Alexander and the Magic Boat

This book is beautiful. Alexander's mother is brave and exciting, and Alexander wishes he could be as good at everything as her. One day when she is tired, he discovers that he can help her, and takes her on a magical boat journey where they meet pirates and subdue them together. As a mother of an Alexander, I really like this book.

This is a gentle, captivating book, about a boy and his friendship with his busy mother. When Alexander's mother makes time for him, he invites her on a voyage into his imagination on a ship built out of pushed-together furniture. Their journey, the power of play, and the way shared imagination brings them closer, resonate with all those times my children and I have scraped together an adventure out of this-and-that and storytelling and laughter. We each identify with the characters in this book -- I with the busy mother, my children with Alexander. In many ways, it feels like 'our' story, conveyed with care and subtlety that make the book one to read over and over again.