Please welcome authors Kelly Rice Schmidt and Erin Dealey to Dynamic Book Duos – a blog featuring two books that pair together in a meaningful way along with educational activities to strengthen reading skills. This week’s pairing focuses on lyrical books for boat lovers + STEM.
PERFECT PAIR: Lyrical Books for Boat Lovers + STEM
Do you have a vehicle lover in your home? Are your students fascinated with transportation? Then look no further than I SHIP: A CONTAINER SHIP’S COLOSSAL JOURNEY written by Kelly Rice Schmitt and illustrated by Jam Dong and CHRISTMAS AHOY! written by award-winning author Erin Dealey and illustrated by Kayla Stark for two fabulous picture books featuring many types of boats and ships. These lyrical books are great read-alouds and also include fascinating backmatter to learn more about many different types of boats/ ships, container shipping, world trade, jobs at sea, and the science of buoyancy!
Book 1: I Ship
Come aboard a massive container ship as it pulls into port, loads up with cargo, and heads out to the open ocean. The ship’s voyage includes starry skies and stormy seas, swift currents, and unforeseen delays. Through it all, the crew keeps working—with goods to keep the world going, they must carry on. This lyrical, STEM, informational fiction picture book with colorful collage illustrations is loaded with back matter on international shipping and trade, STEM, and a playful search & find. Named a 2023 Best STEM Book for Kids by NPR’s Science Friday!
Book 2: Christmas Ahoy!
Ahoy! A spectacular Christmas boat parade is underway. Count up to ten as the dazzling crafts bob pass… but wait Where is Santa and his reindeer? Surely, they aren’t missing the parade? Never fear, little mariners, Santa simply has a surprise in store. With backmatter on the bevy of boats featured.
Educational Activities:
Activities for I Ship:
Find Imported Items in Your Home or Classroom
After Reading I Ship, have children learn more about how imported items are in their own lives. Items imported into the United States and Canada must be clearly marked with where they are made.
With help from an adult, have readers search for imported items. Check tags on clothes and jewelry, labels on food and art supply containers, stickers on produce, and the writing on the underside of toys.
How many countries can you find? Bonus: Look up how far away the countries are from where you live. What item traveled the farthest?
You might see:
Product of ______
Made in _______
Manufactured in ______
Imported from ________
For more I Ship Activities including worksheets, buoyancy science experiments, discussion questions, coloring pages and more, check out Kelly’s Free I Ship Teaching and Activity Guide here:
Activities for Christmas Ahoy!
STEM Design Challenge
After reading CHRISTMAS AHOY!, have students build their own holiday themed boats that float using recycled materials.
For a full guide on this STEM Challenge, check out Erin’s Teachers Pay Teachers Free Guide here:
Activities for Both Books:
Nautical Creative Writing
Use at least 5 words in this list to write a story or poem about a boat or ship at sea!
Or as text:
| Type of Boat/Ship | People | Places | Ship Parts | Verbs | Phrases | |
| sailboat | captain | shipyard | sail (noun) | navigate | Land ho! | |
| ship | crew | lighthouse | hull | sail (verb) | Ahoy! | |
| boat | mariners | port (noun) | bow | turn | Avast! | |
| barge | helmsman | sea | stern | HONK! | ||
| yacht | waves | port (adj) | ||||
| lifeboat | canal | starboard | ||||
| tugboat | fore | |||||
| gondola | aft | |||||
| engine | ||||||
| bridge | ||||||
| container | ||||||
| cargo |
Meet the Authors:
