From Wild Windy Weather

In mere seconds, a calm solstice evening, December 21, 2021, turns into one with winds gusting over thirty-five miles per hour.  The gently falling snow is now dancing across yards and shaking colored lights hanging from roof tops, porches, trees, and bushes.  Wind chimes are singing from house to house.  The brisk breeze whistles around pipes and chimneys.

Wind is both a best friend and a mortal enemy.  Two book titles this past autumn highlight the havoc it wreaks when it is at its worst.  They also disclose how something wonderful can rise from the damage like a phoenix.  Hurricane (Little, Brown and Company, September 28, 2021) written and illustrated by John Rocco asks us to see that a storm can be the impetus for using the best tools we have, our collective hearts.

This is my dock.

Really, it's the neighborhood's dock,

but nobody ever comes here except me.

This dock stretches into a river fed by the sea.  In this space, a boy swims, watches water creatures move under and around the dock, fishes, and catches crabs.  It is, as you might imagine, his favorite place.

One day as he returns home from the dock, his neighborhood is not the same.  At his house, his dad tells him a hurricane is coming.  That night, as the wind and rain batter the sides and windows of the boy's home, he worries about the river, now coming down the street, taking it away.

In the morning, all is quiet as the boy heads down to the dock.  His neighborhood is transformed.  So is his dock.  It all looks as though a fierce beast roamed at will.

When the neighbors are too busy to help him with his dock, he helps them.  He then decides to rebuild the dock himself.  One day of working on his dock leads to another day and then another day leads to another day.  When he feels as though the job is too much for one boy, something unexpected happens.  Something wonderful.  Something remembered.

We are immediately drawn into this story by author John Rocco through the first person point of view.  The boy gives us answers in his narration.  He tells us why the dock is his favorite place.  He presents us with real feelings, real situations prior to the hurricane, and an intense description of the hurricane's arrival and force.  The next morning and in the subsequent days, we willingly follow what the boy says because we understand loss, his loss and his determination to recreate his favorite place.  Here is a passage.  (This describes what many do to ease stress and uncomfortable events.)

I shut my eyes tight and try to sleep,

imagining what might wash up underneath my dock.

There are two different scenes on either side of the spine when you look at the open dust jacket.  On the front we are shown the boy, the narrator, with neighbors on either side of the shore as the hurricane approaches.  This illustration shows worry and fear at the unpredictability of weather.  The color palette reflects serenity and contentment on the back, to the left of the spine.

Here we see the boy, his back to us, walking down his dock.  The river on each side of the dock is almost like a mirror.  A seagull lands on one of the pilings to the left of the boy.  Ahead of the boy, in a blue sky, clouds puff up like cotton candy, the early morning light painting them.

On the book case is an expanded interior image.  The boy is nearly at the end of the dock lying on his stomach and looking down into the water over the left side.  An array of sea creatures are swimming toward, under, and past the dock.  These are what he imagines might be there as the hurricane rages on through the night.

The opening endpapers, in blue, white, and red, highlight the five categories of a hurricane.  A four-part diagram shows How a Hurricane Forms.  The Parts of a Dock are explained on the closing endpapers using brown, white, blue, and a bit of red.  Everything is labeled correctly and we are told how new pilings are placed into the bottom of the water.

Using 

pencil, watercolor, and digital color

John Rocco presents his illustrations in a series of horizontal panels on a single page, on two pages, edge to edge, or a combination of panels or two smaller images opposite a full-page picture.  To show the passage of time, smaller illustrations are grouped together.  Any dialogue is shown in small speech balloons.  The perspectives in each image are intimate and alternated to showcase that intimacy.  The boy's facial expressions and his body postures are realistic and enduring at the same time.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the above-noted text.  In the lower, left-hand corner, the boy, eyes closed, is tucked into his bed.  He is dreaming of his favorite dock and the beauty swimming around it.  There are turtles, dolphins, a ray, smaller fish, and one huge creature.

This up-close-and-personal look at a storm, this sensory experience by this boy, in Hurricane written and illustrated by John Rocco is memorable.  This boy and his love of his favorite place brings a community together.  It is in the heart of a child that all hearts are joined.  I highly recommend this title for both your personal and professional collections.

To discover more about John Rocco and his other work, please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  John Rocco has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website there is a video discussion with John Rocco about the art for this book.

John Rocco Presents HURRICANE from LB School on Vimeo.

