I Love Boats

Awash with color, this exuberant paean to all things afloat will shiver the timbers of young admirals everywhere. McDonnell (I Love Animals) assembles an impressive fleet; she shows boats for work, boats for play, boats for fishing and racing and hauling and even boats to live on. The oversize format gives free range to the sweeping acrylic and gouache illustrations, and McDonnell takes advantage of every inch, eschewing a paintbox palette for subtler, more sophisticated hues that pack a lot of visual punch. There's a bit of a surprise ending, too, as the busy flotilla finds safe harbor at last-in the bathtub. It's a perfect choice for getting little skippers in that bathtime frame of mind. Ages 3-up. (May)