Pull, Push, Roll!: Kids Team Up to Move a Beached Boat to Water

The discovery of a stuck sailboat turns into a subtle lesson in engineering for kids curious about how things work. A playful story fortified with facts, from a teacher who knows how to make science go down easy.

“Look! A boat!” “Will it float?” Two kids come across a sailing dinghy immobilized on a sandbar, and they’re filled with a sense of possibility. First, they find a rope. “Pull! Pull!” But the boat doesn’t budge, and the wind whips as a third child comes by and offers to give a push. Two pulling and one pushing—surely the creaking boat must be moving? Will clearing a path help? Spirits begin to sink, until another child happens by with a stick—which becomes a lever with help from a stone—and the kids realize that sticks can roll . . . Sun-kissed seaside illustrations usher readers into a narrative that plays out engineering principles in action, followed by end matter delving into the benefits of having the right tool for the job, the workings of levers and wheels, and the overarching value of teamwork.