There is nothing quite so unsettling as having a lifelong sailor tell you it's time to put on a life jacket as you head from the Intercoastal Waterway into the Atlantic Ocean as a storm strikes.  The wind and waves toss the sailboat like a rubber ducky in a bathtub.  You realize, once again, you are at the mercy of Mother Nature.  Hope At Sea: An Adventure Story (Anne Schwartz Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books,  October 19, 2021) written and illustrated by Daniel Miyares is a tale of wanting, wondering, storms, and the eventual return of light.

Whenever my world feels small,

I turn to the sea.

The narrator of this story, a girl, longs to go to sea with her father, a ship's carpenter.  He is about to leave on another voyage on a new clipper ship.  She is determined to sail with him this time.  She is going to stow away.

Timing is everything.  Soon, she is tucked inside one of the lifeboats as the anchor is raised.  Under the tarp in the darkness, she begins to wonder about her decision.  And then. . . she is discovered!

Her father acclimates her to life at sea.  The work is not easy, but she begins to feel comfortable doing things which need to be done.  They travel for weeks from one destination and climate to another, adding cargo to the vessel.

Words and pictures fill her journal.  This is her story.  As they near home, a horrendous storm tosses the ship from gigantic wave to gigantic wave.  She is told to stay below, but she wants to help.  Every sailor's nightmare happens.  Rocks. Thunderous cracking as wood bends and breaks to the will of Mother Nature.  Will the lifeboats endure?  

When author Daniel Miyares begins this tale, we know an adventure is in the offing as soon as we read the first sentence.  From there, the protagonist shares her longing to set sail with her father.  She wants to be a part of this next sea story.  Short but highly descriptive sentences and phrases by the narrator bring us into this experience.  It is almost like reading entries in a diary or journal, page turn by page turn.

What we don't initially know, but is cleverly presented, is the girl's name is Hope.  This gives two distinct meanings to the word as it is used in her narrative.  It also leads us to a conclusion full of light.  Here is one of several outstanding passages.

There's no turning back now.  I can hear the

sails snap to attention and salute the wind as we

pick up speed.

In looking at the open dust jacket, we are presented with the best and worst moments of this bold undertaking.  On the front, the ship heading toward us in brisk winds, sails full, you can almost feel that breeze on your face, smell the salt in the air, and feel the pounding of Hope's happy heart.  The sky, clouds, waves with crests of foam, the details of the ship, and Hope's position all signify adventure with a capital A.  

To the left, on the back, waves as high as several stories, roll and rage.  The ship under the dark stormy sky with rain falling in torrents is riding up to the top of a wave.  It is small compared to the angry water.  The text here reads:

ALL HANDS

ON DECK!

And in such a storm,

even hands as small as

mine are needed.

The canvas for the book case is cream.  Along the top is a red and cream diamond pattern. Along the bottom are arched lines in blue symbolizing waves.  On the left side, on the back, in an oval framed by a line (rope) and anchor is a formal portrait of Hope and her parents.  (Both parents play an important part in this story.)  On the right side, the front, underneath a nautical star is a ribbon woven around an anchor.  On the ribbon is the title text.  Two birds are holding either end of this ribbon.  They are swallows which are meaningful to sailors.

Both the opening and closing endpapers request readers to pause and study what they see.  Blue lines are placed on pale gray paper.  Intricate drawings of elements of value to the beginning and middle of the story appear on the first set.  Twenty-two items are labeled.  Without divulging the end of the story, the closing endpapers include fourteen labeled things.  They are either single objects or parts of an object.  The labels are handwritten on both the opening and closing endpapers.

These illustrations 

rendered in pen and ink with watercolor

by Daniel Miyares are exquisite in their detail and emotional impact.  They place us squarely in this time and in this place.  Color choices, the use of light and shadow, will have you stopping to take in every scene.  Each image, varied in size, extends the text by telling more of the story.  We are never told when Hope will stow away, but a picture tells us she sneaks out of the house dressed in a shirt and pants and hat as her parents are saying their final goodbyes at home.

Several of the wordless pictures, like the one where Hope is peeking out from under the canvas cover on the lifeboat, will take your breath away at their depiction of moods and emotions.  We are always aware of the vastness of the sea, the power of nature, and the size of the ship.

