Jonathan and Frederick share daily adventure. They love to go to the wharf side and admire the Big Blue Boat together. Then one afternoon, to his great dismay, Jonathan comes home and learns that his parents have traded his stuffed bear and best friend for a toaster. Their reason? Jonathan is too old to have a stuffed animal.
Jonathan thinks not. Now, he goes to the wharf alone...all alone, and lonely.
The tugboat captain is concerned, and listens to Jonathan's tale of woe. When he hears from the captain of the Big Blue Boat's former life on the seas, Jonathan takes no time at all to imagine a quest in search of his very best friend. All aboard! He's off to find Frederick with the captain's blessing and good wishes for a safe journey.
A storm maroons the boat. It's goat to the rescue, despite the fact that he has never met a sea captain before, or a bear. Using his horns for leverage, he is able to free the boat and they are off once more. As they sail along, they notice an elephant sitting sadly amidst a deserted circus...he is too old to perform any longer and the circus has moved on without him.
The Big Blue Boat offers an open invitation to those who are lonely, who are in need of company. When marauding pirates blow a hole in their boat, it begins to sink and all seems lost. To their great good luck, a blue whale floats under them and provides its back to further their journey.
A distant port beckons and they make land, leaving the whale in charge of their ship. Their luck is not good in the search for Frederick. He seems to have disappeared completely. One final look in a warm and welcoming toy shop and the search is over:
"And that is how Jonathan, Frederick, a mountain goat, a circus elephant, and the little girl from behind the counter came to sail the sea on a Big Blue Boat on the back of a whale."
Friends make a difference in our lives, and make it worth living...no matter our age.
Philip C. Stead uses collage and watercolor to create his amazing artwork. It is so filled with detail that young readers and listeners will feel the waters that ripple past the moving ship, and will embark with a sense of adventure and urgency to find the lost bear. They will be constantly drawn to new discoveries as they ponder the artist's work and discover its many delightful details. I am going to leave you with an incredible link that allows Philip himself to explain the process:
http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=2115 Thanks to Jules for sharing it on her blog.
Amazing!
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