In simple prose and exquisite illustrations, two-time Caldecott winner Barbara Cooney celebrates a simple, all but forgotten way of life. Matthais Tibbetts grows up on the outermost island of a great bay in Maine. Although he sails the world as a young man, he knows he will return to the island to farm and fish and raise a family. Through the changing times, Matthais teaches new generations the island ways. "A good man. A good life," his neighbours and friends say.

For this 30th anniversary edition, Cooney's luminous art has been reoriginated, restoring the glowing colour that is her hallmark. A foreword by her son, Barnaby Porter, describes Cooney's lifelong love of the Maine coast.

Illustrated by: Barbara Cooney