Robert McCloskey: Alive With Wonder In Maine

by Alexandra W. Pecci

In Robert McCloskey's children's books, Maine is a place where life moves with the shifting tides and seasons. It is a place where a hill thick with blueberries comes alive with curious surprises. Yet it is also a place that requires work, where you need to row a boat to the mainland to buy milk or repair engines, and batten down the hatches when a storm blows in.

McCloskey is arguably most well known for Make Way for Ducklings, which is set in Boston. However, his later books, including Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine, and Time of Wonder, take place on is...