winter
2013/2014
Islandport Press is a dynamic, award-winning publisher dedicated to stories rooted in the essence and sensibilities of New England. We strive to capture and explore the grit, heart, beauty, and infectious spirit of the region by telling tales, real and imagined, that can be appreciated in many forms by readers, dreamers, and adventurers everywhere.
Illustration by Jennifer Thermes from The Iciest, Diciest, Scariest Sled Ride Ever!
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Ordering Information Islandport Press
Islandport Press is committed to Maine and New England. In addition to our editorial offices in Yarmouth, we are one of the few book publishers that maintains a full-fledged warehouse in Maine and continues to distribute directly to customers in the Pine Tree State, allowing us to work more closely with resellers. Among many other benefits, we believe our approach helps the local economy by adding jobs and benefits the environment by reducing the distance books must travel. We welcome you to drop by our warehouse to pick up your order or just visit our offices to say “Hi.�
orders@islandportpress.com holly@islandportpress.com
Website www.islandportpress.com
Telephone Office: 207.846.3344
Fax 207.846.3955
US Mail Holly Eddy is our sales representative extraordinaire. To place an order with Holly, email holly@islandportpress.com or call 207.807.2329. You can also order directly at 207.846.3344 or orders@islandportpress.com.
P.O. Box 10 247 Portland Street, Building C Yarmouth, Maine 04096
James Hurley
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the contest James Hurley James hurley The Contest
By James Hurley
outdoors
Meet Benedict Salem, whose friends call him BS, a frustrated writer and teacher looking to find himself. Middle-aged and blocked creatively, his dreams are filled with those magical moments when the weather, the lay of the cast, the fly, and the water converge with the fish in one fluid arc of perfection. The desire to perpetuate these moments takes BS to a small town in Maine, home to the Crossing House Inn, behind which lies a tract of virtual wilderness, a cleanrunning river, and a bounty of large, smart, and mostly fearless trout. BS soon befriends the owner of the inn, Bill Cahill, and together they and a group of fellow anglers found the Samuel Tippett Fly Fishers club. They soon devise a fishing contest between them, but what starts out as a friendly game to determine the best trout fly to represent their new club, quickly descends into a bitter rivalry that threatens to overtake reason. Feelings and friendships are forgotten as a fight over rules and the hunger to win takes hold of the men. In a deftly interwoven tale that explores the camaraderie and sportsmanship among anglers, The Contest challenges the wisdom of chasing perfection, and instead, encourages the reader to revel in life’s most important moments, however brief or passing.
is a writer, visual artist, and musician living in Massachusetts. His articles, essays, and sketches have appeared in numerous publications throughout New England, as well as several national magazines, including Fly Fishing and Salmon Trout Steelheader. A professional musician, he played and taught guitar and other fretted instruments for thirty-seven years, all the while combining his love of art and fly fishing into a very successful series of watercolors. His previous book, an historical novel, is entitled Spirit of the Sycamore.
U.S. $22.95 ISBN: 978-1-939017-10-9 Fiction, hardcover, 6 x 9, 248 pages
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John Ford Sr.
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As I walked through the maze of poles where the majority of the traps were located, I suddenly found myself plunging down
through the ice and into the icy cold water below. I was completely surrounded by the heavy spring-loaded traps attached to the set poles. Everything happened so quickly. I instinctively extended my arms, catching myself on what little thin ice remained around me, still clutching the chisel in one hand. I was hanging midway up to my chest in the freezing water as I heard the ice cracking under the strain of my weight. With snowshoes firmly attached to my feet, it would have been impossible to swim if I had to. I didn’t dare to kick or thrash around, fearing one of the large traps placed precariously close by might latch onto my This Cider Still Tastes Funny! Further Adventures of a Game Warden in Maine by John Ford Sr.
