Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man

by Robert McCloskey

Whenever Burt Dow, who lives in a snug little house on the Maine coast, sets out to sea, his pet giggling gull goes along. But this time, it will take all his might and some plain old ingenuity to save him and the gull from a raging storm.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Animals, 1st Grade

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

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 4 out of 5]

This is a longer story with beautiful artwork. Robert uses repetition well in this story. Each person or thing is associated with a sound or a color and whenever that thing is mentioned, he gives the sound or color with it. It makes for a fun and dynamic story when reading aloud. It was easy to get into the telling of this story.

I like Bert’s two boats, but he is a brave soul, going out in the water in that old boat. I wouldn’t do that. Bert goes out fishing one day and catches the tail of a whale. He gives a bandaid to patch the tail up and a storm brews up. Bert goes through some amazing adventures and the whales in this book are very awesome.

I do like the story, but it’s not my favorite Robert McCloskey story. It’s good. It got a little long The nephew loved that the whale swallowed the boat and he loved that Burt began painting it’s tummy to get him to throw up. He thought that was funny. He gave this 4 stars, but he got wiggly by the end, being so long. He enjoyed all the sounds. The niece thought it was fun to listen too. She liked seeing the whales, but she thought the story was slow. She gave this 3 stars.

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this story as much as everyone else on goodreads did. I don't like fishing or seeing hooks stuck into living things. I did like the illustrations and the idea that Burt escapes the storm by getting swallowed by a whale could make an interesting story but I did feel sorry for the whale with what I expect is meant to be a humorous moment when Burt uses cans of paint to splat the whale's insides with in a Jackson Pollock effect to make the whale ill so he could escape. This book certainly doesn't promote caring about our ocean life and doesn't show respect for living things.

The story was quite long but the language seemed to be aimed at a younger reader, lots of repetitive words for noises. I like the style of the illustrations and the idea of a story about a whale but I didn't enjoy this one much.

Read on open library.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tall tale about a retired deep-water man. I loved the line about his painting inside the whale's tummy:
"He was beginning to enjoy himself - probably because it was the first time he'd ever had a chance to really express his personality in paint."
This is accompanied by an illustration of the whale's pink tummy, splattered and streaked with yellow, black, and brown splotches - it might have been quite modern in 1963.
I also liked the complete blackness of the pages just after he convinced the whale to swallow him.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this in our Make Way for McCloskey as recommended by Sonlight P3/4 and while I love the sepia tones of Make Way for Ducklings the vividly colorful illustrations send the reader for a whirl. If ever there were a read aloud to bring out my slightly hidden Georgia accent... oh my it would be with Burt, Leela, and Idely Tidely! This was a fun read and I'm sure with more read oversea I will find even more fun behind it. There are rhymes and rhythm. There are sounds and repeats. So much for entertainment and education. What fun!

[Phoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lesser-known McCloskey but deserves to have more fame. Old salt Burt Dow has an old boat that he takes out fishing, and one day, because of good weather, he takes it farther out than usual. He has an extraordinary adventure. This is a perfect read-aloud for 5 and up, especially for kids in that band-aid, boo-boo fascination stage. Plus it has whales.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heavens what a tongue stumbler. Beautiful illustrations and worth the read. I don’t suggest attempting it with a cold however as it has an excellent amount of words. Very enjoyable.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whales just want peppermint striped band-aids!! That’s all!!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is older than I am, but when i crack open that rarely used spine, I am engulfed in a magic of color and story as only Robert McClosky can do. Burt Dow is a retired boat man. He has one small, leaky, rainbow boat left. One day while out on the water, he captures a whale of a tale. But if I told you the story you wouldn’t believe it. There are some stories that should stick around for generations and this is one. I would love to see new copies reprinted for today's generation. But the story is longer than most picture books. So until the publishers see fit to bring these classics back, head to your local university library with an education department, for they will surely have some of this classics. Probably in new condition.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4* art
4* story

Up in the attic there is a box of Books To Be Read When the Time Is Ripe. This book sat in that box for many years, biding its time. A few months ago I pulled it out and thought, "Finally!" This is the thing about being a parent, I now get to re-read and re-live and re-enjoy all the best books of my childhood (and the ones I missed) with my son. And he was riveted by this one. Absolute silence and attention the whole time we read. Wonderful. Some of the happiest times of my life, these moments with Squirt. I remember this with my own parents, and it seems right to continue the pattern. Will Squirt read "Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man" to his child one day? Please God, may it be so.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am having such fun exploring picture books! I had completely forgotten most of this tale, even though I must have read it a dozen times to my son when he was little. At the time, I just remembered how much he enjoyed the “clackety-bangs” and “Tee-he-hes” and how long the story was at bedtime.

This is such a great story. Now older, I appreciate Burt and his can-do attitude, and the patching up of his old favorite boat.

I hope more young ones find this classic treasure.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burt Dow takes out his trusty ol' Tidely-Idley like usual to fish, but ends up having a whale of an adventure.

I didn't remember many details about this book from my childhood. As an adult, I love the voice that McCloskey gave Burt. The repeated sound words and colorful Burtisms really set the tone for this tall tale sea adventure. And kids will totally understand why whales would kick up a ruckus for fancy bandaids. A delightful tale great for introducing colloquialisms and tall tales.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fanciful, yet down to earth. Burt Dow is just the sort of old deep-water man you'd like to have around. He knows a thing or two that a younger man wouldn't, that's for sure! Now back to sticking more band-aids on whale-tales.

