Boat of Dreams is a wordless picture book with a story of whimsy, longing and familial connections told through the monochromatic images by Rogério Coelho. An elderly man gazes out to sea and discovers a message in a bottle. The discovery inspires him to draw an elaborate flying machine which he sends to his grandson. His grandson is illustrated in color and the story alternates between their correspondences. Light, line, shadows, and space are all used in unexpected and charming ways in Coelho’s illustrations.
The book is a perfect square, 9.9 x 9.9 inches with many dual page illustrations giving a cinema-like feel to the printed image. Touching, inspiring and filled with compassion, Boat of Dreams could be read infinitely with new discoveries and depths found with each visit.
Other picture books illustrated by Coehlo include Is Anyone Out There, Books Do Not Have Wings and Roof Octopus. I hope to be tracking those down and sharing them soon!
HipMamaJenn 