Sailing Home: A Story of a Childhood at Sea

by Gloria Rand, Gloria Rand (As told by)

Games of tag on the deck; swings tied to the masts; a floating farmyard filled with chickens and ducks and even a pig; exotic pets, including a mongoose, a monkey, a kangaroo; studying astronomy and celestial navigation under the stars and geography with firsthand visits all over the world. This was the childhood of the four Madsen children who made their home aboard a four-masted sailing bark that carried cargo in the 1800s. Based on the journal kept by Captain Madsen and his daughter Ena, the story of this seafaring family is brought to life for modern children by Gloria and Ted Rand. Culminating in a dramatic Christmas Eve storm at sea, this is at once a rousing adventure and an intriguing look at a unique lifestyle that will fascinate young and old alike.

Author Biography: Gloria and Ted Rand have collaborated on many popular children s books, including the Salty Dog series, Baby in a Basket, and Prince William. For North-South, Ted Rand has illustrated Clement C. Moore s The Night Before Christmas. The Rands live on Mercer Island, Washington.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Historical Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2001

Reviews

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice story. Perfectly clean and contains no nonsense. There's an error on one page where the author describes coal as highly inflammable.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful, true story from a child's perspective about life at sea. My family greatly enjoyed this.

[Alyssa Bohon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A completely delightful children's book, and it's true! The black and white pictures of the real family at the back are fascinating too.

[Tara]

X4

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating story. My boys loved it, and so did I.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to my girls. We all really enjoyed it. It was a sweet little book, with great illustrations. The girls liked seeing the photographs of the ship and the family at the back of the book, too. Highly recommend.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool kids book. Lots of opportunities for discussions and an amazing story overall!