Boats for Papa

What a sweet and tender book! Seattle artist Bagley makes a breathtaking debut with this tale of two beavers, a mother and son, who live at the shore and miss an absent father. It's a story of hope, longing, beauty, and love that may be too intense for some young readers or for regular bedtime use (unless you don't mind tearing up every night), but for any young or old person who has experienced an unquenchable loss, or who wants to imagine what it would be like, it's hard to conceive of a wiser or lovelier story to share. (3 and up)