Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)

A multigenerational tale of a boat's life with a Black family, written by two brothers who loved similar boats.In the opening spread, a smiling, brown-skinned adult dangles a line from the back of a green-and-white boat while a boy peers eagerly over the side at the sea life. The text never describes years passing, but each page turn reveals the boy's aging, more urban development on the shore, increasing water pollution, marine-life changes (sea jellies abound on one page), and shifting water levels. Eventually, the boy, now a teenager, steers the boat, and as an adult, he fishes alone but must go farther and farther out to sea to make his catch. One day, the man loses his way, capsizes in a storm, and washes up on a small bay island, with the overturned, sunken boat just offshore. Now a "new sailor" cleans up the land and water with others' help. The physical similarities between the shipwrecked sailor and the "new sailor" suggest that this is not a new person but one whose near-death experience has led to an epiphany that changes his relationship to water. As the decaying boat becomes a new marine habitat, the sailor teaches the next generation (a child with hair in two Afro puffs) to fish. Focusing primarily on the sea, the book's earth-toned illustrations, created with hundreds of stamps, carry the compelling plot.A quiet, thought-provoking story of environmental change and the power humans have to slow it. (Picture book. 4-7)

ALA Booklist (Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)

It's an old boat t a good boat d it carries a boy and, presumably, his grandparent on many productive trips together. The text says they catch "wants / and wishes, / waves / and wonders," signaling that more is happening than simply fishing. The words and images operate on multiple levels, with the illustrations demonstrating the passage of time through the steady aging of the characters, page by page. Eventually the boy, now a man, is on the boat alone and lost, until he capsizes near a small island. Here he finds new direction, purpose, and a family. Similar to the Pumphreys' The Old Truck (2020), stamped images are digitally composed to create illustrations that are intricately designed but also simple and approachable. The sunny color palette assures readers that, even at sad points, the man will find his way. An awareness of environmental concerns runs through the visual narrative, foreshadowing a reassuring conclusion. This sensitive message about growth and connection is perfectly pitched to resonate with readers young, old, and journeying between.

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

As they did in The Old Truck (rev. 3/20), the brothers Pumphrey find themes of persistence, family, and renewal in the life cycle of a treasured conveyance, in this case a jaunty little green boat. A parent and child go fishing, a day trip that comes to encompass years as the two travel into deeper waters and grow older before our eyes in successive page-turns, leaving the now-grown boy alone at the tiller mid-ocean until returning, Crusoe-like, home to his small island. There, with the help of what we presume to be family and friends, he begins to clean up the ocean detritus we have watched accumulating on his voyage, with the old boat itself, now faded with age, repurposed as an artificial reef off the shore where the boy, now old, is once again fishing with a child. Somewhat ponderous and more abstract than The Old Truck, the book pins the boat to the same spot on almost every spread, allowing the passing time and scene to move around it, providing a strong -- anchoring -- image of resilience. Roger Sutton

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A multigenerational tale of a boat's life with a Black family, written by two brothers who loved similar boats.In the opening spread, a smiling, brown-skinned adult dangles a line from the back of a green-and-white boat while a boy peers eagerly over the side at the sea life. The text never describes years passing, but each page turn reveals the boy's aging, more urban development on the shore, increasing water pollution, marine-life changes (sea jellies abound on one page), and shifting water levels. Eventually, the boy, now a teenager, steers the boat, and as an adult, he fishes alone but must go farther and farther out to sea to make his catch. One day, the man loses his way, capsizes in a storm, and washes up on a small bay island, with the overturned, sunken boat just offshore. Now a "new sailor" cleans up the land and water with others' help. The physical similarities between the shipwrecked sailor and the "new sailor" suggest that this is not a new person but one whose near-death experience has led to an epiphany that changes his relationship to water. As the decaying boat becomes a new marine habitat, the sailor teaches the next generation (a child with hair in two Afro puffs) to fish. Focusing primarily on the sea, the book's earth-toned illustrations, created with hundreds of stamps, carry the compelling plot.A quiet, thought-provoking story of environmental change and the power humans have to slow it. (Picture book. 4-7)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

This tale from the Pumphrey brothers (The Old Truck) excels at showing rather than telling. Tight, vivid prose by Jarrett Pumphrey telegraphs the story-s essence, while spreads by Jerome Pumphrey show outings shared by two brown-skinned figures-one young, one old-who together take a green fishing skiff out to open sea. As the pages turn, -the old boat caught wants// and wishes,// waves// and wonders,- the child and the adult mature, and the waters fill with garbage--First shallow.// Then deep.- One fateful day, the child, now grown, takes the craft out alone and is overtaken by a storm, the boat sinking just offshore alongside plastic bags, tires, milk crates, and more. Carried back to the beach, the pilot sees that honoring intergenerational memories requires work close to home. Helpers fill garbage bags, and swimmers with nets clean farther out. Soon, fish return to the shallows, sea plants grow, and the sunken boat hosts life. The artwork-s sun-bleached shapes have immediate visual impact, and the story conveys the idea of change, both damage and restoration, occurring on a relatively brief human scale. Ages 6-8. Agent (for author and illustrator): Hannah Mann, Writers House. (Mar.)

School Library Journal (Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

K-Gr 2 "Off a small island, an old boat rode the tide." In minimal text and slowly evolving illustrations readers will experience the passage of time and the wonder of the coastline, open water, and marine life. In a distinctive illustrative style with double-page spreads in a warm and energetic palette the story of generations of fisher-folk is told. The passage of time is rendered effectively page by page and the subtle and not-so-subtle changes will draw inquisitive readers in for closer inspection. While this would make a great companion to the Pumphreys's much-lauded debut title The Old Truck, this title as a stand-alone will be useful in environmental units and will engage students as they examine the art and notice the impact humans can make, for the positive or the negative, on the environment. VERDICT A melancholy call to an appreciation of nature and a call to action toward stewardship of the natural world on shore and off. John Scott, Friends Sch. of Baltimore