Book Review: Time of Wonder
Time of Wonder, written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey, is an impressionistic masterpiece. McCloskey writes about a wondrous spring, summer and early fall spent among the islands of Penobscot Bay on the Maine coast.
Both the poetic language and the rich watercolor illustrations embody the joy that is spring and summer. The wide open spaces of life where anything can happen. When wandering and exploring without direction or purpose is the order of the day. There is swimming and playing in the sand on the beach. There is sailing among the islands and there are sudden rainstorms and lazy rambles through the forests. There are early morning mists and late evening fireflies and bullfrogs. It’s a long, meandering read through the seasons.
And, it ends with the end of summer and onset of fall with its wicked storms and frosty mornings. The house must be closed up for the winter. There’s hard work and much fun. Then it’s time to leave and say good bye to the island. Hearts are full. There’s sadness that summer has ended and excitement for the future. Exactly how one should feel after a summer well spent.
McCloskey brings these experiences alive through rich details. For example, he writes about the approach of a storm and in a very few words the storm is in the distance, then it’s getting closer and closer until the cloud bursts overhead and its raining. And the descriptions are not only visual. He writes about the sounds of the raindrops. In other parts of the book he write about the swells in the sea saying, “SH-h-h-h,” the wind “whispers a lullaby in the spruce branches, and, as a fall storm hits, “words are spoken and lost in the scream of the wind.” The writing explodes with images that are perfectly complemented by the illustrations.
For me, this book more than any other captures the meaning of summer.
Be warned, this isn’t a fast read. It’s a lazy ramble through the islands and well worth the half hour that you’ll put into reading it.
Ages: 4+ (Younger children who may not understand some of the story will still enjoy the language and the illustrations.)
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