Make Way for McCloskey : A Robert McCloskey Treasury

by Robert McCloskey

From those famous ducklings to Homer Price's delicious donuts, generations of children have grown up delighting in the timeless stories of Robert McCloskey. Here, for the first time, all of his published works--Make Way for Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal, Lentil, Time of Wonder, One Morning in Maine, Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man, Homer Price and Centerburg Tales--are brought together. With biographical information and photographs, and an introduction by renowned critic Leonard Marcus that outlines McCloskey's career and his unforgettable contribution to children's literature, this collection is an in-depth look at the life and work of an extraordinary children's book legend.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Biography, Classics, Pre K, Literature

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

John Robert McCloskey was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He both wrote and illustrated eight picture books and won two Caldecott Medals from the American Library Association recognizing the year's best-illustrated picture book. Four of those eight books were set in Maine: Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine, Time of Wonder, and Burt Dow, Deep-water Man; the last three all on the coast. He was also the writer for Make Way For Ducklings, as well as the illustrator for The Man Who Lost His Head.

McCloskey was born in Hamilton, Ohio, during 1914 and reached Boston in 1932 with a scholarship to study at Vesper George Art School. After Vesper George he moved to New York City for study at the National Academy of Design.

In 1940, he married Peggy Durand, daughter of the children's writer Ruth Sawyer. They had two daughters, Sally and Jane, and settled in New York State, spending summers on Scott Island, a small island off Little Deer Isle in East Penobscot Bay. McCloskey's wife and eldest daughter Sally are reputed to be the models for little Sal and her mother in Blueberries for Sal (1948), a picture book set on a "Blueberry Hill" in the vicinity. Three others of his picture books are set on the coast and concern the sea.

Peggy died in 1991. Twelve years later on June 30, 2003, McCloskey died at his home in Deer Isle, Maine.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection amasses all 8 stories written by Robert McCloskey in one book. It’s a great book that I own. It contains 3 stories that were nominated or won the Caldecott medal. Robert is a wonderful artist and this is a great collection of Americana. I love his stories set in the islands of Maine or the coast of Maine. It makes me want to live in Maine.

Robert had a true talent for storytelling and a great eye for detail. He could tell a memorable story, most of which are long for a picture book.

[Justin Pickett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations in this collection are stunningly beautiful, and all of the stories are sweet and funny. From a little girl in Maine making a wish upon a spark plug after losing her lost tooth, to a human parent and mother bear accidently switching offspring in a blueberry patch on a mountain, to a donut catastrophe involving Homer and Ulysses, who later encounter a funny scam in the spirit of the classic folktale, "The Emperor's New Clothes."

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a treasure. Wonderful collection nod his books as well as information about the author/illustrator and his life and art. Loved it!

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It is just sort of an accident that I write books. I really think up stories in pictures and just fill in between the pictures with a sentence or a paragraph or a few pages of words.”—Robert McCloskey

As young children, it’s easy to read a book in a sort of vacuum; we hear the words, we see the pictures, and we enjoy the story for what it is. It’s not an entirely unreasonable way to read literature. New Criticism is, to some degree, devoted to reading and interpreting the text and only the text. A book’s introduction, whether one considers it as being a part of or distinct from the text, has the potential to frame a person’s reading of a text—Vladimir Nabokov and Yann Martel exploit this in Lolita and Life of Pi, respectively—and when I read this collection’s introduction and reread a simple story like Make Way for Ducklings while keeping in mind that it was published in the midst of the turbulent World War II, the deadliest war in human history, it becomes more than just innocent, but all the more halcyon and considerably more beautiful.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up for my youngest because of the spaciousness and sense of the grand and the homely touching together that McCloskey's stories tend to have. It's a pity that the collection does not reproduce the full-page illustrations of the original stories. It definitely takes away from the effect when the pictures are reduced and the text no longer superimposed on them, especially for "Time of Wonder". If I had to do it over again, I'd buy the stories one by one instead of this collection.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book so many times already this year, but these eight stories are classics. Right now, we're reading Make Way for Ducklings over and over again, and each time we see mallards, we call them Mr. and Mrs. Mallard. The illustrations are beautiful and the stories are as sweet and relevant as they were when McCloskey first published this book.

5/5 stars

[Lacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

All McCloskey in one!

[Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notes:
the only anthology we'd ever consider buying
love every story and the bio info

[asmita aarshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic children's tale about two urban ducks and their ducklings. The narrative is easy to read and enjoy with plenty of repetition for children. What I believe is the best part of the story is helping children develop a sense of perspective and widening their array of awareness beyond themselves. Ducks in a city are a common sighting, especially in the western parts of the world. Why did they come here? What do they do? What do they want? These are questions worth pondering.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for bringing all of McCloskey's wonderful picture books together in one volume; plus single chapters from his two chapter books. Also includes a very nice, brief biography of McCloskey in the back matter.

[Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a life he had. His books are so charming. They are timeless.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful, wonderful collection for every home. I loved it as much as, probably even more than, my little ones. What a gifted wordsmith and artist.

[Amy Roebuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! lots of McCloskey in one big book, with background.
I had never read Deep Water Man--ever!

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

My girls and I love these storybook animations. I wish I could find more of these. Seeing my three year old's reaction to when the characters she has come to know come to life off the page is priceless.

[Barb]

My daughter bought this for me for Christmas, a tribute to his fine artistry and as a writer.

[Owen prince · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love