Picture Books — Review

The Summer of the Marco Polo

by Lynn Manuel
illustrated by Kasia Charko
Orca Book Publishers, 2007
ISBN 978-1-55143-330-1
$19.95, hardcover, 32 pp, ages 5 – 8
www.orcabook.com

Lynn Manuel has adapted the journal of Lucy Maud Montgomery to capture a dramatic moment in Canadian history. The story, retold in picture book format, is of the 1883 grounding of the clipper ship the Marco Polo on the shores of Prince Edward Island. The town of Cavendish rallied to help the ship’s crew, and the captain stayed in the home in which Lucy Maud lived with her grandparents. Lucy Maud reflected on the event in her journal later in her life and these reflections bring a personal, emotional tone to the story. Beautiful, detailed illustrations depict the era in which the event occurred and the drama and excitement that it evoked in Lucy Maud and other onlookers. This is another great addition to the body of Canadian children’s literature that manages to entertain and educate, and that will be loved by both children and adults.

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