(4) K-3 Illustrated by Emily Harris. The love of the sea is hard to ignore for Annabel, who learned to sail in a little sloop she and her father built. Destined for larger boats and adventures around the world, she never forgets her beginnings, and she returns to Papa as captain of her own boat. Stiff narrative and figures detract from the lovely coastal landscapes.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Emily Harris. Based on the 1897 shipwreck of the Goldhunter off the coast of Maine, this fictionalized account highlights the friendship between a boy and a dog and the heroic rescue efforts of that canine. Though slightly awkward in both art and text, the bold illustrations successfully enhance the intensity of this engaging maritime adventure.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Emily Harris. When a mail boat is lost in a coastal Maine storm, a dog's barking guides it home safely. Based on the life of a real Maine "lighthouse dog" from the 1930s, the fictionalized account builds slowly but successfully to a dramatic conclusion. Although the human figures are awkwardly rendered, the soft, nostalgic illustrations effectively capture the Maine scenery and the dog's appealing personality.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Emily Harris. Sarah, a lighthouse keeper's daughter, finds a dog that survived a shipwreck off the Maine coast, and she patiently nurses him back to health. Two years later the ship's captain returns, wanting his dog, but the dog chooses Sarah. Accompanied by expressive, at times awkwardly rendered, paintings, the tale is based on a real incident. The story includes occasional sea-chantey-like verses, which interrupt the flow of the text.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley