THE LITTLE ISLAND by Golden MacDonald

The Little Island by Golden MacDonald and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard has been around since at least 1946; had reprints in 1974 and any number of bootlegged, illegal copies made and sold throughout the years. There is a reason for this! This book is actually good! The story, more about that later, is beautifully done and the art work is different enough; quirky enough to appeal to children, and I might add open minded adults, down through the years.

The story is rather timeless and at first glance rather simple. We have a very small island inhabited by various creatures and plants and sea critters. The little island is subject to the changes in the seasons. This little island is actually a microcosm of our planted, and even the most thick witted can spot this fact after only a few pages. Kids, unlike some adults, are quite a bit brighter than we give them credit for; more open to the use of the possible and impossible, and pick up on this fact rather quickly. The author’s prose is actually comforting in its rhythm and cadence. Following is an example:

The morning was quiet
on the Island
with only the spiders sailing their webs
against a gentle wind.

Boats sailed to the little island
from far away
and herring and mackerel
leaped out of the water
all silver in the moon light.
The seaweed squeaked at low tide
and the little green pears grew on the pear tree.
A black crow flew over.

When you read these words, simple as they are, and then shut your eyes, you can actually visualize the little island just setting there, doing its thing, and doing what islands do best.

The story continues with a visit from a boat which caries with it a small cat. The cat, a curious creature, explores the island, making cat observations, as cats will. The story of the island and its inhabitants are more or less shown and told through the cats eyes. The child learns of the trees; the pear tree, fish, lobsters, insects, flowers and birds. There is an absolutely delicious picture of two Kingfishers that are an absolute delight. It does not take much of a leap to understand, or at least gather a feeling of the circle of nature in this work. When the cat leaves with the boat, the island continues to be an island and all is the same. There is an eternal flow about this work that is quite comforting.

Now very few have been able to say a critical word as to the writing ability of MacDonald. There are those that are not all that happy with the art work of Weisgard though. The reader MUST remember when these pictures were made and put them in the proper context of the times. They must also gaze at the paintings through the eyes of a child rather than that of a “sophisticated” adult art critic; no, no, no…this is a big mistake to do so! Keep in mind that this was written and illustrated for children; young children at that. It is a big mistake to judge a children’s book by either it’s age or worse yet, it’s appeal to the logical minded adult.

For children ages 4-8