Just as summer’s heating up, on July 11, you can meet author Cathryn Newton, whose children’s book, “Home Sweet Island,” takes us through a warm-hearted Vineyard winter’s tale.
Newton opens her story with the barest of hints of what’s to come, evocatively situating us in Menemsha and introducing us to the young heroine: “A light snow softly began falling from the sky, melting the moment it landed on the weathered boards of Dutcher Dock. It was the day before Christmas Eve in this island village, and as the whirling Northern wind picked up, the snowflakes twirled in spirals before making their soft landing … With the working harbor’s continuous activity and dependence on the sea, many kept the changing weather patterns in the forefront of their minds. Linnea had heard her parents talking that morning about an Arctic front coming through, bringing cold air, snow, and blustery winds, arriving soon! … Life at sea during these months could be tumultuous, especially harrowing with winter’s icy gale.”
Soon Linnea learns that the oncoming storm has delayed a ship from returning to Europe. She feels bad for the crew members, believing they must feel sad so far from home as they wait out the storm in foreign waters. Newton writes, “Linnea sprang into action. ‘Oh, Papa,’ she cried, ‘can’t we bring something to the crew? Wouldn’t that be perfect?’ Papa replied, ‘My Linnea, your kindness is a true gift. It shows the meaning of Christmas.’”
What follows is Linnea reaching out to her Island community, with everyone chipping in and donating scrumptious gifts that she and her father deliver just before the storm arrives. Upon returning home, they unpack the gift the crew gave them — a very unusual scrimshaw star and a loving note thanking them: “May your thoughtfulness and caring spirit always shine bright and reflect peace and joy in the world.”
What Linnea does with the star at the end enhances the book’s uplifting message even further. Newton shared in an email, “It is my sincere hope as the eternal optimist that there is a collective recognition that we all have the propensity to be inspiring harbor lights to one another. The seasons may come and go; however, the memories are not ephemeral.”
I asked Newton whether she based the book on a real situation. She wrote, “This story is historical fiction, as I embellished the original event. In the early 1970s, there was an impending winter storm where a container ship from Europe had to modify its itinerary, and the crew coalesced and sought refuge in Menemsha Harbor. True to the generosity of the Island community, several benevolent locals brought provisions to the crew to create a holiday for those who wouldn’t have otherwise had one.”
About the target audience, Newton told me that the storyline is written as a children’s book for all ages, most notably in a soothing, therapeutic style that discusses many educational and illuminating components — the nuances of coastal living, relying on Mother Nature and its impacts on nautical elements, the history of scrimshaw, and the inherent values of kindness and compassion for others.
Will Kefauver’s lovely illustrations help us imagine the story as it unfolds. Newton feels that his oil paintings are visually eloquent, and enlighten the narrative vividly. She said working together to create the storyboard was a memorable experience.
“While living on the Island year-round for two decades, I frequently saw the heroics, resiliency, and self-reliance required with existing and thriving in a more remote New England coastal landscape, and all its precipitousness,” Newton says. “It was not lost on me how there was a selfless spirit that vehemently held the community together.”
“Home Sweet Island,” by Cathryn Newton, illustrated by Will Kefauver. $15.95. Available at Edgartown Books, where Newton will appear on Tuesday, July 11, from 2 to 4 pm. For more information, see homesweetisland.com.