Who Sank the Boat - Pamela Allen

Who Sank the Boat - Pamela Allen (1996)

Story line: Beside the sea, there

once lived a cow, a donkey, a sheep, a pig, and a tiny little mouse. One warm, sunny morning--for no particular reason--they decided to go for a row in the bay. Do you know who sank the boat?

A good staple for any child's book collection, this very

simple, yet supremely effective book has been read, and reread in many households.

I read somewhere: This book is good because it talks about several cross curriculum topics. It can be used for science or math. It discusses the different concepts that can be used for lessons on weight, balance, density, force. Though this is true and I can see it being used as a teaching tool, I just like the book because it is fun. There is a great sense of musicality in the text and an even better unity with the illustrations.

Last year I saw it performed at the baby proms and they did it justice. The one disadvantage of this book is that it's so well constructed that most children know and remember who sank the boat after it's first reading. To an adult, knowing who sank the boat then defeats the purpose of rereading it as the answer is remembered; but not to children, they like knowing the answer and going through the questions in the book, enjoying their second and third plus readings having been let in on the secret.

I would suffice to say this is Allen's best book followed closely by Waddle Giggle Gargle! (1996), in her hit-and-miss collection of published stories.