Not only was John Ford’s first book, Suddenly, the Cider Didn’t Taste So Good a smash hit, so was John! He spent much of 2012 entertaining and delighting audiences across Maine with a mix of serious, hilarious, and often self-deprecating tales of his adventures as both a Maine Game Warden and a Sheriff. As one reviewer wrote after seeing John in person, “Even if you only find his book is half as good as his standup comedy routine—as funny as anything you’re likely to see—you’ll find it worth the read.” Trust us, it is worth the read. And now he is back with more wonderful, and more importantly, genuine, stories in This Cider Still Tastes Funny.
children’s books outdoors
U.S. $16.95 / CAN $18.95 ISBN: 978-1-934031-46-9 Nonfiction/Outdoors, softcover, 5.5 x 8.5, 254 pages
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Islandport Press | 207-846-3344 | www.islandportpress.com
snowshoes, or even worse, onto my foot.
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Suddenly, the Cider Didn’t Taste So Good
Adventures of a Game Warden in Maine By John Ford Sr. Retired Maine Game Warden John Ford has seen it all. He’s been shot at by desperate prison escapees, been outwitted by wily trappers, and rescued scores of animals. As a tenacious and successful warden, he was always willing to spend the time needed to nab violators of the state’s fish and game laws. At the same time, though, he wasn’t a cold, heartless, go-by-the-book enforcer; he usually had a good quip ready when he slipped the handcuffs on a violator, and he wasn’t above accepting a lesson learned as sufficient penalty for breaking the law. U.S. $16.95 / CAN $18.95 ISBN: 978-1-934031-94-0 Nonfiction/Outdoors, softcover, 5.5 x 8.5, 208 pages
V.Paul Reynolds
Backtrack
By V. Paul Reynolds In Backtrack, former naval officer, avid outdoorsman, sportsman, editor, and award-winning journalist V. Paul Reynolds journeys back along the path of his life to revisit and share with readers many of his outdoor experiences. Reynolds was introduced to the outdoors by his father, Harvard Reynolds, in the 1940s. Harvard took his son to many of his own favorite hunting and fishing spots, helping give birth to his son’s lifelong love affair with the outdoors. Later, Harvard eventually took his son to his first smoke-filled hunting camp, where amber liquid flowed and profanity filled the room. Reynolds soon understood how the outdoors could bestow both the love of nature and the joy of friendship. U.S. $16.95 / CAN $18.95 ISBN: 978-1-934031-64-3 Nonfiction, softcover, 5.5 x 8.5
what saying
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V. Paul Reynolds is editor and co-publisher of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. For 23 years, he worked as editorial-page editor and managing editor of the Bangor Daily News. He has also been a radio talk show host and a journalism instructor at the University of Maine. From 1994 to 1998, he was Director of Information and Education for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Reynolds also writes a self-syndicated weekly outdoor column for a number of Maine newspapers, and co-hosts a Sunday night radio program called The Maine Outdoors. He is an active outdoorsman, a devoted deer hunter, and a Registered Maine Guide. He is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, and serves on the board of directors of the New England Outdoor Writers Association. His outdoor columns and photography have won a number of first-place awards in New England competitions. He and his wife, Diane, a retired teacher, live in Hampden with an English setter named Sally.
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“When the loons are calling and a soft breeze is blowing across the lake, many of us enjoy leaning back in a comfortable lawn chair and spending some time reading a good outdoor book ... If you’re in the mood for that kind of summer reading, you might want to get your hands on V. Paul Reynolds’s latest book, Backtrack.”
V. Paul reynolds
—Bangor Daily News 7
Paul Fournier
Paul fournier The late Paul Fournier was a native Mainer with a long career in the Maine woods, starting out as a registered Maine Guide and bush pilot. For twenty years he was the public information officer for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. He also produced a weekly television program, Maine Fish and Wildlife, for the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. He has written and photographed extensively for a number of magazines, including Audubon, Natural History, National Geographic,Yankee, Down East, Field & Stream, and Outdoor Life, among others.
outdoors children’s books outdoors
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“A True Maine Classic.”
