"There's no turning back now.
I can hear the sails snap to attention
and salute the wind as we pick up
speed.
My stomach in in knots.
Will I be discovered?
Will Papa be angry with me?"
Hope is the daughter of a clipper ship's carpenter, and our narrator for this adventurous tale. She longs to go to sea with her father and knows he will never allow it. She is tired of hearing the stories he shares after each new voyage. With 'hope' in her heart and careful observation, she takes a chance and steals her way aboard.
When she is discovered, her father expresses his emotions visually: surprise, anger, frustration, and ultimately love and acceptance. Soon, Hope is helping in any way she can and making many new discoveries. Each stop on their route adds cargo, and offers new sights and sounds. Hope fills her days with work, and adding stories to her journal. She is homesick for her mother as the ship nears the end of its travels.
"We're not far from port now.
I can almost smell the bread
baking in her oven."
A sudden and fierce storm blows up. All hands are needed to help. The crew cannot right the ship once it crashes on rocks. They abandon ship to try and find their way to shore in two lifeboats, which are no match in the darkness for the turbulent waters. Then, out of that darkness comes a line of lights along the shore meant to guide them home. Mama is there! The surprise as the story ends is memorable and uplifting.
And the art? Rendered in pen and ink and watercolor, it affords the audience an accurate historical setting. Changing perspectives and fully detailed spreads encourage close consideration of every scene. It explores a grand adventure.
I have a quote from Peter Reynolds on the white board above my desk: "great children's books are 'wisdom wrapped in words and art!'" That is absolutely true for this 'great book'.
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