One morning in Maine

McCloskey, R. (1980). One morning in Maine. New York, NY: Penguin Books.

A sequel to Blueberries for Sal, this book, also a Caldecott winner, follows Sal on her next adventure—a loose tooth. At first alarmed and scared she will miss out on a trip to Buck’s Harbor with her dad, her mother comforts and reassures Sal that it is part of being a big girl to lose a tooth. She can put the tooth under her pillow and make a wish. Walking down to meet her father, Sal tells all of the Maine animals about her loose tooth—the drawings are breathtaking—from a fish hawk to a curious seal. She helps her father dig for clams and her tooth falls out into the pebbly sand. I think the most poignant line of the book is when Sal makes a face “that is almost like crying.” She ends up making a wish on a feather a gull lost instead, and her baby sister makes a wish on a spent spark plug, and both girls get an ice cream cone—their wishes come true.