AHOY!

AHOY! by Sophie Blackall

Most of us have fond memories of or are in the days when fond memories are being made of living room creations born of our children's imaginations. I cannot tell you how many days the chairs were gathered together and blankets spread across the top pinned by clothespins to form tents, hideouts, ships, etc. It was absolutely delightful, and I loved it! Sophie Blackall's newest book focuses on such a marvelous happening.

This book is tons of fun. A child's imagination is running full throttle, but he's not content to be the only one that is enjoying it. His parent is attempting to vacuum the rug in the living room that is about to become the center of the child's play. There's a storm at sea, and I think most of us can relate to our children pulling us into their adventures as this child attempts to do. What follows is an exciting journey that spans an afternoon between this parent and child. So why the yellow light?

HEADS UP- Sophie Blackall gives us zero details as to whether this parent is male or female. (You can see what the parent looks like on the front cover.) I honestly thought this parent was the dad until at the end of the story another parent walks in the front door that also looks like a dad. Whenever I find situations like this, I try to go to the author's comments on what they set out to create. In this case I can't find any. However, other reviewers are calling the first parent "gender neutral "