Boats: Fast & Slow; Iris Volant, illustrated by Jarom Vogel

Sail into the wonderful world of boats in this joyous read that explores boats through the ages.

With so much water on the planet it is hardly surprising that boats, in one form or another, have been the go-to form of travel for many civilisations. Humankind have been using boats for thousands of years, long before there was any mention of cars, trains or planes. From the earliest humans in ancient Mesopotamia to Native American Tribes, the Greeks to the Vikings, pirates to indigenous tribes to the humans of today, all have relied on boats.

Boats: Fast & Slow takes readers on a boat journey that explores the very earliest boats made out of reeds and animal skins and the hollowing out of tree trunks, via steam powered vessels, to cruise liners and the super yachts of today. Readers will learn that boats have been used for many purposes and although none of these ideas are explored in detail, references are made to fishing and trade, military and the battles fought at sea, exploring, tourism, sporting events and cultural celebrations.

Brief acknowledgements to boats of historical importance and historical figures are a nice touch. The Cutty Sark and The Titanic both featur,e as do brief stories of famous Chinese pirate Ching Shih and globe circumnavigator Joshua Slocum. Famous naturalist Charles Darwin is also included, who, without boats, would not have been able to visit different continents and would never have come up with his theory of evolution.

A nice touch at the end includes the semaphore alphabet and an illustrated index of boats is a great reference page.

The book is well presented with pages featuring informative text and stylish illustrations that clearly show the appearance and structure of different boats.

A lovely introduction to the history of boats and how they have been used over the years.

Recommended for 5+.