-Bangor Daily News
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Birds of a Feather by Paul Fournier
In this new collection, Maine guide, bush pilot, journalist, and professional photographer Paul Fournier spins more stories of the wild outdoors in the inimitable style that earned him the Best Book of 2011 Award from the New England Outdoor Writers Association for Tales from Misery Ridge. In the title essay, Fournier tells the fascinating story of how devoted scientists, citizens, and outdoor professionals brought back the bald eagle in Maine one nesting pair at a time. Other tales strike a similar vein: a group of volunteers and biologists strive to save the rare Arctic char in a remote Maine lake, the author attempts to spy a cougar in Maine, and he and a friend find a daring way to film a world famous clowning skier’s downhill run in one “take.” Among his adventures and misadventures over the decades, Fournier covers the Sonny Liston/Mohammed Ali fight in Lewiston, gets perilously close to a rutting moose, and witnesses how a pair of deer poachers are literally caught in their own trap. Experienced outdoorsmen in particular will nod with appreciation and pleasure at the author’s experiences, and armchair explorers will enjoy his entertaining essays about the strange habits of forest fauna. This diverse collection of stories finds its unity in the author’s humor, authority, and love of his subjects: Maine and its wild and civilized inhabitants, whether they climb, slink, swim, fly—or walk on two feet. U.S. $16.95 / CAN $18.95 ISBN: 978-1-939017-04-8 Nonfiction, softcover, 5.5 x 8.5, 252 pages
Islandport Press | 207-846-3344 | www.islandportpress.com
The Great Outdoors When we were developing the book Where Cool Waters Flow, we met author Randy Spencer in the isolated sportsman’s paradise of Grand Lake Stream, Maine. Randy, a Master Maine Guide, gave us a tour of the area both on foot and by canoe. He spoke with an awe of the people and the place as if both were magical. And maybe they are. These four books help convey a little of that magic.
Tales from Misery Ridge One man’s adventures in the great outdoors By Paul J. Fournier
Paul Fournier writes about his experiences and adventures in Maine’s great North Woods and beyond. Readers will soar with him on his first solo flight in a Piper Cub, see how a master builder makes Fournier’s dream canoe a reality, meet brave flying Maine Wardens on rescue calls, net some spectacularly large salmon, and take part in a historic mission to transplant caribou from Newfoundland to Maine. Tales from Misery Ridge is a collection of those and other stories from a special time—and place.
Named Best Book of 2011 by the New England Outdoor Writers Association
Three Years in the Maine Woods By Helen Hamlin Helen Hamlin’s classic Nine Mile Bridge is one of the best books ever written about the Allagash and St. John River regions and details a way of life in the northern forests that otherwise would fade from memory. Trappers, foresters, lumbermen, woods folk, and wild animals, as well as frozen dogsled runs, hunting, fishing, simple joys, and awe-inspiring beauty, form the backdrop for Hamlin’s remarkable adventure. U.S. $15.95 ISBN: 978-0-9671662-5-4 Nonfiction, softcover, 5.5 x 8.5, 282 pages
My Life in the Maine Woods
A Game Warden’s Wife in the Allagash Country By Annette Jackson Annette Jackson recounts her North Woods experiences with her renowned game warden husband, Dave, during the 1930s when they lived with their young children on the shores of Umsaskis Lake. Annette was an avid sportswoman and nature lover, and she writes simply and compellingly of hunting, fishing, campfire cooking, and the sounds of the wilderness through the seasons. She also visits the trappers, fishermen, and woodsmen with whom she shared the legendary wilderness. U.S. $15.95 ISBN: 978-0-9763231-9-8 Nonfiction, softcover, 5.5 x 8.5, 216 pages
Where Cool Waters Flow Four Seasons with a Master Maine Guide By Randy Spencer
Master Maine Guide Randy Spencer knows the lakes, streams, and woodlands around Grand Lake Stream, Maine, like few others. He has learned the old ways—from the proper way to prepare shore lunches, to where to find the best salmon and bass, to how to survive in the wilderness—from some of the area’s local legends. Randy puts you in the casting seat of his Grand Laker, introduces his many “sports” who come from miles away to decompress, brings you out on the trail during fall hunts, and takes you on many other adventures as only an insider can.
