It’s a long story for a children’s book at 64 pages, not a detail was left out. Family, friends and neighbors inspire all of the characters in the book. One Morning in Maine gives readers a rare look into the life of author and illustrator Robert McCloskey. Excited that she is now big girl, Sal spends her whole day telling everyone she meets about her loose tooth – the fish hawk, the loon, and the seal. Afraid that it will hurt and that she will not be able to sail to Buck’s Harbor with her dad, Sal becomes distressed but is reassured by mom that a loose tooth is just one of many childhood passages to becoming a grownup. Sal wakes up one morning to discover she has a loose tooth. To this day I still cringe when I hear a door slam. Annie would like to make me sweat and enjoyed giving it a couple of practice runs not enough force to yank out the tooth, but enough to draw blood. Sometimes he would let my sister do the honors. Standing a good couple of paces from the open door, anxiety would build while I wait for the door to slam and set in motion a chain of events that would send my tooth flying through the air. My dad would tie one end of the string around the loose tooth and the other end to a doorknob. There was a time-honored tradition in our family whenever my sister and I had a loose tooth.
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