Once upon an Isle: The Story of Fishing Families on Isle Royale

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Little Book
Review: It is the happiest of chances for us that a boy who lived a very unique childhood grew up to be an illustrator. Howard Sivertson spent a good portion of his childhood living in a fishing colony on primeval Isle Royale, a remote wilderness paradise in northern Lake Superior. Though it is now a U. S. National Park, Isle Royale was for more than one hundred years home to commercial fishermen, a hardy breed who spent most of each year battling primitive living conditions and the unforgiving freshwater sea. Sivertson remembers much beauty and humor in life among the small tough Scandanavians. Prone to seasickness, Sivertson left the family fishing trade to make a living as an illustrator. Now in his later years, he has brought his childhood idyll to life in his lovingly rendered paintings and the simple stories which accompany them. Though this book may almost strike you as a childrens' story, the beauty and childlike simplicity of it cannot fail to move you.