THE MAGIC BOAT
Every morning Ellie and her grandmother go to the beach. Ellie is too shy to talk to the other children, but one day a girl called Piper invites her to go on her magic boat. In it Ellie and Piper have many imaginary adventures, sailing out to sea, flying up in the air, and diving under the water. After Piper leaves, Ellie is sad; but then she discovers a way she can continue her adventures in the magic boat.About This Picture Book:
When Orca publishers asked me to write the text for a picture book set on the west coast I asked my partner, Katherine Farris, if she would do it with me. Together we created a story full of all the things you would do and see on a summer day on a west coast beach. The boat itself is based on a photograph of an old boat buried in the sand - a picture we can no longer find! We decided to use the names of my great-niece, Ellie, and Katherine’s young cousin, Sasha, for two of the characters. We named the third child Piper after our standard poodle!We are thrilled with the beautiful pictures that Gabrielle Grimard created! They turned our words into a magical story. We were also amazed that, without even knowing that they were based on real people, Gabrielle depicted Ellie and Sasha almost exactly as they really look!
Ellie and Sasha were four and three when we first wrote the book. Since it takes several years for a picture book to be produced they are now too old for it, but they are both delighted that we used their names in the story.
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