Central Kansas Library System

"Sal loves the water. All day, he thinks about it: being out there, just him and the waves, alone. More than anything else, he wants a boat. And he knows just what it would look like. So he decides to build it himself. It isn't long before everyone in town starts sharing advice. But Sal doesn't need their help. He knows just what he's building. And he does it! Except...he forgets one crucial detail--that no project, big or small, can be launched without...

Mr. Gumpy accepts more and more riders on his boat until the inevitable occurs.

Goat decides they need different food to eat, so he gets his boat and goes fishing in the castle's moat.

When Goat appears wearing a raincoat and invites all the animals to go for a boat ride on a sunny day, Dog declines but as heavy rain falls, Dog needs a boat, too.

Small Pig and his friends Old Goat and Turkey spend the day in a rowboat on a lake.

Buckley and his mother cope with the loss of their father/husband by sending small wooden boats, built by Buckley, off into the ocean.

Brothers Mac and Mac are outwitted by Cousin Meatball, three fish, and even a fishing rod when they set out to learn something new. Includes author's note on tales of fools and the motifs found in this story.

A boy's ambition to be the greatest sailor in the world brings him to ruin when he misuses his new ability to sail his boat in the air.

Buckley carefully crafts boats made of driftwood and sends his best ones to Papa by sea. Though Papa is gone, Mama still encourages Buckley.