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Buy the Bayside, ME Children's Book,
“Matt and Claire's Summer in Maine!”
Written by Sandra Hall and Illustrated by Gretchen Irby
About the book:
Siblings experience the joys of vacation at a local seaside retreat. They explore the hamlet shyly at first, but then befriend other children who pilot a driftwood raft at the ocean’s edge. Tentative overtures lead to total immersion in the community, which makes it hard to leave at the season’s end.
...The car is unloaded as quick as can be.
The cottage explored, spaces greeted with glee.
The parents find rocking chairs in easy reach
While the kids don their suits and head for the beach....
...“No quarter! Or perhaps we could parlay instead,”
So says the girl with the cap on her head.
“We need two more crew to manage the boat;
We could add some more logs to keep her afloat.”...
...Vacation is over; it’s time to go home.
But they’ll never forget, wherever they roam,
The place that incites their winter refrain—
‘Can’t wait ’til the time when we get back to Maine!’...
SANDRA HALL AND GRETCHEN IRBY are a mother/daughter, author/illustrator team. They are life-long seasonal residents of Bayside, Maine, the village which acts as a model for this book. They are delighted to share their passion for this place of family and community bonds which go back through many generations. This is their first collaborative work, created with many laughs, a few sentimental tears, and lots of love. View more of Gretchen's artwork »