One of my many favorite pictures is a double-page image.  Spanning across both pages, perfectly aligned in the gutter is the clipper ship; its sails closed.  On the left side of the gutter, the ship sits under a cloudy, shades of gray, sky.  Large snowflakes drift down on sailors bundled in heavy coats and hats.  An iceberg juts out of the water at the back of the ship.  A whale's tail breaks from the water, silhouetted against the iceberg.  On the right side the ship is in the tropics.  The sky is blue with large fluffy clouds, partially pink.  The sailors are wearing lighter and less attire.  One jumps into the water from the front of the ship.  Others are hauling goods up in a net from a boat below them.  A single seagull flies overhead as if to make its way toward the rocky shore, grasses and palm trees.

Each time this book, Hope At Sea: An Adventure Story written and illustrated by Daniel Miyares, is read you will be uplifted by its ingenuity and conclusion.  Hope, like love, can be found in many places . . . if you are looking for it.  I can't imagine a personal or professional collection without a copy of this book.

By following the link attached to Daniel Miyares's name, you can learn more about him and his other work at his website.  Daniel Miyares has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  At the publisher's website are interior illustrations to view.  Daniel Miyares and this book are highlighted at Picture Book Builders.  You will really enjoy this.

Live, Just Live

When looking at bodies of water, ponds, lakes, small and large, seas and oceans I do so with a great deal of reverence and respect.  Firsthand experience at an early age, nearly drowning during a swim lesson at the YMCA as the instructor chatted on the deck with someone, taught me the power of water.  As an adult getting caught in a sudden squall on a twenty-six foot sailboat on the Atlantic Ocean and nearly falling overboard the same day due to a rogue wave (a portion of the rigging saved me but gave me a baseball-size lump on my check), reinforced my beliefs.

My admiration for every swimming feat performed by humans continues to grow story by story.  Overboard (First edition, 2002, Cricket Books, Carus Publishing) has been recently released in a print-on-demand version.  A debut novel for Elizabeth Fama it garnered a unanimous decision to be placed on the 2003 Best Books For Young Adults list by the American Library Association.

Emily might have been the only fourteen-year-old in the world who could change the sheets of a hospital bed with the patient still in it.  She had done it more times than she cared to remember.

Emily lives with Olivia and James, her parents, in Banda Aceh on the island of Sumatra.  Both of them are doctors working in a clinic as part of an international program, moving every two years.  Fair-haired, light-skinned Emily longs to return to Boston to attend school and be with her friends.  Her physical appearance causes her to feel like a freak.  The heat and humidity make her situation even more oppressive.

Her uncle, Matt, tries to get her parents to let her join him on the nearby island of Weh for a bit of a vacation but they want her to stay with them.  A death at the clinic for which Emily believes she is responsible has her running away toward the ferry headed for Weh.  Without a word to anyone, it's a decision placing her life in jeopardy.

The holiday of Ramadan has more than normal amounts of people using the ferry.  It hardly looks seaworthy but after several hours wait it leaves the docks.  Two British tourists Richard and Catherine strike up a conversation with Emily but moments later it's apparent by unusual activity of the crew, the ferry is in trouble.  Life vests are being thrown to passengers.  Emily snags one but without a second thought gives it to a young boy.

Shoved into the vest cabinet by panicked passengers, Emily is locked inside.  Liquid fills every space as the ferry sinks.  In a fierce battle with the water and her own thoughts she makes it to the surface of the sea.  Relieved to find Richard and Catherine in the growing darkness, little does Emily know the fight for survival is just beginning.

People turn into crazed individuals while attempting to secure a spot on a life raft, exhausted people make terrible choices, sharks swirl around the groups of passengers, and then following a distant speck of light, alternately swimming a variety of strokes or using her make-shift floaty,  Emily hears soft crying.  Following the sound she discovers the boy, the very boy to whom she had given the vest.

Sometimes an uneasy and at other times an appreciative relationship develops between nine-year-old Isman and Emily as hour after hour passes during the night and into the next day.  Each has lessons for the other to learn, practical means of existing in the water and spiritual practices of the Islamic faith.  In a further stunning turn of events a heart wrenching decision is made as the story spins toward a resolution.


As soon as the first chapter readers can understand the good intentions of the parents but through the writing of Elizabeth Fama we are drawn in empathy to Emily.  It's extremely hard to endure a situation not of your own choosing; especially when you believe your opinion and desires are thought to be insignificant.  We readers will come to realize as does Emily, it could always be worse.