outdoors
U.S. $16.95 / CAN $18.95 ISBN: 978-1-934031-60-5 Nonfiction, softcover, 5.5 x 8.5, 206 pages
Nine Mile Bridge
U.S. $15.95 ISBN: 978-1-934031-28-5 Nonfiction, softcover, 5.5 x 8.5, 330 pages
Named Best Book of 2010 by the New England Outdoor Writers Association 9
Astrid Sheckels
The Fish House Door
We first met Astrid several years ago at an illustrator’s show in Portland, Maine. The twenty-something artist had never illustrated a book, but we were blown away by her talent. So, we tucked away her samples and went searching for the perfect story. When The Scallop Christmas came across our desk, we knew it was a great opportunity for her first book. Just a few years later, she is practically a veteran, and we are thrilled to publish her first book as both author AND illustrator. With Nic and Nellie, Astrid returns again to the coast, and the result is both sweet and breathtaking.
Written by Robert Baldwin Illustrated by Astrid Sheckels Shawn’s father, grandfather, and greatgrandfather have hauled traps, painted buoys, and cleaned brushes on the same fish house door for decades. To Shawn, the door is just a weathered old piece of wood with broken hinges. But an island visitor gives Shawn a new perspective—and a fresh look at the people and traditions that have shaped his past and will chart his future. U.S. $16.95 / CAN $18.95 ISBN: 978-1-934031-30-8 Children’s picture book, hardcover, 9.25 x 11.25, 36 pages, ages 5–9
Gold Medal, 2010 Moonbeam Award, Best Picture Book
The Scallop Christmas
Written by Jane Freeberg Illustrated by Astrid Sheckels
children’s books
Times were tough in Marcie’s small New England fishing village. No one had money, and work was hard to find. So the villagers rejoiced one glorious fall when an unexpected bounty of scallops filled their little bay. For young Marcie, a week harvesting scallops also brought unexpected and unforgettable adventure and lessons about love and what is really important. This beautiful children’s book is loosely based on a true story told to author Jane Freeberg decades ago. U.S. $16.95 / CAN $18.95 ISBN: 978-1-934031-25-4 Children’s picture book, hardcover, 9.25 x 11.25, 36 pages, ages 5–9
Winner of the 2009 Maine Lupine Honor Award for a picture book of outstanding merit
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Islandport Press | 207-846-3344 | www.islandportpress.com
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“For any child who’s off to sleepaway camp or who’s ever felt a little homesick, this book deserves to be packed in their suitcase as a reminder of how exciting a new adventure can be . . . A beautifully illustrated picture book that reminds us how fleeting summer can be, but how its adventures that take us out of our comfort zone can last a lifetime. “
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—The Talking Walnut
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Nic rolled a beach stone in her hands. The rock was so smooth and so round and so pretty. The ocean had rolled it against other rocks, wearing down every bump and rough edge. Mom said that holding an island rock in her hands always made her feel like she was home. Nic filled her pockets with rocks. She tossed and turned in the dark room. She tightly clutched her raccoon and a beach rock, but a tear still slipped down her cheek.
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Nic and Nellie
by Astrid Sheckels Everyone gets homesick. And Nic is no different. She’s so excited about spending the entire summer on a small New England island with her grandparents that she counts down the days through winter and spring. But when the grand adventure finally begins, she finds tears and loneliness instead of joy and freedom. Astrid Sheckels’s picture book Nic and Nellie is a gorgeously illustrated, heartwarming story of a girl and her beloved dog, Nellie, who slowly learn that new places really aren’t so scary, and that often friends can be found around every corner, even in old rowboats, tidal ponds, and stinky mudflats. U.S. $17.95 / CAN $20.95 ISBN: 978-1-934031-52-0 Chilldren’s Picture Book, hardcover, 9.25 x 11.25, 36 pages, ages 4–9
Gold Medal, 2013 Moonbeam Award, Best Picture Book
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The Circle Paintings children’s calendar books
Twenty-five years ago, Maine artist Dahlov Ipcar unveiled her first circle painting. Fascinated by images in a kaleidoscope, she painted circles within circles, each layer pulsing with energy, color, and patterns inspired by the natural world. Fourteen more circle paintings followed, each one with an animalistic theme ranging from the real to the imagined to the fanciful, from Australia to Asia, merry-go-rounds to blue moons. This calendar brings all fifteen of the paintings together to create a remarkable visual treat.
