Beacons of Light: Lighthouses  •  Gail Gibbons ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1992 •  HARD COVER  • 40 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) An illusrtated survey of American lighthouses for children ages 5 to 8. (USE217, $16.00)
Birdie's Lighthouse  •  Kimberly Bulcken Root  •  Deborah Hopkinson LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 32 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) A taut, compelling account of one little girl's brave vigil set on Turtle Island, Maine in 1855. Birdie Holland steps in to save the day when her father, the lighthouse keeper, falls ill. For readers ages 4 to 9. (USE218, $6.99)
Calico Bush  •  Rachel Field LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) First published in 1931 and long-beloved, this is the story of a French orphan in the New World who must indenture herself to a Maine family in exchange for food and shelter. Appropriate for readers aged 9 to 12. (USE214, $5.99)
Island Boy  •  Barbara Cooney LITERATURE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 40 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) The coming-of-age tale of a 19th-century boy, who left his island home off the coast of Maine, to seek his fortune as a sailor, before returning to the island to marry and settle down. It's a beautifully illustrated tribute to the solace of a country home, particularly suitable for readers 10 and under. (USE219, $6.99)
Miss Rumphius  •  Barbara Cooney LITERATURE •  1985 •  PAPER  • 32 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) Miss Rumphius travels the world over the course of the years, but in the end, she learns the importance of making the world a better place. A children's story about the value of beauty and wisdom, with fine illustrations. For ages 4-8. (GEN207, $7.99)
One Morning in Maine  •  Robert McCloskey LITERATURE •  1976 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) This is McCloskey's charming sequel to Blueberries for Sal, in which Sal loses her tooth, digs for clams and crosses to the mainland in a motorboat. It's a beguiling book, sure to leave young readers clamoring, as Sal does, to eat "CLAM CHOWDER FOR LUNCH!" (USE212, $17.99)
Project Puffin, How We Brought Puffins Back to Egg Rock  •  Pete Salmansohn  •  Stephen Kress NATURAL HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 40 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Biologist Stephen Kress describes how he and his "puffineers" saved the puffins of Maine in this introduction to bird conservation for readers ages 8 to 12. Winningly illustrated with photographs of puffins. (USE221, $7.95)
The Race to Save the Lord God Bird  •  Phillip Hoose NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 208 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An engaging and well-researched history of the ivory-billed woodpecker, and the struggles surrounding its survival. It's a suspenseful and entertaining book about modern conservation and environmental issues for middle-school readers, featuring John James Audubon and others. The bird, only recently rediscovered, once ranged across the southeastern United States. With black-and-white photographs throughout. (BRD30, $21.00)
The Sign of the Beaver  •  Elizabeth George Speare LITERATURE •  1984 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS A young adult classic. Thirteen-year-old Matt, on his own in the wilds of colonial Maine, learns about friendship and bravery from a young Indian boy. Elizabeth George Speare is among our finest writers of historical fiction for young adults, and this book is a textured, vivid portrait of Maine of long ago. For readers 10 and up. (USE222, $6.50)
Stories from Where We Live, The North Atlantic Coast  •  Sara St. Antoine  •  Paul Mirocha  •  Trudy Nicholson LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 290 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A substantial anthology of writings about this North American ecoregion, from Newfoundland south to Delaware -- wonderfully useful as a young person's guide to people, nature and place. It includes Native American myths, historical accounts and modern short stories, as well as black-and-white drawings and maps. Ages 9 to 14. (USE252, $10.95)
Time of Wonder  •  Robert McCloskey TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1985 •  PAPER  • 63 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) The captivating tale of two girls on vacation in Maine by the author of Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine and (of course!) Make Way for Ducklings. It won the Caldecott Medal in 1958. Few books capture the daily drama of the change of weather, from sun to fog to hurricane (!) so endearingly. McCloskey's trilogy of Maine books grew directly our of the experiences of his family at their island home in Penobscot Bay Maine. Geared for youngsters 4-8. (USE328, $6.99)
What the Sea Left Behind  •  Mimi Gregoire Carpenter FIELD GUIDE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 32 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) This beautiful picture book depicts the many kinds of sea life, pebbles and rubble that can wash up on the beach in Maine. An illustrated survey of the intertidal zone for kids ages 5-7. (USE216, $10.95)