The Book Boat's In

K-Gr 2—A historical tale that provides a glimpse into a unique part of 19th-century life on the Erie Canal: the floating library/bookstore. On a trip into town, Jesse is excited to see the book boat and even happier to find a book he loves, Johann David Wyss's The Swiss Family Robinson. The book's price is more money than he has, so he spends the week before the boat's return working to earn seven more cents. Although he isn't able to earn enough, the book-boat proprietor offers him a cheaper copy, and Jesse is thrilled to be able to write his name in a book and mark it as his own. Librarians and teachers will appreciate Jesse's love of books and his commitment to working hard in order to own one. Although the text, particularly the dialogue, is not very creative, the historical information it provides, along with the folk-style gouache paintings, gives a strong sense of time and place. The scenes with backgrounds of the town, the countryside, and the general store are full of vibrant color and atmospheric detail. In one spread, a pair of horses can be seen pulling a boat up the river, showing how river traffic operated. An author's note gives a little more background information. A supplementary purchase.—Marian McLeod, Darien Library, CT