Time of Wonder

This is the very first book I remember, and when I read it, the voice in my head is my father's. It's also the very first book that I read all by myself. I don't remember learning *to* read, but this book is wrapped up in the magic of reading for me. And its magnificence is perhaps one of the reasons I'm the reader I am today. McCloskey's words and watercolors combine to make magic. His turns of phrase are memorable and delightful. The feelings of a childhood's summer are herein captured with both playfulness and gravitas. There's a hurricane, and there are bellyflops. There are cranky old men and cranky old seabirds. It's all happening here, all the time. And it's always waiting for me to come back.

This does a really good job showing what it’s like to live in a shore community and the practical preparation, enduring, and aftermath of a major storm.

On an island off the coast of Maine, in Penobscott Bay, two girls and their parents find much to enjoy about the sea, the shore, and the forests. Even a hurricane-force gale is a source of awe and wonder. But when summer is over, it’s time to pack up and move back to the city.

McCloskey is probably best known for Make Way for Ducklings, but I think I like this book even more. Here the reader explores an island with two girls. We watch a summer shower approach, and get wet when it begins to sprinkle; on a foggy morning we watch the lobster fishermen going out to check their pots. Ferns unfold under the trees, and when the fog lifts we go for a sail in the bay, accompanied by dolphins who frolick next to our sailboat. We join other kids show more on the beach, diving into the water, building forts and sand castles. We enjoy a summer unfettered by schedules or school work, exploring the natural world.

Of the Caldecott winners I’ve read so far, this has the absolute best illustrations. They are simply beautiful – in color, detail, scope, feel. Some are bright at a summer day, others muted by “fog.” The stars sparkle in the night sky, and the waves pound the shore during a storm. I particularly loved how McClosky showed a coming rain cloud approaching across the bay, shading one island after another. Just lovely images. show less

The text is heavier in this children's book, but the time spent reading this is well worth it. For the words are poetry, and describe landscapes of Maine deep from the heart of passionate memories. The illustrations are rich, soft, and full, like a hazy dream recollection, but are perfectly detailed to where you experience the journey as well. It encompasses an entire summer break, beaching the day away, exploring distant fields of green and sunshine, and the not so tantalizing depictions of hurricane weather. In the end, the beauty remains, but the trip must end. Forever holding the experience close to mind and close to heart.

Blueberries for Sal and especially One Morning in Maine were favorites for me as a child, but I'd never come across this one. The illustrations are watercolors and only recognizably McCloskey's style near the end when we see the characters at home. The illustrations are, however, still lovely. The text is dense and often flowery and abstract, but eventually I warmed to it a bit. It's about the beauty of nature on a Maine island in summertime and about the peace (and sometimes violence) and wonder of it. Not sure how much it would resonant with children (especially younger ones), but it was a pleasant read for me as an adult.

"Out on the islands that poke their rocky shores above the waters of Penobscot Bay, you can watch the time of the world go by, from minute to minute, hour to hour, from day to day..." So begins McCloskey's classic story of one summer on a Maine island. The spell of rain, the gulls and a foggy morning, the excitement of sailing, the quiet of the night, the sudden terror of a hurricane, and, in the end, the peace of the island as the family packs up to leave are shown in poetic language and vibrant pictures.

Being a girl who has seen her way around beaches and nature of her own, I am a firm believer in having fun and wandering in the fun of your youth. This book however, has a very eloquent way of making nature and life itself bland. The illustration and coloring of the story are breathtaking, yet the words steal the glory of the book with their dry and complex nature. If I were a young child, I would not be able to keep up with the 2nd person narration. I often found myself dozing off and losing interest on reading this book all together.