Each chapter ends with an important thought, conversation or statement.  These propel you forward quickly to the next page, cause you to knowingly nod or pause wondering what you would do in similar circumstances.  Even before the ferry accident the mood created by Fama's writing is intense.

Emily's conversations when she is alone are exquisitely written; an exploration of self in the midst of survival.  The portrayal of Isman and the strength he finds in his faith in the face of overwhelming odds will go straight to your soul lifting it up.  Some of the scenes between Isman and Emily will bring readers to tears.  The contrast provided by the British couple's understanding of the people and Emily's points out to readers that while Emily is not happy living in Indonesia, she does have insights into the culture of the people.  Here are some sample passages.

Before she could hear an answer, she was pulled under the water.  She didn't have time to catch a breath.  Someone, something, was dragging her under from behind.  She felt water churning in front of her face.  She scraped at the water with her hands, losing her leggings-float.  She didn't feel any pain, but she was sure it was a shark.

She focused on the stars again and one little point of light moved down in a streak.  For a fraction of a second she thought it was a plane, but it was clearly a shooting star.  Half a minute later, another.  The longer she looked, the more she saw.  A beautiful light show, hundreds of miles away.  No, not really a light show.  These were bits of rock or dust, burning up as they traveled through the earth's atmosphere.  They were lifeless meteors that cared nothing for her.  They weren't shooting for her; they weren't shooting for any human beings.  They had shot long before humans were on earth, and they would shoot long after humans were gone.  Look at that sky, millions of miles deep.  Nothing in that incredibly full sky cares about humans, or about the silly, stupid things we do.  Humans are the only things that care about humans, and in the end we don't even do that very well.

Isman held up the bitten tomato.  "This is from Allah.  No matter who grew it or who bought it.  Allah alone made this tomato possible.  I try to remember whatever I have---whatever I love---comes from God.  Saying the ninety-nine names helps remind me."
He took a last measured bite and handed Emily the rest.
"My father says that nothing belongs to us in this world, Ehm-lee. This is why we share our good fortune with others, and give alms to the poor.  This is what we learn; that everything is on loan from God."


When you start to read Overboard written by Elizabeth Fama you need to make sure your time is free because there is no stopping until you are finished.  It's a highly captivating story of survival and human growth in an extreme situation.  It defines page-turner.

In her Author's Note at the conclusion of the novel Elizabeth Fama explains the true events on which this story is based.  To learn more about Elizabeth Fama and this book please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  She has included a discussion guide for educators on themes and ideas important to her when writing this book.

Glacial Good Will

On more than one occasion I have been aboard a sailboat in the Atlantic Ocean only to wonder if my last moments on this earth were quickly approaching. An unforeseen gust of wind changes the tilt of the deck nearly throwing me overboard.  Luckily my cheekbone became friends with the rigging; a baseball-size bump being my only souvenir.  A blue sky quickly turns black as a squall blows in.  When the captain, who never wears a life-jacket, dons his and asks everyone else to put one on, you feel fear travel from the top of your head to the tip of your toes in mere seconds.

For these reasons those hardy souls who traveled, in conditions fit for neither humans or animals, across oceans to seek a better life have my utmost respect.  To do so alone without the company of a single friend or family is truly commendable. Simon And The Bear: a Hanukkah Tale (Disney Hyperion, September 2, 2014) written by Eric A. Kimmel with illustrations by Matthew Trueman traces a journey filled with one marvel after another.

When Simon set out for America, he promised his mother and brothers and sisters that he would work hard and save money.  As soon as he could, he would send tickets for all of them.

His mother packs his knapsack to the brim with food and several traditional items for observing Hanukkah.  He has hard-boiled eggs, salted herring, heavy black bread and lots of latkes.  A dreidel, matches, a box of candles and a small menorah are carefully placed inside.

Simon's luck begins when he purchases the final ticket on a ship sailing to America.  Nothing, not even the rolling ship, can discourage his joy at getting closer and closer to his destination.  This happiness is short-lived when during the night the boat begins to sink after striking an iceberg.

When Simon goes to climb on the last lifeboat after helping others to safety, a man calls out to have them wait.  Unfortunately there is no more room.  He throws a family heirloom to Simon to give to his son.  What happens next clearly demonstrates the true character of Simon.  He trades places with the man.  Can you imagine how he feels watching all the lifeboats leave without him?

