Time of Wonder

I read my children to sleep with this book every night. They call it their dream book since they drift off to sleep with thoughts of sand and sea in their heads. The words draw beautiful pictures.

Robert McCloskey's "Time of Wonder" is just that--an examination of a wondrous summer spent in Maine. He follows two sisters (and nominally, their parents and friends) as they spend their days sailing, swimming, battening down for a big storm, and so on. Nothing of great import happens, but McCloskey has a lovely, calming way of relating their story so that we feel the sisters' closeness, their connection to their environment, and their childlike ability to find beauty and interest in nearly everything.McCloskey's book was first published in 1957, and the illustrations show this--no life vests in a lot of the boating pictures, children swimming without being watched over by a lifeguard or adult, and so on. Still, that's not a bad thing--it shows the protective, exclusionary nature of childhood and the risks children take without even being fully aware that they ARE taking risks.The illustrations are lovely. These paintings depict Maine as being beautiful without neglecting to show the dangerous side of coastal life as well (witness the storm scenes towards the end of the book). There is a caressing, rhythmic feel to the text which subtly imitates the tidal pull of the ocean. What a perfect gift for anyone who vacations in Maine--or wants to.

Time of Wonder is Robert McCloskey's lyrical tribute to the joys of being young in the summertime. The setting is his beloved Maine coast, on Penobscot Bay. The story builds around the approach of the rain, the cycle of the summer, the transition from morning to dark in a single day, and a hurricane. As wonderful as the story is, the illustrations are the highlight of this delightful book. They capture stunning panoramas, wind-swept moments, and gay times in the sun equally well in free flowing watercolors that are as fluid as the wind or the ocean. This book was awarded the Caldecott Medal for the outstanding quality of its illustrations in 1958.Two unnamed girls are overlooking Penobscot Bay, watching the rain form in the distance . . . until they themselves are drenched! Next, a full day evolves from the typical summer fog with sidelights about porpoises, lobstering, gulls, cormorants, the forest and its trees and fiddle-head ferns. Finally, the fog burns off and the scene shifts to bees, hummingbirds, other birds singing, sail boats, fishing boats, seals, the beach, rocks and children playing. Then, as dusk settles in, an owl, a heron, eider ducks, fishhawks, a crab, a rowboat, a flashlight and the stars frame the experience. At each moment, nature holds great adventures and mysteries for the girls to explore and exult in. A seaplane symbolizes the coming and going from the area. The bulk of the people and animals are summer visitors. Suddenly, everyone realizes a big storm is coming."We're going to have some weather.It's a-coming!She's gonna blow.With the next shift of the tide."There are boats to get ready. Windows need to be secured. People have to go inside. Once there, the rain and wind can still blow their way in. Eventually, the storm ends and the full moon reigns. The next day, the girls inspect the damage and find an old Indian shell heap that probably predates the first European visitors. Then the girls have to help prepare for the next year. They get seaweed to put on as fertilizer for their garden. They pack up.As they leave, they are"A little bit sadabout the place you are leaving,a little bit gladabout the place your are going."One last thought hits them. "Where do hummingbirds go in a hurricane?"This story does a marvelous job of helping children understand their connection to nature and to the powerful forces around them. Whether they are watching the wind, using it to push their sailboat, or riding out a hurricane, they know that they are a small part of a great scheme. If your child has yet to see many of these animals or scenes, you can use the illustrations to explain them. You will smile when you see the porpoises playing in the wake of the girls' sailboat.A good application of this book is to think of a place where you and your child can go on a regular basis to observe and enjoy nature. It may be a near-by park. It may be a family vacation home. It may be a public beach. Take your child there

I received this book from my parents in about 1970. I finally visited Maine in 1997 and I cried because the images Mr. McCloskey painted of spring, summer, and fall in Maine, that I'd read so many years before, were so accurate. Rarely has an author captured natural beauty and people's enjoyment of it so eloquently and so clearly. I grew up with the Ducklings and Sal, but this book is the best. It is one I hope to grow old with, and I hope my 4 month old son will enjoy it as much as I did and still do. BUY IT!