Baby Island

My daughter loved it and read it in one day. We bought extra copies to give as gifts. The friends we gave a copy to were going to use it as a Read-Aloud, but one of their girls took it straight to her room to read.

I read this book as a little girl. My four daughters and son also read it when they were young. It's a cute book. It's not so intense that someone will have nightmares while reading it. I am also a Reading Tutor. This is a great sized book to just enjoy reading. It's a great addition to all of the bigger, thicker books out there, and not overwhelming. It's a great read for little girls, who just want to be little girls, without all the pressures of the world while reading.

This book is one that I loved reading when I was younger and I recently bought it for my niece. She also enjoyed it tremendously and said that she would be reading it multiple times. Baby Island is a fairly easy read with a great plot.

Alas, kids these days want fast-action fantasy, not the books that their grandparents loved when they were children. I had hoped my granddaughter would enjoy it, but nope. She might have liked it if it had unicorns or ninja turtles in it, but it doesn't.

On board the S.S. Orminta, two weeks out of San Francisco, enroute to Australia to meet their father, two sisters Mary (12) and Jean (10) find themselves shipwrecked! As the S.S. Orminta starts to sink Mary's first thought was of the Snodgrasses and their three babies - twenty month old twins, Elijah and Elisha along with four month old Jonah. Upon reaching their cabin the parents are nowhere to be seen so Mary with her motherly instincts wraps up the babies, hands Jonah to Jean and they all proceed to the deck and lifeboats. Once loaded into the lifeboat they are then handed another baby, one year old Ann Elizabeth Arlington, whilst her father goes back for his wife and dog.After a sudden creak, thinking the boat is going to be sinking in the very near future, the sailors let down the lifeboat and the children find themselves alone on the ocean. What follows is an amazing, captivating adventure. Discover how the girls find milk and food on the lifeboat. Enjoy Jean's nonsense poems throughout the book. What do they learn about the tide when they finally arrive on "Baby Island"? How do they acquire Prince Charley, a monkey? Who is Halfred? What about Mr. Peterkin? What does he have that the babies need? Smile as the girls try to convert him from his heathen ways. Will they ever be rescued?For those interested this story does have a religious tone. The girls often sing hymns, recite Psalm 23 and Mary likes to preach on Sunday.There are simple illustrations scattered throughout this sweet, sweet story of two young girls who survive and show and a maturity not seen so often today. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Thanks, Liz

(Spoiler alert) In the last half of the book, there is a man on the other side of the desert island who has goats. With the lifeboats' canned milk running out, the girls' work their way into the man's life for the sake of the babies, cooking and cleaning in exchange for the weekly milk. His character development because of his interaction with especially one the babies, who calls his beard "pitty, pitty" (pretty, pretty) is the stuff children's literature should be made of. The oft-sung battle song about their ancestor William Wallace to shore up their courage in trying circumstances (suspenseful yet never worrisome) and Jean's clever made-up songs to highlight the plot points show signs of being a classic book to me. Motherhood so highly esteemed in childhood gives hope for the future.Mrs. D

This was my favorite book as a child way back in the 60s! I was so pleased to find it as a used book last summer and read it to my Summer School class and now plan to use it in my work as a reading tutor.As a child, I loved how the girls were resourceful and found ways to keep up their spirits. And the idea of living on a tropical island really captured my imagination (I drew many palm trees over the years! And perhaps that is part of why I live in Hawaii today).And, as a pre-teen, I loved babies and looked forward to babysitting. Perhaps in some way, books such as this, pulling me toward adventure, and my experiences babysitting, led me to the leap of being an "au pair" in Italy, caring for 4 boys. I do remember thinking of "Baby Island" as I made a basket from twigs and twine while the family and I were in the Italian Alps.As an adult, however, you have to suspend disbelief about two girls and babies in a liferaft that make it fairly easily to an island and survive with few problems. (When I thought of the book, as I grew older, I realized how tragic it would be for the parents of the babies!)Overall, I feel it gives a positive message for girls about being competent, creative and compassionate.

Well, this was a delightfully nostalgic read, full of 1930s American slang and lots of young heroine chutzpah. Here is the basic premise: 2 brave sisters, Mary and Jean (ages 12 and 10, respectively) are shipwrecked on a deserted island, with four babies in tow. Yes, it may be a simple plotline, but it makes for an entertaining story! Although this was written in the 1930s, it still appeals to young readers today. I read this book with four 4th and 5th grade girls, who selected it themselves as our first intramural book club pick. They all really enjoyed it, though we did all agree that it felt too old-fashioned at times and was a bit hard to relate to because of this. And I have to admit, I think this is more of a girl book than a boy book...that's not to say that boys might not enjoy the story, but I don't think they'd pick it out to read, as the protagonists are females and their main dilemma is how to care for four babies. Brink, also the author of  Caddie Woodlawn , fills her pages with rich vocabulary and description, so this really is quality children's literature. All in all, this one is well-worth a read and was a nice selection for an upper elementary book club. I would recommend it for children (girls especially) ages 8 and up.

Came in quickly, and in great condition, love this story, lost my copy a few year ago and really wanted to read it again recently.

My favourite story as a child! Cant wait to read to my grandchild!

This book was in amazing condition. It shall be enjoyed by many as it was given to a teacher.