As the ship sinks into the icy waters Simon, knapsack in hand, leaps.  Does he land in the water?  No!  He finds himself standing on the very iceberg responsible for destroying their vessel.  As the gravity of his situation threatens to overcome him, he remembers his Mother's parting words.  This is the first night of Hanukkah.  Perhaps a miracle will happen to him. He uses the shamash to light the first candle.  He spins his dreidel hopefully.

Soon the little light from his candles sputter out. Plunged in darkness Simon hears and sees something new.  I'm sure his heart nearly stops when a huge white bear joins him on the iceberg.  His guest enjoys the food his mother knew he would need.  Well...most of it.

The two, shipwreck survivor and mother ice bear, develop a relationship over the course of seven days and nights.  On the eighth night Simon is hoping for one more blessing as the light from all the candles glows.  Without warning, again surrounded by only the moon, stars, dark and the silent sea, the bear who has kept him warm every night stands and swims away.  Simon calls out in fear.  The night provides a reply.


Whenever I begin a tale crafted by Eric A. Kimmel, I feel as if I have walked through a door into a simpler life when nightly stories told around a fire burning for warmth would entertain eager listeners.  Even though they might take place in another time or place, he brings them to the here and now to make a print upon your reader's heart.  His narrative speaks of beliefs not only essential to his Jewish character but profound truths about life.

Specific word choices form sentences binding you to narrative while introducing you to terms associated with Hanukkah.   Similes draw you into significant moments.  Dialogue endears you to the characters. Here are two sample passages.

His bunk was in the hold, with three hundred other people packed together like herring in a barrel.  When the ship sailed, the barrel began to roll.

"Are you hungry, bear?" Simon said brightly, trying not to show his fear.  Slowly and carefully, he opened his pack.  "Have I got a treat for you!" he said.  He handed a latke to the bear, who gobbled it down.
"Delicious, isn't it? Have some more," Simon cooed.  "Better to eat latkes than to eat me!"


Look at the face of Simon on the front dust jacket and book case.  It's happy in the light of the Hanukkah candles.  As he tells his stories an attentive bear curves around his body listening.  Readers are already questioning how Simon came to be celebrating Hanukkah sitting on ice next to a bear.  On the back a separate image shows only the head of the bear as it moves through the water.  The text reads

Miracles can happen to anyone,
                                                          anywhere,
                                                                                even in the darkest of times.

The opening and closing endpapers are a northern night sky filled with stars.  The only difference is at the end a crescent moon hangs in the upper left-hand corner.  Beneath the title Matthew Trueman has placed a small oval picture. On a shelf of ice sits the menorah.  Next to it are two large bear prints.  This oval shape is used again to feature potato latkes wrapped in paper, a dreidel and a menorah, with all its candles burning, on an icy surface beneath the author's note at the end.

With the exception of four single images, all of Trueman's illustrations span two pages.  Each one creates an unmistakable atmosphere laden with emotion; the sadness of leaving, the excitement of a grand new adventure, the fear of an impending disaster, the hesitancy in making choices, the overwhelming sense of being alone in a vast unfriendly place, the comfort of custom, the relief of companionship and the gratitude of receiving miracles.  Deep blue hues and shades of white act as an excellent choice for those scenes highlighting the colors used for Simon and the goodness found in his knapsack.  The first and final illustrations offer a fuller range of color portraying familial love.

One of my favorite illustrations of several is of the ship sinking, the deck on a tilt.  Upon looking through the railing the night sky is displaying its usual starry brightness.  Ship windows are still yellow with light.  On the deck is the man in the fur coat, his arm extended after throwing his watch to Simon.  Two other passengers can be seen with him in the life boat waiting to be lowered.  This is a major turning point in the story.  Trueman brings us in close so we can see all the facial expressions on his characters.  I've always liked the way he does faces with his own signature depiction of eyes, noses, ears and mouths.


Heartwarming to the core Simon And The Bear: A Hanukkah Tale penned by Eric A. Kimmel and pictured by Matthew Trueman is an exceptional choice for a holiday book; a perfect blend of the work of a master teller of tales and an accomplished illustrator.  I highly recommend you give it a place on your shelves.  A brief author's note at the end offers explanations for the original miracle of the lighting of the menorah, the preparation of latkes and the spinning of the dreidel with its letters.

