Working Boats: An Inside Look at Ten Amazing Watercraft

Ages 7 to 10, Grades 2 to 5

This visually engaging book filled with cross sections and exploded views of working boats is perfect for children--and even adults--curious about the mechanics of boats and the lives of people who work on boats.

Filled with full-page spreads of cross sections of ten intriguing working boats, this book provides a glimpse into their inner workings, as well as highlights of each boat's unique engineering components that enable it to do the job it was built for.

Want to know what goes on behind the scenes of a Coast Guard rescue, what it's like to work on a science research vessel, or what's involved in crabbing? The book includes illustrated details about each boat's mission and jobs people do on board, as well as a glimpse of what life is like on a working boat. 

Packed with information that's fun and practical, the book also includes details about maritime instruments, such as how a radar works, on-water safety gear, diesel engines, and mechanics, such as how water is pumped through a fire boat.

About the Author

Born in the Midwest, artist Tom Crestodina has been working as a fisherman in Alaska for over 20 years and studied marine engineering at the Seattle Maritime Academy. After the birth of his first child with his wife, Ania, he began making cutaway drawings of the vessels he was working on as a way to communicate with his small child while he was at sea. After other seafarers began to ask for drawings of their own vessels, he went on to document the maritime trades in his whimsical style, and his work is now carried in shops and galleries all over the Pacific coast of North America. He lives in Bellingham, Washington, with Ania and their two children.

Author Residence: Bellingham, WA

Author Hometown: Chicago, IL