Reviews
On Sand Island


by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Illustrated by David A. Johnson.
Martin's inspiration for this lyrical tale, told in the rhythms of lapping water, came from a summer experience on Lake Superior's Sand Island, where a Norwegian named Carl Dahl once set his netsŠ.When at last the boat is complete, he names it Beach Glass, and it's not just the boy's determination that brings the whole island to rejoice with him, it's the way he's made them all a part of his dream. -- Publishers Weekly

Martin's measured prose-"Carl dreamed about boats. / He drew the boat he would build: / a little flat-bottomed pound boat / like the fishermen use . . . "-gives the episode a grave, formal feeling, and Johnson's delicately lined, low-contrast paintings respectfully depict a community in which "island neighbors are closer than cousins," always willing to give each other a hand. Thoughtful readers will appreciate this low-key tribute to a child's determination, and to the mutual respect that binds a community together. -- Kirkus Reviews

On Sand Island by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Illustrated by David A. Johnson. Houghton Mifflin , 2003. ISBN 0-618-23151-X.
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