What do you think?
Rate this book
When Sam Set Sail
This engaging tale of adventure and camaraderie welcomes the reader aboard an unexpected journey with unforeseen events. For children of all ages who enjoy the sea, from the deck or the shore, this adventure begs to be read again and again. Illustrate the events in this journal as you would record the voyage. Share with family and friends and see what they think of the surprise ending!
38 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 2012
248 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 26, 2022
One of my son's favorites. Her descriptions are so beautiful and vivid. I love reading this book with him.
January 16, 2013
My daughter and I initially reviewed the first edition of this book for http://MotherDaughterBookReviews.com and it fell a bit short of our expectations. The author reworked the book and provided us with a new copy for review. Here is what my daughter and I have to say about the second edition:
DAUGHTER SAYS:
The book is about a ship that is sailing in the sea when it comes upon a big scary sea monster. I like the cover of the second book better because the first book only has a tiny ship in the corner and the second book has a huge ship in the middle. I like that in the second book there are pretty scrolls for drawing pictures on and in the first book, I didn’t like that you couldn’t draw pictures on each page. I really like that you can draw pictures on each page and I like the surprise ending but, ssshhh… I’m not telling. I didn’t like that, in the first book, you couldn’t draw out the story on each page but could only draw a few pictures at the end on a couple pages. I like the second book much, much better. I liked the story in the book and I liked the rhyming and the end was surprising. I didn’t see THAT coming! I think that it’s a good book because I don’t know about any other book where you can draw your own pictures and I recommend it to boys and girls six years old and up.
MOM SAYS:
What I liked and disliked about it:
The story in the book is told through lilting, rhyming verse and makes the reader feel as if they themselves are on a tall ship sailing the deep blue sea. The story provides the reader with adventure, excitement and just the right level of tension for young children. There is a twist at the end that I think children would really enjoy – and I can say in all honestly that I did not see it coming!
Aside from the cover, the book has no illustrations. In lieu of illustrations, children reading the book (or being read to) are encouraged to read the book from start to finish and then use their imagination to draw their own pictures interpreting the story. Each page is designed to look like an old weathered scroll and has some text and a wide space where a child can draw a picture. What I love about the design is that the text is so descriptive that it gives some direction to children for what to draw and which features to include in their picture.
When Sam Set Sail by Leanne BeckHere is an example of the text from one of the inside pages:
With this new design, illustrations accompany the text directly as is the case in most picture books.
In my original review I also highlighted what I felt was a flaw in the concept. Specifically I stated, “Once there are pictures drawn in the book, the book can’t really be passed down to another child – it would be a very personal book.” I’ve also given this more thought and now I would say that there is definitely a place for a personalized book. In fact, to fully disclose, I purchased from Printakid a personalized book for my daughter when she turned three. As I also stated in my original review, (and what I would now like to emphasize) is that I can see that the book would be a lovely gift for a child and it could then become a cherished memento from their childhood.
My bottom line:
I feel that the author’s re-design of this book has vastly improved its appeal. I can now fully recommend the book to someone wanting to share it with a child aged 3 years and older who can personalize it and hang on to it as a keepsake.
*** When Sam Sets Sail was provided to us free-of-charge by the author in exchange for an honest review.***
DAUGHTER SAYS:
The book is about a ship that is sailing in the sea when it comes upon a big scary sea monster. I like the cover of the second book better because the first book only has a tiny ship in the corner and the second book has a huge ship in the middle. I like that in the second book there are pretty scrolls for drawing pictures on and in the first book, I didn’t like that you couldn’t draw pictures on each page. I really like that you can draw pictures on each page and I like the surprise ending but, ssshhh… I’m not telling. I didn’t like that, in the first book, you couldn’t draw out the story on each page but could only draw a few pictures at the end on a couple pages. I like the second book much, much better. I liked the story in the book and I liked the rhyming and the end was surprising. I didn’t see THAT coming! I think that it’s a good book because I don’t know about any other book where you can draw your own pictures and I recommend it to boys and girls six years old and up.
MOM SAYS:
What I liked and disliked about it:
The story in the book is told through lilting, rhyming verse and makes the reader feel as if they themselves are on a tall ship sailing the deep blue sea. The story provides the reader with adventure, excitement and just the right level of tension for young children. There is a twist at the end that I think children would really enjoy – and I can say in all honestly that I did not see it coming!
Aside from the cover, the book has no illustrations. In lieu of illustrations, children reading the book (or being read to) are encouraged to read the book from start to finish and then use their imagination to draw their own pictures interpreting the story. Each page is designed to look like an old weathered scroll and has some text and a wide space where a child can draw a picture. What I love about the design is that the text is so descriptive that it gives some direction to children for what to draw and which features to include in their picture.
When Sam Set Sail by Leanne BeckHere is an example of the text from one of the inside pages:
The wrinkled beast … dusted with snails
Wore coral wedged between huge scales
His patchwork hide was streaked and marred
Where deep, old wounds had healed and scarred.
With this new design, illustrations accompany the text directly as is the case in most picture books.
In my original review I also highlighted what I felt was a flaw in the concept. Specifically I stated, “Once there are pictures drawn in the book, the book can’t really be passed down to another child – it would be a very personal book.” I’ve also given this more thought and now I would say that there is definitely a place for a personalized book. In fact, to fully disclose, I purchased from Printakid a personalized book for my daughter when she turned three. As I also stated in my original review, (and what I would now like to emphasize) is that I can see that the book would be a lovely gift for a child and it could then become a cherished memento from their childhood.
My bottom line:
I feel that the author’s re-design of this book has vastly improved its appeal. I can now fully recommend the book to someone wanting to share it with a child aged 3 years and older who can personalize it and hang on to it as a keepsake.
*** When Sam Sets Sail was provided to us free-of-charge by the author in exchange for an honest review.***
February 20, 2013
This is the first children's book I'm reviewing. I'm doing it predominately because I won it on Goodreads First Reads free book giveaway, but also, because I thought it was a very clever book.
The book is not illustrated, but has space on each page for an illustration that you can have your kids draw. The story is a fun poetic story of a pirate, a ship, a storm, and a whale, ending with a very clever twist that I will not divulge here. This was a great story and I really like the idea of having your kids illustrate the story themselves. I might have liked to see one or two illustrations to get us started, but otherwise, I felt it was a great idea.
I'm guessing the age range for this book would be about 4-7 years old for the content, but add in the illustration activity and this book could be a great project for slightly older kids.
The book is not illustrated, but has space on each page for an illustration that you can have your kids draw. The story is a fun poetic story of a pirate, a ship, a storm, and a whale, ending with a very clever twist that I will not divulge here. This was a great story and I really like the idea of having your kids illustrate the story themselves. I might have liked to see one or two illustrations to get us started, but otherwise, I felt it was a great idea.
I'm guessing the age range for this book would be about 4-7 years old for the content, but add in the illustration activity and this book could be a great project for slightly older kids.
February 27, 2013
Very cute book. It read like a poem and keeps you captivated till the end. I enjoyed the surprise ending. I like the fact that you get to illustrate the book yourself, because it helps to not give away the twist at the end, it also makes you an active participate in the story. But it I think it would be fun to see how different people illustrate the it.
April 7, 2013
Great idea to put into a children's book!! At first I thought 'what kind of children's book doesn't have pictures?' Then I read it!!! Great idea!! Love love love the ending!!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews