First Sail

Book excerpt: This beautifully illustrated book introduces children to the basics of sailing. Adam, a young boy from the city, yearns to learn how to sail. When his aunt and uncle invite him to visit one summer, his cousin Beth takes him out in her sailboat. Beth shows Adam many of the things he will need to know to become a sailor -- skills he must put into action when a thunderstorm arises.Young readers will absorb from labeled drawings many sailing fundamentals: basic nautical terms, points of sailing, channel markers and buoys, safety equipment, a few knots and bends, something about clouds and weather, anchoring, handling sails, and even crew overboard procedures.