has the chance to experience life in the wild. It turns out that open sailing is rather dangerous for the tiny boat, who is threatened by the massive waves, and almost capsized in the wake of various larger craft. After a night alone, he is happy when chance brings him ashore, and back to his boy...

An engaging picture-book exploration of a common childhood fantasy - the secret lives of our toys, when they are out of our presence - Toy Boat also makes for an exciting seafaring tale. Young children with a taste for stories about boats and sailing will enjoy author Randall de Sève's narrative, and will be glad when boy and boat are reunited. Illustrator Loren Long's beautiful artwork, with its vivid colors and adept use of light, captures the wild excitement of the boat's journey. Recommended to young sailboat enthusiasts, to any child who has suspected his toys have lives of their own, and to fellow Loren Long fans. ( )

"Toy Boat" combines a friendship lost at sea with a lot of imagination. As a little toy boat encounters the big spread of water and many larger boats it is frightened and feels so small. He feels that all of these big boats will hurt him until a fishing boat helps him get his way back to shore and to his friend. I think this book would be a good for a lesson on how things may seem scary but there is usually something good to come from it. Reading this book as students are preparing to go onto a new grade. ( )

We originally read the full size version from the library and then I picked up the board book for H. Beautifully illustrated by Lauren Long (Otis which we also LOVE) and a nice story too. ( )

Sweet story, with really pretty acrylic illustrations, although not quite as remarkable as I was anticipating. ( )

The adventure of the toy boat is a nice story about experiencing life and finding your nitch. ( )