Red Canoe Shows Up at Two!

by Victoria Allenby

I spent the day
On the dock
And who zoomed up
At six o’clock?
A purple speedboat.

A day on the dock is never dull when boats of all shapes, sizes, and colors are zooming on by! Indulge your preschoolers love for boats while also subtly teaching them about colors and time! Who zoomed up at six o’clock? A purple speedboat! What boat will arrive next? What time will it be?

Victoria Allenby adds another kid-tastic instalment to the Big, Little Concept Books collection that has already graced story times with the Mathical Book Prize honor book Shape Up, Construction Trucks!, the sound-celebrating Listen Up! Train Song, and the most recent Look Up High! Things that Fly. Like its predecessors, this book features a closing note to caregivers with age-appropriate enrichment activities to extend both the learning and the fun. But they needn’t worry about handing the whole thing over to their children, since the padded cover, rounded corners, and extra-sturdy paper of this Toddler Tough format can endure many a rough reading.

Genres: Picture Books

24 pages, Hardcover

Published June 17, 2025

About the author

Victoria Allenby dictated her first picture book to her mother at the age of two. Since then she has learned to write things down herself, and today makes a living as a freelance writer and editor. She lives in Toronto with Cole, a cat who thinks he is much more interesting than laptops and books.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful photographs and minimal text introduce the concepts of time and color in this padded board book. There is even a clock to accompany each time from 1:00 to 10:00. Since each photo features a boat, youngsters may even enjoy identifying the similarities and difference among the watery means of transportation.

[Maeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A variety of boats and watercraft show up at the dock at different hours of the day.

Nice photographs, a call and response chant, focus on colors and time (time shown on an analog and digital clock). A little weird that it didn't go until 12 o'clock.

Storytime:
Color
Boats
Time

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

Easy storytime concept and easy to adapt into a flannel. A little weird that there is a time element but it only goes to 10:00 and not 12:00.

[Meghan Bohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it for the most part, but I wish all the adults and kids pictured had been wearing life vests.

[Miss Janis the Storytime Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

okay. a little tough because the colors aren't always clear, and it didn't work in the bright sun and big group at Splash.

[Steph]

Turn/Level: B/2.5

boats, times, colors

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful photography and vibrant colors. Lost opportunity to populate the boats with diverse people. Nice concept book of colors and learning to count and tell time.