Please follow the links embedded in Eric A. Kimmel's and Matthew Trueman's names to access their websites.  Each provides additional information about their other work.  This link takes you to TeachingBooks.net for a pronunciation of Eric A. Kimmel's name.

Peril At Sea

Over the years, living near lakes, seas or oceans, enjoying recreational boating or making a living in fishing or transportation, one tends to develop a healthy respect for the combination of these bodies of water and the weather.  When a storm strikes, whether you are an observer or unwilling participant, the wind and waves are a beautiful, powerful and sometimes...deadly force.  There is nothing more terrifying than being aboard a vessel at the mercy of elements beyond the control of those in charge.

A continuous fascination with students for titles about shipwrecks especially the Titanic never seems to diminish.  Running a close second to those books are titles focusing on daring rescues made during the height of Nature's fury.  Author Elisa Carbone has selected one such true event for her new historical fiction, Heroes of the Surf: A rescue story based on true events (Viking, May 2012) illustrated by Nancy Carpenter.

May 13, 1882
Our steamship, Pliny, left Brazil three weeks ago on April 22---I know because I wrote it in my pirate logbook.

So begins the story of the voyage fated for peril prior to completion.  Our narrator, young Anthony, goes on to state that Captain Mitchell has informed him the ship is close to 300 feet long weighing over 1,000 tons.  Manned by thirty-six crew she carries passengers, men, women and children, numbering twenty-five.

Anthony and his friend Pedro have occupied themselves during this trip pretending to be pirates.  This evening their play is interrupted as they are ordered below by the captain, skies darkening with storm clouds.  The two are spending the night together with Pedro's father in his cabin as the craft rides up and down the steep waves.

Sometime later cries of Breakers! Breakers ahead! awaken Anthony.  He and Pedro make their way to the deck to find the seaman working feverishly to keep the boat on course.  Suddenly with a loud noise and a earth-shaking shudder the ship is stuck on a shoal.

Lifeboats are shattered by the waves before anyone can climb aboard them.  The inky swirling sky is momentarily lighted with a signal for help.  Then in the light of the approaching dawn Anthony and Pedro see land and a cannon---pirates?

Within several heartbeats a resounding BOOM! fills the air.  A weight and rope fly overhead followed by a life preserver with attached shorts.  One by one the passengers are pulled shoreward across and over the stormy waters by the members of the United States Life-Saving Service. 


The details of research used by Elisa Carbone within the narrative create a sense of authenticity. Intensifying the events of this date is her use of dialog by the narrator and other members aboard the Pliny.  Word choices, nautical terms and phrases filled with action, make this a completely engrossing read from cover to cover; readers feeling as if they are shipboard themselves.  Here is an excerpt from the book.

From the forecastle deck a rocket shoots into the air, red with fire.
"The captain is signaling for help," says Pedro.  His teeth are 
chattering with cold and fear.
Then, over the pounding of the waves, over the howling of 
the wind, over the shouts of the sailors and the wailing of the
children, I hear it:  the silence.


The front and back (vignette of surfmen on shore pulling the survivors toward them) jacket and cover illustrations lure readers to the story with the promise of action.  As Carbone did with the text, Nancy Carpenter portrays the steamship, clothing of crew, passengers and rescuers exactly as it would have been in 1882.  She varies the size of her pictures, accommodating the text, extending them to the page edges.

Although her palette is full color, during the storm the darker shades of blues, grays, browns and blacks  take precedence.  The fine lines seen on the front jacket and cover, are used throughout the book (especially in the sea scenes) causing the reader to feel as if they are looking at old historical photographs.  At different points in the story the characters' facial expressions clearly capture the emotional mood of the moment.  One of my favorite two page spreads is a close-up of Anthony and Pedro on deck pointing toward the land believing real pirates are about to attack the floundering steamship.


Facts adeptly blended with fiction coupled with lively, realistic artwork based upon the wreck of the steamship Pliny in 1882 makes Heroes of the Surf by Elisa Carbone with illustrations by Nancy Carpenter a gripping story.  I venture to guess whether read one on one or with a group listeners, all will be collectively leaning in until the final page is turned, then releasing a sigh of relief.  In an afterword Carbone explains the facts versus the story in this title.  Please visit Elisa Carbone's official website by following the link embedded in her name.  I believe this would be a great title to pair with the lengthier book also based upon a true story, The Wreck of the Ethie by Hilary Hyland with pictures by Paul Bachem.