The Fish House Door :: Islandport Press

ABOUT THE BOOK
Shawn comes from a long line of island lobstermen. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather have all hauled traps, baited pockets, painted buoys and cleaned their brushes on the door of the same fish house for decades. To Shawn, it's just a weathered old piece of wood with broken hinges. But when an art dealer comes to visit, he gives Shawn a new perspective on the fish house door, giving him a fresh look at the people and traditions that have shaped his past and will chart his future.

AWARDS
Children's Book Award Award, 2011 Maine Literary Awards
The Maine Literary Awards are awarded annually by the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance

Gold Medal Award, 2010 Moonbeam Award, Best Picture Book (All Ages)
The Moonbeam Awards were created by Michigan-based book marketing firm Jenkins Group to bring increased recognition to exemplary children's books and their authors, illustrators, and publishers. This year, there were more than 800 entries in 37 categories. "This year's Moonbeam Award winners again prove that books change children's lives," said Jenkins Group founder Jerrold Jenkins. "Watching our kids read them, and hearing the laughter and seeing the tears, you know these books make a difference."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert F. Baldwin (1934-2007) was a modern day troubadour, singing, playing the banjo and collecting and telling stories wherever he went. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, he attended 12 grade schools and the excitement of exploring new places stayed with him all his life. His articles and stories about the sea, the people who work on it, and the creatures that live in it have appeared in Sea Frontiers, Down East, Offshore, Maine Boats and Harbors and Yankee. His children's books include New England Whaler, This is the Sea That Feeds Us and Cities Through Time: Beijing. After living in Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Iowa, Bob and his wife Annabelle settled in Newcastle, Maine, where Bob first heard the story of the fish house door.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Astrid Sheckels was born and raised in the farming town of Hatfield, Massachusetts. She cannot remember a time when she wasn't listening to, telling or illustrating stories. Her detailed illustrations give every story more depth and dimension, and the scenes and faces in The Fish House Door are based on location photo shoots and real New Englanders. Astrid's first children's book, The Scallop Christmas, written by Jane Freeberg and published by Islandport Press, won a 2009 Maine Lupine Honor Award, given annually to a picture book of outstanding merit. She lives, paints, and teaches in western Massachusetts.

EXCERPT
“ Why, I thought, would a rich summer person say he liked that beat-up old door? The door was a mess. Whenever Dad or I painted our trap buoys or repainted the skiff, we cleaned our paintbrushes against it. I kind of liked it though, the same way I liked the stink of old bait bags and how the harbor smelled at low tide. They all reminded me of our island. What I couldn't figure out was why a stranger would like it. ”