Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley

This book was one of our random library picks and we ended up enjoying it. On the surface it's a story of a boy (who happens to be a beaver) who builds boats, goes to the beach with his mother, and then sends the boats out into the ocean with a note for his papa. But, spoiler alert, the boats never make it to Papa. And it's really his mama who has been retrieving the boats each night and treasuring them.

This book subtly handles the issues of death and grief. I was impressed that both of my girls picked up on what was really going on in the story and they talked with me about the fact that some people die. Though the Papa in this book is a reference to a father, my own father was known as Papa by his grandchildren. He died when my oldest was only one year old. So we talked about their Papa after reading this book.

If you need to talk about grief and death with your children, this book is a good way to start a difficult conversation. Buckley the beaver is sad that Papa is gone, but he has his mama and is filled with love and appreciation for her. There is sadness, but there is also love in this book.

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Boats for Papa
By Jessixa Bagley
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Year: 2015
Info: full color illustrations
Ages: picture books, young children
Themes: grief, mother and child, single parents, beach, boats
Source: our public library