The Ship in the Window
Review posted September 12, 2024.
Viking (Penguin Random House), 2024. 40 pages.
Review written September 6, 2024, from a library book.
Starred Review
First, I have to give a disclosure: The author of this book, Travis Jonker, is a friend of mine, or at least a librarian acquaintance. When we see each other at library conferences, we smile and say Hi! So -- I'm for sure going to like his books, and I continue to be excited for him that he's writing books that are getting published.
But let me tell you about his latest. The illustrator is Caldecott Winner Matthew Cordell - so you know it's going to be good!
The story is simple. Who among us hasn't looked at an intricately crafted miniature ship and wondered if it could actually sail? In this book, the participants find out!
The story opens in wordless pictures before the title page. We see house close to the shore, and then inside the house, a man is carefully crafting a miniature ship. We see a boy by his side, looking on, and if you look closely, you'll also see a mouse.
When the story opens, we get the viewpoint of the mouse, Mabel, who lives in the house with the man and the boy - and the magnificent untouched ship in the window.
Mabel knew it was the man's prized possession because she had watched him spend months building it, carefully perfecting every last detail.
He wouldn't even let the boy help.
Mabel wonders if it could sail like a real ship. She daydreams about being the captain of this ship. She can see that the boy shares in her wondering.
And then one night, the door gets left open, and Mabel sees her chance to find out!
This book is about Mabel's adventure that night and what happens when the man discovers the ship is gone. (His alarm is expressed, but the ending softens it beautifully.)
This is simply a lovely little book about imagination and adventure. And new friends.