The rain comes closer and closer. Now you hear a million splashes. Now you even see the drops on the water...
Robert McCloskey's gentle story of a summer on the islands of Maine won him his second Caldecott medal. McCloskey's beautifully poetic prose is the strongest part of the book. He uses second-person narration to put the reader right in the middle of the action, whether watching the rain come in, getting groceries in preparation for the big storm, sailing all afternoon between the islands, or finding shells on the beaches.
The oil paintings are minimalist and bright. Two little girls, representing McCloskey's two daughters, star in this story, running around the island, sailing, climbing on trees and finding shells. The story really does bring wonder into the change of seasons on the island. Very young children may be bored by the lack of explicit action, but there is plenty of wonder and intrigue to entertain older readers of any age.
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Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews here.
|
Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews
here.
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