Dahlov Ipcar
2014 f u l l c I r c l e
Dahlov Ipcar Full Circle 2014 12-month (January to December) calendar U.S. $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-939017-19-2 Calendar, 11.88” x 11.88”, saddle wire
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“
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T is for trap. Lobsters watch out!
Dahlov Ipcar’s Farmyard Alphabet Written and Illustrated by Dahlov Ipcar
This delightful board book pairs fresh original verses with timeless illustrations from Ipcar’s career. From apples and barns to vegetables and woodstoves, both the unique text and bold, bright artwork celebrate farm life in Ipcar’s inimitable style.
The ABCs of Maine
U.S. $10.95 / CAN $12.95 ISBN: 978-1-934031-43-8 Board book, 6 x 6, 20 pages, ages 2–6
You don’t have to be a Mainer to appreciate the beauty and simplicity of this alphabet book, where an egret, full of grace, smiles at playful foxhounds, giving chase. As in all her board books, Ipcar pairs simple rhymes with striking visual art. A vintage feel, plus contemporary colors. The result? Timeless! Dahlov Ipcar’s Maine Alphabet
Written and Illustrated by Dahlov Ipcar
Maine Alphabet
Islandport Press
Price: U.S. $10.95 / CAN $12.95 ISBN: 978-1-934031-87-2 Board book, 6 x 6, 24 pages, ages 2–6
Written and Illustrated by Dahlov Ipcar
Ipcar’s second board book draws on illustrations from ten of her previous children’s books, as well as some of her fine art paintings. Her original rhyming couplets take readers on a fantastic trip from antelopes to tigers all the way to “Z is for Zebra, who always comes last.”
children’s books children’s
Maine Alphabet
The third board book from Maine artist Dahlov Ipcar, this one contains an original illustration done especially for this edition, her first new children’s book illustration in more than twenty years. The Maine wildlife and coastal scenes are near and dear to her heart, and this new book serves as a kind of love letter to her home state, where she has lived and worked for almost 75 years, where, as she writes, “A is for animals, wild and free,” and W is for “woodlands of wonder for you and for me.”
Dahlov Ipcar’s Wild Animal Alphabet
U.S. $10.95 / CAN $12.95 ISBN: 978-1-934031-58-2 Board book, 6 x 6, 22 pages, ages 2–6
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Animal Hide & Seek Dahlov Ipcar
Animal
Hide & Seek
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Dahlov Ipcar
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ISLANDPORT PRESS
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Dahlov Ipcar Animal Hide & Seek
Written and Illustrated by Dahlov Ipcar Sometimes, you need to know what to look for in order to see an animal, even if it’s hiding in plain sight! In Animal Hide & Seek, legendary Maine artist Dahlov Ipcar first offers young readers portraits of woodland animals and then, on the companion page, sets the animal into its natural setting, camouflaged for the careful reader to find. Gentle prose describes the animals and their habitats, from deer to rabbits, from squirrels to salamanders. U.S. $17.95 ISBN: 978-1-934031-80-3 Picture Book, hardcover with dust jacket 9 x 11, 32 pages, ages 4 - 8
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Tree frogs live in trees. They climb among the leaves and branches, looking for little bugs to eat. A tree frog can change his color. If he is on the bark of a tree, he turns brown or gray. If he is on a leaf, he turns green or yellow. If you catch a tree frog and put him on a leaf, you will see his skin change color to look like that leaf.
