Robert McCloskey has always been one of my favorite storytellers. I love his gift of capturing the all-important little moments of childhood. One Morning in Maine chronicles one such rite of passage.
Little Sal has a loose tooth, her first, and can think of nothing else. Losing a tooth means she’s a big girl and is growing up! While helping her daddy dig for clams, she wonders what else loses teeth. Maybe gulls or clams, or the seal she played with on the shore?
An accident threatens to spoil her excitement and stop her tooth wish from coming true. But a handy feather (lost just like her tooth) gives Sal a solution to her problem. Before long, with a few other hiccups along the way, Sal is enjoying a cool treat with her family and showing off her gap-toothed smile to the whole town.
It’s a timeless story with which every child can identify. The beautiful hand drawn illustrations only add to the charm, and as you can see, my own little one is entranced.
The Word Worker 