Two boats at sea, struck by a storm, are impacted very differently—a tale about economic inequality and climate change, patterned on a classic poem.
Four characters go to sea in two very different boats for two very different reasons—Boogy and Tee set off in a luxury yacht for a vacation, while Twinkle and Hew set out in a tiny fishing dory in search of their next meal. When a storm blows up, the fishing dory soon breaks apart, casting Twinkle and Hew into the sea. The yacht hits a large rock, and as water pours into the hold, Boogy can do nothing but wail about losing his precious possessions. Then Tee spots Twinkle and Hew clinging to the remains of their boat and insists they go to the rescue—a decision that saves them all.
Inspired by Edward Lear’s “The Owl and the Pussycat,” Kathy Stinson’s story-poem with its rollicking, sea-faring rhythm and sprinkling of invented vocabulary combines with Mark Hoffmann’s quirky, playful art to create a funnay tale that speaks to urgent issues.
Includes as afterword a brief quotation adopted and retweeted by Greta Thunberg: “Stop saying that we’re all in the same boat. We’re all in the same storm. But we’re not all in the same boat.”
Key Text Features
afterword
dialogue
illustrations
literary references
poems
vignettes
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
Two boats at sea, struck by a storm, are impacted very differently—a tale about economic inequality and climate change, patterned on a classic poem.
Four characters go to sea in two very different boats for two very different reasons—Boogy and Tee set off in a luxury yacht for a vacation, while Twinkle and Hew set out in a tiny fishing dory in search of their next meal. When a storm blows up, the fishing dory soon breaks apart, casting Twinkle and Hew into the sea. The yacht hits a large rock, and as water pours into the hold, Boogy can do nothing but wail about losing his precious possessions. Then Tee spots Twinkle and Hew clinging to the remains of their boat and insists they go to the rescue—a decision that saves them all.
Inspired by Edward Lear’s “The Owl and the Pussycat,” Kathy Stinson’s story-poem with its rollicking, sea-faring rhythm and sprinkling of invented vocabulary combines with Mark Hoffmann’s quirky, playful art to create a funnay tale that speaks to urgent issues.
Includes as afterword a brief quotation adopted and retweeted by Greta Thunberg: “Stop saying that we’re all in the same boat. We’re all in the same storm. But we’re not all in the same boat.”
Key Text Features
afterword
dialogue
illustrations
literary references
poems
vignettes
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Sep 1, 2026 |
| Specifications | 40 pages | 8.75 in x 8.75 in |
| Written By |
KATHY STINSON, best known for her picture books, has also written children’s novels, short stories and poems. Her classic picture book Red Is Best, illustrated by Robin Baird Lewis, has been in print for more than forty years; The Man with the Violin, illustrated by Dušan Petričić, won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award; and The Rock and the Butterfly, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Kathy lives in Rockwood, Ontario.
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| Illustrated by |
MARK HOFFMANN is an author/illustrator of children’s books, editorial illustrator and artist who has won many awards for his illustrations. He is also a professor at Montserrat College of Art. Mark’s picture books include Explosion at the Poem Factory by Kyle Lukoff; The Note Who Faced the Music by Lindsay Bonilla; Soren’s Seventh Song by Dave Eggers (starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist) and Dirt Cheap. Mark lives in southern New Hampshire with his family, two cats and two dogs.
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| Written By |
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KATHY STINSON, best known for her picture books, has also written children’s novels, short stories and poems. Her classic picture book Red Is Best, illustrated by Robin Baird Lewis, has been in print for more than forty years; The Man with the Violin, illustrated by Dušan Petričić, won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award; and The Rock and the Butterfly, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Kathy lives in Rockwood, Ontario.
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| Illustrated by |
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MARK HOFFMANN is an author/illustrator of children’s books, editorial illustrator and artist who has won many awards for his illustrations. He is also a professor at Montserrat College of Art. Mark’s picture books include Explosion at the Poem Factory by Kyle Lukoff; The Note Who Faced the Music by Lindsay Bonilla; Soren’s Seventh Song by Dave Eggers (starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist) and Dirt Cheap. Mark lives in southern New Hampshire with his family, two cats and two dogs.
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| Audience | ages 3 to 6 / grades P to 1 |
| Key Text Features | afterword; dialogue; illustrations; literary references; poems; vignettes |
| Common Core | CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2 |