Toy Boat by Randall de Seve and Loren Long.

A boy had a boat he loved, every day they would sail together down at the lake.  The boy held the boat by a string and sometimes the toy boat would long to be free and out on the lake with the larger boats.  Then one afternoon, the boy dropped the string and the little boat floated out onto the lake.  The tiny boat found itself out with the huge boats, who zoom past him, each warning him to “Move along!”  The toy boat was left almost sunken floating alone in the night on the lake.  It wasn’t until a slow-moving fishing boat circles the toy boat that his sails fill with wind and he really starts to sail.

The illustrations here are wonderful, deep and dramatic paintings filled with water, movement and weather.  They range from close ups of the boy with his boat to wide panoramic views of the lake and the sky.  All done with  an attention to small details.  The prose is invitingly simple, yet obviously speaking of wider things.  It is a book that children can enjoy as a sweet story of a boat but also can be enjoyed by older children and adults about letting loose of strings and allowing freedom.

Highly recommended as a read-aloud for elementary age children who may understand the real depth of the story.