Molly Waldo! A Young Man's First Voyage to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, Adapted from the Stories of Marblehead Fishermen of the 1800s - Hardcover

PRISCILLA L. MOULTON championed the authors and illustrators of children s books throughout her professional career: developing school libraries, organizing events to promote children s books, reviewing for the Horn Book Magazine, and publishing Phaedrus (an international journal on children s literature). In leadership positions in the American Library Association, Priscilla participated in selecting several Newbery and Caldecott Medal winners. In 1959, as a new resident of Marblehead (MA), Priscilla first saw the paintings of J.O.J. Frost hanging in the historical society s Lee Mansion. Struck by their storytelling power, she began to imagine a book about Marblehead s history as a fishing community. Her research for that purpose became the foundation for Molly Waldo! This book for all ages pays tribute to an American historian and artist, as well as to the place that became home for the Moulton family. BETHE LEE MOULTON shares her mother s love for Marblehead. Learning to sail in the harbor, taking piano lessons next to General Glover s home and visiting Old Burial Hill are a few of the experiences that shaped the author of Molly Waldo! Like Bethe s first novel, Until Brazil, this work of historical fiction explores the theme -- Journeys Afar for Discoveries Within. After a career as an international business consultant, Bethe founded The Glide Press. The Glide is a graceful black yawl that was once a familiar sight in Marblehead Harbor. Sailing aboard the Glide, Bethe developed a deep respect for the sea and the skippers who make it home. In that spirit, she offers Molly Waldo! to its readers.

Drawing on historical events, the mother-daughter team of Priscilla L. and Bethe Lee Moulton vividly capture life in a 19th-century New England fishing community. Inspired by the paintings of J.O.J. Frost and fleshed out with biographies, a map, other artwork, and a glossary this coming-of-age tale follows fictional Jon Bowen on his first voyage aboard the fishing schooner Fides. As he battles the elements and learns the ropes, he encounters a colorful cast of characters who help him to survive along the way. The authors narrative is crisp and packed with details, providing readers with an authentic account of the perilous life of 19th-century fishermen. Frost s art, reproduced in black-and-white and full-color plates, is evocative, whimsical, and dramatic. This accessible, entertaining, and educational book should appeal to readers young and old. --Publishers Weekly, February 17, 2014 publishersweekly.com