Time of Wonder (Picture Puffins) [Paperback]

Robert McCloskey (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 15, 1989 | Age Range: 4 and up | Series: Picture Puffins

The spell of rain, gulls, a foggy morning, the excitement of sailing, the quiet of the night, the sudden terror of a hurricane, and the peace of a Maine island as a family packs up to leave are shown in poetic language and vibrant, evocative pictures.

Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile

Cherished for his picture books, Blueberries for Sal and Make Way for Ducklings, McCloskey often wrote about the coast of Maine and the wonders of its shore and islands. Tracy Lord captures the wide-eyed delight of young children when they discover sea shells, flowers and wildlife. The short program could be further enjoyed with the book at hand as the narration is over too soon. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (June 15, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140502017
• ISBN-13: 978-0140502015
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.2 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Robert McCloskey examines a summer in Maine July 26, 2002

By Catherine S. Vodrey

Format:Hardcover

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.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Of Hummingbirds and Hurricanes April 17, 2001

By Donald Mitchell HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

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 sad

about the place you are leaving,

a little bit glad

about 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. Take her by the hand, and show her the easy-to-miss wonders all around. And remember to visit in the fog, rain, and winds, as well as on sunny days. You can take pictures, draw sketches of what you see, and make a scrapbook that contains your thoughts and observations.

See beauty and harmony in the balance around you.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Boring!? I think not July 10, 2004

By Gregg L. Davis

Format:Hardcover

The reviewer who found this book "boring" must not have much in the way of imagination. This was one of my favorite books as a child and I still remember it fondly (I'm 38). It doesn't matter if you haven't had experiences exactly like those of the children in the book. The writing and the illustrations make you feel as if you are there. You can practically smell the sea, hear the wind and rain, and the laughter of the kids at the beach. While drawing a vivid picture of a concrete time and place, the book also invokes a sense of timelessness, as well as of "deep time" and the ancient rythyms of nature. I think my favorite moment is when one of the girls stands in a forested area on a misty morning, her eyes closed, and listens to nature awakening around her.

This is a book about taking a break from the fast-paced modern world and connecting with nature (and appreciating its power), with the past, and rediscovering your sense of wonder. Written in the mid-50's, it was ahead of its time in some ways and is definitely as relevant today as it was then, if not more so.