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63rd out of 572 books
—
210 voters
Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man
Whenever Burt Dow, who lives in a snug little house on the Maine coast, sets out to sea, his pet giggling gull goes along. But this time, it will take all his might and some plain old ingenuity to save him and the gull from a raging storm.
Paperback, 64 pages
Published
March 1st 1989
by Puffin
(first published 1963)
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We borrowed this book from the library as part of a kit with an audiocassette narrated by Tim Sample and music composed by Petr Skoumal. We enjoyed listening to the heavily accented narration while we followed along with the book.
The illustrations are very entertaining and old fashioned, but with a riot of color that many of Robert McCloskey's other books lack. And when Burt is inside the whale, they are a bit psychedelic and resemble a Jackson Pollock painting. In fact, the whole second half o...more
The illustrations are very entertaining and old fashioned, but with a riot of color that many of Robert McCloskey's other books lack. And when Burt is inside the whale, they are a bit psychedelic and resemble a Jackson Pollock painting. In fact, the whole second half o...more
A tall tale about a retired deep-water man. I loved the line about his painting inside the whale's tummy:
"He was beginning to enjoy himself - probably because it was the first time he'd ever had a chance to really express his personality in paint."
This is accompanied by an illustration of the whale's pink tummy, splattered and streaked with yellow, black, and brown splotches - it might have been quite modern in 1963.
I also liked the complete blackness of the pages just after he convinced the wha...more
"He was beginning to enjoy himself - probably because it was the first time he'd ever had a chance to really express his personality in paint."
This is accompanied by an illustration of the whale's pink tummy, splattered and streaked with yellow, black, and brown splotches - it might have been quite modern in 1963.
I also liked the complete blackness of the pages just after he convinced the wha...more
A lesser-known McCloskey but deserves to have more fame. Old salt Burt Dow has an old boat that he takes out fishing, and one day, because of good weather, he takes it farther out than usual. He has an extraordinary adventure. This is a perfect read-aloud for 5 and up, especially for kids in that band-aid, boo-boo fascination stage. Plus it has whales.
We read this in our Make Way for McCloskey as recommended by Sonlight P3/4 and while I love the sepia tones of Make Way for Ducklings the vividly colorful illustrations send the reader for a whirl. If ever there were a read aloud to bring out my slightly hidden Georgia accent... oh my it would be with Burt, Leela, and Idely Tidely! This was a fun read and I'm sure with more read oversea I will find even more fun behind it. There are rhymes and rhythm. There are sounds and repeats. So much for en...more
In an attempt to reach my goodreads goal, I am reading picture books. I'm trying to read things I should have read 20 or so years ago. But this is a humorous fun book. I think it might be a great read aloud for 3-5 graders.
A wonderful story with the most tasty rollicking language. Not too many kid sit through such long stories - but I hope they get a chance to hear about Burt Dow and his whale enounters.
Jul 04, 2009
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
marked it as to-read
Recommended to Krista the Krazy Kataloguer by:
Amy
Shelves:
to-read-interloan-my
I'm sure I read this years ago, but I don't remember it, so I'll have to read it again.
The absolute essential children's book for a little girl from Maine.
A lesser known McCloskey. Well worth a read.
With a title like that, how can you go wrong?
Read while on vacation in Maine!
Ginny Poor's pantry! :)
Delightful!
The art in this book is a major departure from the pencil drawings of McCloskey's other books. This book is painted in vivid springtime colors that pop. I love his use of spatter paint throughout to depict waves. I don't want to give too much away, but there are also some terrific illustrations of whales. The story is cute, if somewhat random and is told in a folksy voice that seems appropriate, if somewhat stereotypical, for a deep-water man.
Jan 28, 2008
Antoine
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
parents & children
The Odyssey of children's books, this one is long, vivid, highly improbable, and (to children) highly addictive. Burt's adventures with a whale, the Giggling Gull, and his fragile vessel, the Tidely-Idley are known by heart in my family. But if you set down to read it, prepare for a long haul. It isn't bad, boring, or tedious; it just goes on and on. On the plus side, at bedtime, your child may conk out well-before the story is over.
This book made me laugh out loud and kept a smile on my face! Loved it!
WOW! Read this to my 4 year old. We loved it! The illustrations are wonderful and he uses a lot of onomatopoeia that really ushers what could be a long book along quickly. New Favorite Author!
A fun sea-based adventure fantasy from McCloskey. The illustrations are in color. Didn't quite give me the guffaws or ahhs/warm fuzzy moments that other McCloskey books do, but enjoyable.
Notes:
9yo son likes it more than I do
burt saves himself in a storm by getting swallowed
strange at the end with all the colorful whales
9yo son likes it more than I do
burt saves himself in a storm by getting swallowed
strange at the end with all the colorful whales
Didn't enjoy the illustrations and found the story so-so.
whales love band-aids, just like me!
Fantastic. Especially the giggling gull.
Hyrum loves this book so much.
May 19, 2013
Carrie
marked it as to-read
Apr 20, 2013
Iroulito91
marked it as to-read
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Jul 19, 2011 02:29pm