""I am sailing away to the end of the day,
down the long winding river that goes to the sea.""

Just before it is time to sleep, Nicole settles into bed with all her animals. She becomes the captain of their boat as they prepare to sail away. When her father comes in to say goodnight, he tells Nicole a wonderful sail-away story.

In the story, Nicole travels in her small boat down a winding river. Along the way she encounters a crow, a cow and three kittens. When they ask where she is going and if they can join her expedition, Nicole makes room for the new adventurers. Each animal brings something to improve the boat, adding a sail woven from grass, ropes made of flowers and wind to blow them along. When they reach the sea, the friends are afloat in a beautiful sailboat.

Allen Morgan has created a gentle story of co-operation, imagination and dreams, complemented by Jirina Marton's cheerful illustrations.

There are 24 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2000 by Annick Press Ltd .

Jirina Marton has illustrated picture books internationally, and her paintings are exhibited in Italy, Japan, France, Spain and Canada. She recently traveled to Japan to do extensive research before creating "Lady Kaguya's Secret" (1997). Today, Jirina makes her home in Toronto. Allen Morgan first became interested in children's books while teaching kindergarten in Toronto schools. He is the author of the popular "Matthew" stories and "Nicole's Boat" (2000). Allen lives in Toronto.