Book Review: Time of Wonder (by Robert McCloskey)

Looking out at Penobscot Bay from Camden, Maine (by K. Walters)
I've read a lot of great books.  Almost all of my favorites are non-fiction works that either tell the story of someone's journey, document an adventure, describe the science behind a natural phenomenon, or give a look into a historical event.  Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey is a fiction book that does none of the above.  In fact, it's a children's book.  But it also happens to be my very favorite children's book.  I've read it with my daughters on many occasions and it still makes our senses and our minds come alive.  

McCloskey weaves a tale of a summer spent at the family cottage on an island in Maine's incredibly beautiful Penobscot Bay.  You follow the siblings in the story like their shadow as they listen to a rain approaching the shore, as they spend a foggy morning on the edge of nowhere, and as they sail near "porpoises puffing".  The idyllic summer begins to close as the community among the neighboring islands share in preparations for a late summer hurricane.  You'll find that this children's book becomes a page turner as the storm nears its' landfall.  McCloskey is a master at poking your senses with finely crafted, yet simple sentences.  

Have a quick read for yourself...
"Take a farewell look at the waves and sky.  Take a farewell sniff of the salty sea.  A little bit sad about the place you are leaving, a little bit glad about the place you are going.  It is a time of quiet wonder - for wondering, for instance: Where do hummingbirds go in a hurricane?"

Maybe my own fond childhood memories of summer vacations along the Maine coast (Boothbay Harbor, Penobscot Bay, Bar Harbor) make it ridiculously easy for me to like this book.  Could be the time we took our oldest daughter (then just 2 years old) camping along Penobscot Bay.  Or perhaps it's the cover image of two young sailing sisters that reminds me of my own daughters.  Or maybe it's the way McCloskey weaves summer, sailing, and the sea into a story that holds my kids' attention.  No matter the reason, I think you'll like it too.  After all, Time of Wonder is a Caldecott winner for "the most distinguished picture book for children" in 1958.  

If you're interested, you can purchase Time of Wonder from Amazon.com by clicking below or on the book cover in the sidebar to the right, or just wander over to your local library.
Can you smell the salt air? (On the rocks in Acadia National Park - by K. Walters)

Comments

  1. Jim S29 February

    Hello Kevin,

    I have been remiss in not responding to your posts earlier. I feel I am beginning to know your family, and I share your passion for sailing. We enjoy winter, but your blog page has been keeping me going as I look forward to getting up to our boat on Lake Huron this spring.

    Thanks for putting so many of the feelings I have about sailing into meaningful and insightful words. Keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top 10 Favorite Affordable Bluewater Sailboats

Image
I've always said that my favorite boat is whichever one I currently own. Being able to call it "mine" makes it my favorite by default. My first boat was a $400 derelict that I loved (still love) deeply. And she loved me back. However, that doesn't mean there aren't other boats I love that I'd like to call "mine" someday. The following is my personal ranking of my favorite affordable (available for ~$50k) sailboats. I've rather arbitrarily set the price limit around $50k and called it "affordable" in hopes that one day one of these boats might fit my budget and help my family and I to sail far and live free. Also note that other than the top 3, these rankings change in my head almost daily and I really struggled to narrow the list down to just 10.   As you peruse my list, you'll notice that they're all bluewater cruisers . You won't find any modern designs, fin keels, spade rudders, sugar scoop transoms, carbo...
Read more

Go Small and Go Now! 5 Pocket Cruisers to Take you Anywhere

Image
"Go small, go simple, go now!" -Lin & Larry Pardey Iconic cruisers Lin and Larry Pardey are well-known among cruising enthusiasts for the above statement. Can it really be that easy? Grab yourself a small boat, outfit it properly but simply for offshore work, and get going while your dream and your body is still alive! Lin and Larry not only made the statement, they lived it. If you're looking to do the same, maybe some of the micro- or pocket-cruisers I've listed below can serve as your "go small" portion of the equation. Going small and choosing one of these or several other pocket cruisers will lead to trade-offs. Of course first and foremost you'll be giving up length, both on deck and at the waterline. This often leads to less storage space, less weight capacity, and slower sailing. But the upside is presumably less maintenance (less paint, less wood, fewer systems) and more affordable expenses. For example, replacing the s...
Read more

Escape to the Sea: How to get from the Great Lakes to the Caribbean

Image
Let's say winter's chill was something you could no longer take as a Great Lakes sailor. Or perhaps you just want to extend your sailing season beyond the boundaries of summer. What options do you have?  You could just opt for a bareboat charter somewhere in the Caribbean and consider the itch scratched. But then you'd miss out on all the adventure of moving a boat between the Great Lakes and the Caribbean. And you wouldn't be sailing  your  boat. I'm here to convince you that the best option is to sail your own boat south. What follows is an overview of the route you could take to get you and your boat to warmer water and weather from the Great Lakes. Route 1: St. Lawrence Seaway (including Lake Champlain shortcut) You're adventurous if you choose this route. From most starting locations in the Great Lakes, you'll also be seeing the most scenery and passing the ...
Read more