A children's ABC with information on Maine lighthouses, including a fun ditty and illustrations for each letter, a photograph of an accompanying lighthouse for each letter, and in-depth back matter for older children and adults about lighthouse history, visiting lighthouses and more.

An alphabet book featuring animals, plants, objects, and activities associated with the state of Maine.

“A thorough and engaging history of Maine’s rocky coast and its tough-minded people.”—Boston Herald “[A] well-researched and well-written cultural and ecological history of stubborn perseverance.”—USA Today For more than four hundred years the people of coastal Maine have clung to their rocky, wind-swept lands, resisting outsiders’ attempts to control them while harvesting the astonishing bounty of the Gulf of Maine. Today’s independent, self-sufficient lobstermen belong to the communities imbued with a European sense of ties between land and people, but threatened by the forces of homogenization spreading up the eastern seaboard. In the tradition of William Warner’s Beautiful Swimmers, veteran journalist Colin Woodard (author of American Character: A History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the Common Good) traces the history of the rugged fishing communities that dot the coast of Maine and the prized crustacean that has long provided their livelihood. Through forgotten wars and rebellions, and with a deep tradition of resistance to interference by people “from away,” Maine’s lobstermen have defended an earlier vision of America while defying the “tragedy of the commons”—the notion that people always overexploit their shared property. Instead, these icons of American individualism represent a rare example of true communal values and collaboration through grit, courage, and hard-won wisdom.

Detailed drawings re-create 36 famous lighthouses of the United States and Canada, including those in Cape Hatteras, Montauk Point, Cape Cod, West Quoddy Head, Tybee Island, and other places along the shorelines of North America. Captions accompanying these accurately rendered illustrations provide valuable background information on location, height, and date of construction of each lighthouse.

A is for Atlantic Lobster, C is for Claw, H is for Hard Shell, L is for LOBSTER!Learn all about lobsters and lobstermen, their lore and their gear, in this beautifully illustrated book for both children and adults.

What better way for children to learn their ABCs˜and discover a little about Maine˜than with this vibrant and whimsical volume from Camden, Maine, artist Susan Ramsay Hoguet. Illustrating distinct Maine icons, such as moose, lobster, and Mount Katahdin, the rhyming verse will have children singing it, asking for it to be read again and again, and learning their alphabet in no time.

Abbie was afraid. She had never had to keep the lights burning by herself. But many lives depended on the lighthouse, and Papa was depending on Abbie. This is the exciting true story of Abbie Burgess, who in 1856 single-handedly kept the lighthouse lamps lit during a tremendous storm off the coast of Maine. "The Roops have done an excellent job of putting a fascinating tale into simple language. . . . Hanson's lovely watercolors evoke the mood and are far and away superior to what appears in many easy-to-reads."—starred, Booklist

Whether it’s a treasure hunt on Jewell Island, Maine, a sunny afternoon on the rocks at Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, or a dip in the ocean on Prince Edward Island, life by the sea is fun. This gloriously illustrated picture book is a celebration of all things coastal: humpback whales, teeming wildlife, and most of all, people who make their homes by the ocean. Seaside life is shown in twenty-six magnificent illustrations. The alliterative text and the detailed notes at the back make the book as informative as it is beautiful. For those lucky enough to have visited the coast, as well as those who only dream of the sea, this book is a feast for the eyes and for the spirit.

From The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home comes a historical novel inspired by true events, and the extraordinary female lighthouse keepers of the past two hundred years. “They call me a heroine, but I am not deserving of such accolades. I am just an ordinary young woman who did her duty.” 1838: Northumberland, England. Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands has been Grace Darling’s home for all of her twenty-two years. When she and her father rescue shipwreck survivors in a furious storm, Grace becomes celebrated throughout England, the subject of poems, ballads, and plays. But far more precious than her unsought fame is the friendship that develops between Grace and a visiting artist. Just as George Emmerson captures Grace with his brushes, she in turn captures his heart. 1938: Newport, Rhode Island. Nineteen-years-old and pregnant, Matilda Emmerson has been sent away from Ireland in disgrace. She is to stay with Harriet, a reclusive relative and assistant lighthouse keeper, until her baby is born. A discarded, half-finished portrait opens a window into Matilda’s family history. As a deadly hurricane approaches, two women, living a century apart, will be linked forever by their instinctive acts of courage and love.