Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man by Robert McCloskey (1989, Paperback)

Robert McCloskey is well-loved as a writer and illustrator, but Burt Dow is not one of his most famous books. However, this fisherman's tale from Deer Isle, Maine is a treasure of children's literature created by one of our greatest artists. It captures the wonder and beauty of the Down East culture and the rugged environment along the coast of Maine. While Make Way for Ducklings has more cuteness and immediate appeal for kids, this book is as great in its own imaginative way. It is a fantasy of color and adventure. It's a whale of a tale! Burt, "an old deep-water man," would make an ideal grandpa for any boy or girl.

One challenge of the book, and also one of its beauties, is the rich language. A sample: "Burt set the throttle of the make-and-break at wide open and, chuggeta-bang! chuggeta-bang! firm hand on the tiller, giggling gull flying along behind, guided the Tidely-Idley into the whale's mouth and navigated the length of the gullet and into the whale's tummy, without so much as touching a tonsil on the way down!" With a little adult navigation and setting the throttle of book sharing wide open, this story would be best used as a read aloud for kids from 5 to 10 years. It could easily become a child's favorite to be read over and over before bedtime.

I highly recommend this brilliant "tale of the sea in the classic tradition."