Heroes of Isle aux Morts
Gr 2-6-Anne Harvey is a young girl "born to the sea." Living in Newfoundland, she experiences firsthand not only the beauty, but also the harshness of the Atlantic coast. Fierce storms and shipwrecks plague the rugged waters around Isle aux Morts-Island of the Dead. When Anne hears a distress signal early one morning in July 1832, she, her father, her brother, and their dog bravely set off in their small dory to help the doomed passengers. The dog, Hairy Man, heroically swims to the sinking ship and returns to the Harveys with a rope that enables them to rescue 163 passengers. Butler's accomplished oil paintings are dark and brooding. The whiteness of the battled ship reinforces its "ghostly shape." Based on the true story of the wreck of the Despatch, the narrative is enriched with dramatic details: "Waves broke under the boat, nearly capsizing it. At times they curled over the bow, sending showers of sea spray down upon them." An author's note describes some of the special jobs Newfoundland dogs have been trained to do-from laying telephone lines to transporting ammunition. An exciting historical adventure in picture-book format.Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, CanadaCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.