The Raft - An Inspiring Picture Book for Early Elementary

The Raft, written and illustrated by Jim LaMarche, is a beautiful book that I captures children's imaginations and inspires them to create their own works of art.

It's the story of a young boy who's spending the summer with his grandma, an eccentric artist who doesn't even own a T.V.!

At first Nicky is bitterly dismayed by his ill fortune - there's nothing to do and he can't even catch a fish. But when he discovers his father's old raft, he gets caught up in his new surroundings and spends long hours on the river, watching the animals and trying to capture their beauty on paper. When he rescues a fawn trapped in the mud, Nicky discovers that he will always be part of the river, and the river will always be part of him.

It's a delightful story, but it's the the detailed illustrations that will inspire every reader to pick up a brush or a crayon and put their dreams on paper too.

This is a good book to incorporate into a homeschool art class, or read before going on a nature walk. You could even use it as a springboard into a lesson on raft making. There is so much fun to be had in these pages!

The Raft by Jim LaMarche is available for order on Amazon.com.