Louise Builds a Boat

by Louise Pfanner

Louise imagines building her ideal boat, one with a wooden deck for games, a crow's nest for watching dolphins, and a figurehead to paint.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Jos M · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book. Just delightful, whimsical and sweet. Building the self. Why shouldn't Louise have this wonderful space of things which bring her delight? Why shouldn't she give it to her sister? Lovely.

[Samantha Cucchiarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about a girl named Louise who builds a house on her own. She adds whatever she wants to it because it’s her vision of a dream house. At the end of the story there is a twist as to what Louise does with the house.

I think this is a great story for young students because it’s simple for younger ones to read but also the message of the story is great. I think this would be a great discussion starter. The illustrations were great and built on each other which was really cool.

The social justice issue raised is gender stereotyping because in most books and in real life you see men building houses instead of women.

One book that connects to this story is “Dance, Tanya” by Patricia Lee Gauch. This is a story about a very young girl named Tanya who wants to put on a ballet show but told she’s too young too.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book about how a house would be like if the author built one and all the features it would have. It's fun and creative but I don't care for the illustrations and it's kind of anti-climactic.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every dream when you were little about the house you would have someday live it. I still do that as an adult; do you? Seeing what Louise puts in her house and why helps keep my dreaming alive.

And as they say in South Pacific - "You've got to have a dream. If you don't have a dream. How you gonna have a dream come true."