Module 3(A) - Time of Wonder

Book
Time of Wonder
Written and Illustrated by Robert McCloskey

Citation
McCloskey, R. (1989). Time of wonder. New York: Puffin Books.

Summary
Time of Wonder illustrates a beautiful tale of a summer spent on an eastern seaside island with terrific verbs and vivid adjectives. Readers are able to experience the serene island life of porpoise-watching, afternoon rain showers, and days at the beach, as well as, the terrifying adventure of surviving a hurricane from preparation to clean-up. The book wraps up at the end of the summer when families pack up and return to their school-day schedules, leaving the island a memory with a hopeful return.

Reviews
Publisher's Weekly (June 19, 1995): A blast from the past for baby boomers, McCloskey's timeless paean to a Maine island summer is still as fresh as the day it first appeared in 1957 and ready for a new generation of readers--or in this case, listeners. Despite the absent Caldecott-winning illustrations, the story makes a nimble leap to audio, thanks to McCloskey's gloriously poetic language and Lord's deft reading. Her warm voice strikes just the right note of reverential delight at the abundant natural beauty of the island setting, and she even serves up a respectable Maine accent for the climactic hurricane scene ("We're going to have some weather. It's a-comin'. She's gonna blow."). Altogether marvelous.

Horn Book Starred (February, 1990): A reissue of a book first published in 1957. Reviewed December, 1957. A Caldecott Medal winner.

Suggested Use
Because of the vivid descriptions through use of verbs and adjectives, Time of Wonder would be a perfect companion to a lesson on parts of speech. Students could highlight particularly moving verbs and adjectives to create an Animoto video to further describe the definition, synonym, antonym, and use of these verbs and adjectives.

Impression
I was particularly taken with the rich language used in McCloskey's Caldecott-winning story. I think students would benefit from multiple readings of this book, aloud and independently, to grasp the concepts and mind pictures presented. Endearing and timeless, I felt as if I'd been to the island, experienced island life, and felt the gentle sting of disappointment when time to pack and leave the island. This type of image-inducing practice is a lost art and worth it spend time on.