One Morning in Maine (Picture Puffins) [Paperback]

Robert McCloskey (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 30, 1976 | Series: Picture Puffins

A Caldecott Honor Book!

Today is a specidal day for Sal because she gets to go to Buck's Harbour with her dad. But when she wakes up to brush her teeth with her baby sister, she discovers something shocking.... Her tooth is loose!

And that's just the start of a huge day!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert McCloskey (1912-2003) created some of the most honored and enduring children's books ever published. He was born in Hamilton, Ohio, the town that served as the model for Lentil, the first of many books that he wrote and/or illustrated for children. His second book, Make Way for Ducklings, received the Caldecott Award, as did his book Time of Wonder, making him the first person to be so honored twice.

Product Details

• Paperback: 62 pages
• Publisher: Puffin; Reprint edition (September 30, 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140501746
• ISBN-13: 978-0140501742
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this as a child in Maine, and I still love it today! May 28, 2000

By Suzanne Amara VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

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.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Toothless wonder August 17, 2001

By Alyssa A. Lappen TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

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

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Morning magic June 8, 2008

By Linda Bulger VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

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