Budding Builder -- Picture Book Reviews

Thyra Heder cleverly creates a Christmas Vacation --"Dad did you bring a saw"-- climax when her resourceful, resilient Sal, a future Property Brother carpenter, finishes his boat.

Characters: Sal, his Mom, brother, friends, and town cast

Themes: Construction, salvage, recycling, imagination

Conflict: A problem to solve

Plot: Sal loves the water and wants a boat.

He has no money to buy one but with his imagination, resourcefulness, and carpenter skills he can build one.

Hammering, painting, and sawing through delaying rain and community doubters, Sal finishes building his boat. Now, if only he could figure out how to launch it.

Perspective: A third-person narration

Setting: A seaside town brought to life with rugged watercolor