Working Boats

Born in the Midwest, artist Tom Crestodina has been working as a fisherman in Alaska for over 20 years and studied marine engineering at the Seattle Maritime Academy. After the birth of his first child with his wife, Ania, he began making cutaway drawings of the vessels he was working on as a way to communicate with his small child while he was at sea. After other seafarers began to ask for drawings of their own vessels, he went on to document the maritime trades in his whimsical style, and his work is now carried in shops and galleries all over the Pacific coast of North America. He lives in Bellingham, Washington, with Ania and their two children.  You can find out more about Tom and his work on his website: TheScow.BigCartel.com

"Boys and girls — and grown-ups — intrigued by the maritime world of the North Pacific will get much pleasure and a pack of insider knowledge from Tom Crestodina’s Working Boats"–New York Times“Working Boats is a great resource for kids, and as I mentioned earlier, their parents as well. The drawings will attract beginning readers, the text will keep bringing them back as they master their skills, and the complete package will appeal to grownups."–Anchorage Daily News"If a photo illustration is worth a thousand words, Crestodina’s cut-away drawings give us more like five thousand words each. . . It is no cliché to say that, for the mariner inclined, from eight to eighty, this is the one book that does it all."–National Fisherman"Cross sections and exploded views abound in the detailed illustrations."–Kirkus Reviews"An informative and fun book for readers interested in boats and how they work, and the target audience will be engaged by the high level of detail."–Booklist"If your young reader is less interested in story and more interested in non-fiction — especially the workings of a seagoing vessel — then this book is a great gift choice."–Montreal Gazette"In his lavishly illustrated new book, Tom delights us with 50 pages of technically detailed but entertaining drawings of eight 'adventurous watercraft'... Young and old mariners and dreamers will love this one." —Alan Haig-Brown, Baird Maritime"I never thought I could be this interested in a Salmon Trawler or crab boat." —Zoe Latta, Rotting on the Vine Substack