[MB (What she read) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow, I never realized Robert McCloskey had a book I hadn't read. How fun! I missed his beautiful line drawings, but this story needed to be told in paint since that's integral to the plot.

[Laura Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love children's books by Robert McCloskey. My favorite is still One Morning in Maine and Blueberries for Sal but loved this, too. Can't wait to read to my grandchildren one day.

[slauderdale]

Read this to the kids last night. Had not read it before, knew nothing about it, they just popped it in my hands. Started reading it. Cracking up in the first few pages. It just kept getting better. LOVED the repetition and playful use of language throughout, and of course the scenario became more and more outlandish. Deeply fun.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw that this book had only 38 reviews, I had to add mine. I never heard of this book growing up, but my husband saved his copy. Yes, this is a looong picture book, especially by today's standards. Anyone who has read it aloud can feel for me: my three-year-old son was so obsessed by this book we had to read it many times each day. My poor ol' engine was so wore out, it was going clackety-BANG clackety-BANG. Not that my son noticed. He would line up all his props on the playroom floor -- everything from popovers to fishing line to a can of cup grease -- to have on hand for his eleventy-billionth performance of BURT DOW, DEEP-WATER MAN.

Some of the writing in this book is wonderful, really fantastic, though I did *ahem* occasionally skip parts. My husband and I even looked up Robert McCloskey on Wikipedia to find out if he was alive, because we wanted to tell him there was at least one three-year-old child who still wanted a raincoat and hat just like Burt's. Alas, Mr. McCloskey has passed away, as has the world of this book, as has the world that would publish a book like this. The little boy who loved Burt Dow is now eight. Now he loves Lego Clone Wars or whatever it's called, and I am nostalgic for the old days. So I had to write this review. Thanks for reading.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things I loved about this book: the quirky, regionalized language; the absolutely first-rate illustrations (easy to see why McCloskey was recognized by the Library of Congress), the story itself of whales and an old fisherman and band-aids.

What I didn't love about this book: It's verbose. Almost painfully so. So so many words! Especially for a children's book. While this may have held kids' attention in days past, I don't think that it will keep today's attention spans (though it may for upper-elementary students).

This would best lend itself to a read-aloud by a very skilled speaker. Expert bedtime-storytellers will find it a refreshing challenge, and those who appreciate a good dialect will enjoy the rhythm of the language in this book.

[Antoine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Odyssey of children's books, this one is long, vivid, highly improbable, and (to children) highly addictive. Burt's adventures with a whale, the Giggling Gull, and his fragile vessel, the Tidely-Idley are known by heart in my family. But if you set down to read it, prepare for a long haul. It isn't bad, boring, or tedious; it just goes on and on. On the plus side, at bedtime, your child may conk out well-before the story is over.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art in this book is a major departure from the pencil drawings of McCloskey's other books. This book is painted in vivid springtime colors that pop. I love his use of spatter paint throughout to depict waves. I don't want to give too much away, but there are also some terrific illustrations of whales. The story is cute, if somewhat random and is told in a folksy voice that seems appropriate, if somewhat stereotypical, for a deep-water man.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I dearly love McCloskey's illustrations for Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine, and Make Way for Ducklings, sometimes kids need color, and Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man has plenty. While the above books revel in a gentle every-dayness with a bit of adventure thrown in, Burt Dow is a tall tale in the great American tradition. McCloskey's sense of humor is put to good use here. Highly recommended!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a big fish story if I ever heard one! Burt Dow catches a whale, but tenderly takes out the hook and applies a bandaid. He gets swallowed by a whale like Jonah and Geppetto (Apparently that happened alot pre-70's) to be rescued from the storm. The grateful whale takes him to his herd of whales who begin slapping the water with their tails until his boat is about to sink. Can he figure what they want before he goes to Davy Jones' locker?

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky. Fun. You need to be able to explain 'Davy Jones' Locker' to your child. It's quite a bit longer than our usual stories ... but it is well told, has nice illustrations and is a pleasure to read. It stretched our four year old in a good way. And great holiday reading - read on a sofa over looking the sea!

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was longer than I had anticipated but a fun and quirky read. The language is regional (I know next to nothing about boat-speak) but it wasn't too far out there to understand. I didn't think my kids would make it through but they did and have mentioned the story again since finishing it. Not one I will pick up again but definitely one that gave us a happy read-a-loud memory.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very quirky little story , um ... tal tale... about the adventures of an old sea dog and his giggling gull. The language could use some tightening, but all in all it's very enjoyable, especially for early grade school kids. Be prepared to explain some nautical language and longer words which have become slightly antiquated. they add tot he story and the absurdism. Just lean into it.

[Erzsi Bloemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best read aloud children's book ever. Add a Dad willing to milk all the comedy he can out of the characters' voices, and the children will giggle themselves happily off to dreamland. Find the sturdiest paper copy you can, for this will be enjoyed often.

[Charity Yost Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are so colorful for a McCloskey book. My children couldn't handle the whole book in one sitting. We broke it up over several nights. Too many words per page for my 3-year-olds, but no good stopping places.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Especially the giggling gull.

[Christabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much fun to read aloud! The kids wholeheartedly gave it 5 stars. We will be borrowing this one again.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly, silly. The boys loved it.

[Kaelin O'Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming story and character, with gorgeous and colorful illustrations.