One Morning in Maine

To a child, every morning is a new start with infinite possibilities; at least that's how it should be. In this classic 1953 book Robert McCloskey brings a child's simple world to life. McCloskey, better known for his Make Way for Ducklings and Blueberries for Sal, gives us another look at little Sal. The story is timeless and his line drawings bring the children to life. The simple coastal lifestyle of more than half a century ago may be hard to find today, in part because of the high local tax valuation of shore and island properties. Still, if you were to take a child to the rocky coast of Maine this summer, she could be little Sal in the clam flats. One Morning in Maine (Picture Puffin) is full of that magical atmosphere where the land and ocean meet. We all want that magic! McCloskey's Caldecott-honored book tells a simple story. Young Sal wakes up on a sunny morning in Maine with an adventure in store. She and her little sister are going with their father in the boat to Buck's Harbor to dig clams. There are idyllic family scenes, lessons from their father about the world around them, ice cream cones at the store, and the disappointment of a loose tooth lost in the clam flats. Simple stuff? It certainly is, and just the sort of simple stuff children thrive on. Sal's morning may be long ago and far away, but the curiosity and wonder of a child's new day will be with us forever. Linda Bulger, 2008

This is a wonderful book that takes place in Maine. It is about a little girl and her adventures of trying to lose her tooth to actually loosing it, in the mud and not being able to find it. Her day is packed full with wonderful things to do such as getting ice cream, playing by the sea, helping her dad claming. Even though she does not end up being able to put her tooth under her pillow for the tooth fairy, she comes to understand that there will be more teeth and more chances to put one under her pillow. I really enjoy this book because I think it captures the wonders of Maine and the beauty of living in Maine so well, I also like the illustrations. This book would be great to introduce different states to children. The children learn that little losses are easy to get over and they just make them stronger and more prepared next time something hard comes in their path

There are lots of books about loosing teeth now, all of them more recent than this one, which remains one of the best. Most of the newer stories revolve around the tooth fairy. They're good. But in this one, there's no fairy--and no tooth. Sal's loose tooth falls into the mud while she's clamming on the way to Buck's Harbor. The bad news is that she can't find the tooth. The good news is that life goes on, Sal learns about seagulls molting their feathers and she learns how to accept a little loss. She makes a wish and gets an ice cream. In our house, the tooth fairy sometimes got lost. But the kids learned from Sal that little losses are nothing, and life does go on. Alyssa A. Lappen

This book, along with Blueberries for Sal and Time of Wonder, by the same author, were some of my favorite books as a child growing up in Maine. I loved them because the children did things I did---dug for clams, picked blueberries, took boat rides to get ice cream, played on the rocky shore and on and on! I loved the pictures because they are so detailed and realistic. This book in particular was a favorite because it was about an older Sal than in Blueberries for Sal, dealing with the universal excitement of losing a first tooth. I love her relationship with her younger sister Jane, who is drawn as one of the most adorable toddlers around. If you are looking for a calm and wholesome in the best way book for your child, this might be one you want to consider.