We Live on a Boat

We Live on a Boat

Dave Petzold

Thames & Hudson, 2026

32pp., hbk., RRP $A26.99

9781760765439

Imagine not just living by the sea, but on it!  In a boat called Lucky Sea Legs that goes where the wind blows or wherever your family feels like going!

Because that’s the life of the family in this new book from the author of the  CBCA 2025  shortlisted Picture Book of the Year, We Live in a Bus.  Learning new things like how to surf, how to fix the boat, Spanish, not to mention the patterns of ocean life, its inhabitants and the stories of the people you meet when you pull into exotic ports for supplies… 

It sounds like living the dream, and Petzold’s unique illustrative and writing styles bring it to life as the children enjoy life on the boat with their parents and wonder at that above and below.  But, as with its predecessor, as well as the advantages, there must also be disadvantages and readers might like to compare their landlubber’s life to that of these children and identify those things that they would miss most if they had a more nomadic lifestyle. Not going to a sit-down, listen-up school each day might appeal, but would they miss seeing their friends? What if they couldn’t go to the library each day if they needed something new to read?  At the same time, though, there are some strong similarities between the boat family and theirs, even if the boat family’s pet is an iguana called Salad, giving them an opportunity to consider the subtle differences between “house” and “home” and what makes theirs special. On balance, which would they choose?

A peek inside…