1996 · not illustrated yet
The Pond, The Raft And The Barrels
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“Four barrels, one pallet, three boys. The maths worked for about six feet.”
It is a masterpiece of engineering: four big blue barrels, a sturdy wooden pallet, and enough rope to hold it all together. Our raft is finally ready to sail the murky waters of the farm pond. Three of us climb aboard, push off from the bank, and watch the shore get further and further away. Is it supposed to be wobbling this much?
“Four barrels, one pallet, three boys. The maths works... for about six feet.”
From the back cover
Every boy dreams of building a raft. We make it happen with nothing but barrels, a pallet, and misplaced confidence. It looks like it should float, which is half the battle. We clamber on and set sail, pioneers on the mighty pond.
But our calculations on 'how many boys a homemade raft can hold' turn out to be slightly optimistic.
And not a single parent ever knew how wet we got.