Maine

Fiction:

For some reason, Maine inspires wonderful picture books.

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Thanks to the Animals by Allen Sockabasin and illustrated by Rebekah Raye

Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover

Set in 1900, Little Zoo Sap and his Passamaquoddy family are moving from their summer home on the coast to their winter home in the deep woods. Unnoticed, the youngster tumbles off the end of the sled.

Alone, cold, and frightened, Zoo Sap cries, and his cries attract the forest animals. Beginning with beaver and ending with the great bald eagle, the animals rush to protect the baby and shelter him from the cold until his father returns for him.  

  • Reading age : 6 – 8 years
  • Publisher : Tilbury House Publishers; 2nd edition (August 4, 2014)
  • ISBN-10 : 0884484149
  • ISBN-13 : 978-0884484141

I Met A Moose in Maine One Day by Ed Shankman (2008)

Hardcover

Learn about Maine as Moose takes a tour. With a fast-paced rhyming text.

  • Reading age : 5 – 8 years
  • Publisher : Commonwealth Editions; Illustrated edition (June 16, 2008)
  • ISBN-10 : 1933212772
  • ISBN-13 : 978-1933212777

Seal Island School by Susan Bartlett and illustrated by Tricia Tusa (2001)

Paperback | Hardcover

A humorous book about a young girl going to a small school on Seal Island, off the coast of Maine.

  • Reading age : 7 – 10 years
  • Publisher : Viking Books for Young Readers; English Language edition (March 1, 1999)
  • ISBN-10 : 0670883492
  • ISBN-13 : 978-0670883493

The Sea Chest by Tony Buzzeo and illustrated by Mary GrandPre (2002)

Hardcover

Part of the tale involves a lighthouse off the coast of Maine.

  • Reading age : 4 – 10 years
  • Publisher : Dial; First Edition (August 5, 2002)
  • ISBN-10 : 0803727038
  • ISBN-13 : 978-0803727038

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney (1985)

Kindle | Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover

A lovely fictional picture book biography of Miss Rumphius, who is challenged by her grandfather when she is a child to “do something to make the world more beautiful.” 

  • Reading age : 5 – 8 years
  • Publisher : Puffin Books; 1st edition (November 6, 1985)
  • ISBN-10 : 0140505393
  • ISBN-13 : 978-0140505399

Island Boy by Barbara Cooney (1991) 

Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover

In this picture book set in historical coastal Maine, Matthias sails away from Tibbett’s Island, only to find himself drawn back.

  • Reading age : 3 – 5 years
  • Publisher : Puffin Books; Illustrated edition (June 1, 1991)
  • ISBN-10 : 0140507566
  • ISBN-13 : 978-0140507560

The Sometimes Island by Anne Norris Baldwin (1969)

Hardcover

Brian gets stranded on Pine Island. This older book is out of print and may be hard to find. 

Publisher : Norton; 1st edition (January 1, 1969)
ISBN-10 : 0448261243
ISBN-13 : 978-0448261249


Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Kindle | Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover

Set in Maine, a little girl and a bear cub meet while picking blueberries with their mothers.

  • Reading age : 3 – 7 years
  • Publisher : Viking Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (September 17, 1948)
  • ISBN-10 : 0670175919
  • ISBN-13 : 978-0670175918

One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey (1976)

Kindle | Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover

Sal, of Blueberries For Sal fame, is losing a tooth.

  • Reading age : 3 – 7 years
  • Publisher : The Viking Press; 1st edition (April 14, 1952)
  • ISBN-10 : 0670526274
  • ISBN-13 : 978-0670526277

Swan Harbor: A Nature Counting Book by Laura Rankin (2003)

Hardcover

Although Swan Harbor is fictional, the scenes of Maine depicted in this book are very real. 

  • Reading age : 2 – 4 years
  • Publisher : Dial; Complete Numbers Starting with 1, 1st Ed edition (April 14, 2003)
  • ISBN-10 : 9780803725614
  • ISBN-13 : 978-0803725614

Middle Grade:

A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord (2017)

Kindle | Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover

Set in the blueberry barrens of Maine, this middle grade novel looks into a friendship between local girl, Lily, and Salma, the daughter of migrant workers in town for the blueberry-picking season. Lily’s blind dog brings them together, but will the Blueberry Queen pageant tear them apart?

  • Age Range: 8 – 12 years
  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Scholastic Press; Reprint edition (May 9, 2017)
  • ISBN-10: 0545700280
  • ISBN-13: 978-0545700283


Nonfiction:

Ada and the Galaxies by Alan Lightman, Olga Pastuchiv and illustrated by Susanna Chapman (2021)

Kindle | Paperback | Hardcover

Ada knows that the best place for star-gazing is on the island in Maine where she vacations with her grandparents. By day, she enjoys the natural world of Maine, watches an osprey in the trees, paddles a kayak, and hunts for shells. But she really wants to see the stars at night. Will the fog this year foil her plans, or will her grandfather find a way to shine a spotlight on the vast puzzle of the universe . . . until the weather turns?

  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 – 8 years
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MIT Kids Press (September 7, 2021)
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1536215619
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1536215618

L Is For Lobster: A Maine Alphabet (Discover America State By State. Alphabet Series) by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds and illustrated by Jeannie Brett (2001)

Kindle | Hardcover

From the beaches to the woodlands, discover the history and geography of Maine.

  • Reading age : 6 – 9 years
  • Publisher : Sleeping Bear Press; 1st edition (June 1, 2001)
  • ISBN-10 : 1585360244
  • ISBN-13 : 978-1585360246

Journey Around Maine from A to Z by Martha Zschock and Heather Zschock

Hardcover

Part of the Journey Around series, beautifully illustrated.

  • Age Range: 6 – 12 years
  • Grade Level: 1 – 6
  • Publisher: Commonwealth Editions (May 16, 2007)
  • ISBN-10: 1933212314
  • ISBN-13: 978-1933212319

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