Float - Daniel Miyares
A little boy takes a boat made of newspaper out for a rainy-day adventure. The boy and his boat dance in the downpour and play in the puddles, but when the boy sends his boat floating down a gutter stream, it quickly gets away from him.
So of course the little boy goes on the hunt for his beloved boat, and when the rain lets up, he finds himself on a new adventure altogether.
If there is one thing I love in a picture book (though not the only thing) it's clean lines and spare use of colour, and this book uses both to tell a story about playing in the rain that is both emotionally poignant and uplifting. This tale reminds readers that childhood, as much as we associate it with play and care-free attitudes, is just as full of tragedies that we, as adults, sometimes consider inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but which affect children to a great degree.
The use of yellow is a key element of the illustrations, boldly filling in the boy's rain coat, but also filling the final spread with a glorious sunshine that cannot help but bring a smile to the reader's face. The role of the parent is beautifully rendered as well, showing that necessity and ability for adults to help children adapt to distressing situations (in this case, the loss of a newspaper boat). The father reaffirms the boy's playfulness by helping him to construct a new playtime object that allows the boy to adapt to the ever-fickle weather outside.
In addition, the end papers give instructions on how to build a paper boat or airplane, for both children and adults to take advantage of.
Highly Recommended
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