children’s books
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Islandport Press | 207-846-3344 | www.islandportpress.com
Coming Soon! ThoughTs of an average
Joe C is for Cape Cod
uncertain
Glory Lea Wait
Brian Daniels Thoughts of An Average Joe By Brian Daniels
In 2009, author Brian Daniels created Joe Wright—a clueless, middle-aged, thick-around-the-middle man who tends to lean a little right of middle-of-the-road and is hopelessly stuck in the 20th Century. Thoughts of an Average Joe is the hilarious ramblings of a man whose commentaries voice the confusion and angst of a simple, old dude trying to make sense of life in the modern world. In this book, Joe expresses his thoughts about the many issues that confuse or annoy him in the likes of: “I’m Not Ready for the Wireless World,” “Poachers Are Not Hunters,” and “I’m Comfortable in My Old Skin.” He, like most men, struggles to understand his “little woman” and others of her gender. Several essays, including “I’m Afraid of the Little Woman,” and “I’ve Noticed That Women Are Not Like Men,” address the frustration of an old guy trying to get a fix on the inner workings of his wife, Winnie. You’ll get to know Joe, his beloved northern New England hometown—Smalltown—his fascinating friends and family members, Dan’s Market, Small-Mart, Blake’s Esso Station and the Smalltown News. He hopes his stories will bring a smile to your face and warm your heart.
written BY
CHriStina LaUrie
PHOtOGraPHS BY
SteVe HeaSLiP
C is for Cape Cod
By Christina Laurie Photographs by Steve Heaslip An alphabet book that introduces children to the sights, sounds, culture, and history of Cape Cod. For each letter, a short four-line verse gives younger readers a fun introduction to the subject, and the main text provides information that will appeal to both older children and adults alike. The stunning photographs, by award-winning Cape Cod Times photographer Steve Heaslip, tell stories unto themselves–from the doleful eyes of seals to children whirling on carousels, from a frog peeping out of a cranberry bog to the engineering marvel of the Cape Cod Canal. This is Cape Cod, replete with natural beauty, rich history, tourist attractions, and much more. U.S. $17.95 (Children’s book) ISBN: 978-1-939017-13-0
Release Date: March 2014
Uncertain Glory By Lea Wait
Joe Wood has dreams. Big dreams. He wants to be a newspaperman, and though he’s only thirteen, he’s already borrowed money for the equipment to start his own press. But it’s April, 1861, and the young nation is teetering on the brink of a civil war. As the effects of war begin to spread over Joe’s hometown of Wiscasset, Maine, he must juggle his personal ambitions with some new responsibilities. He has to help Owen, his young assistant, deal with the challenges of being black in a white world torn apart by color. He needs to talk his best friend, Charlie, out of enlisting. He wants to help a young spiritualist, Nell, whose uncle claims she can speak to the dead. And when Owen disappears, it’s up to Joe to save him. Lea Wait skillfully draws on the lives of real people in Maine’s history to tell this story of three young adults touched by war and the tensions it brings, forcing them into adulthood before they may be ready.
The Lake Where Loon Lives
By Brenda Reeves Sturgis Illustrated by Brooke Carlton There’s a lake. With a loon. Two chicks. Sounds peaceful, right? Guess again! The Lake Where Loon Lives starts quietly, but the cumulative story builds, one line at a time, to a wacky and wonderful and splashy crescendo, as the loons are joined by a playful fly, a slippery fish, and a curious boy on the dock. Brenda Reeves Sturgis treats us to fanciful and evocative word play while Brooke Carlton’s exuberant watercolors tell the story behind the story. Mama Loon rolls her eyes and tolerates the antics that take place on the lake until, at the end, she snuggles with her chicks who are ready for sleep, just as the readers of this wonderful picture book will be. U.S. $17.95 (Children’s book) ISBN: 978-1-939017-24-6
Release Date: May 2014
U.S. $16.95 (Middle-grade fiction) ISBN: 978-1-939017-25-3
Release Date: April 2014
U.S. $16.95 (nonfiction) ISBN: 978-1-939017-26-0
Release Date: May 2014
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Dahlov Ipcar’s Animal Hide & Seek
P.O. Box 10 Yarmouth, Maine 04096 www.islandportpress.com