Carole Klement Huxel

I was lucky enough to purchase an early copy of The Famous Phoebe of Long Island and was eager to share with my grandchildren. Being from Long Island myself I was glad to be able to talk a little with them about some of my own adventures on the NY beaches. The first paragraph set the tone immediately by identifying Phoebe as the narrator and quickly letting us know that she’s a rescue dog. Giving a voice to Phoebe rather than the adults made it easy for my audience to put themselves into the story. While the vocabulary was sometimes a bit beyond their first grade reading level, the context left it easy for them to define the words for themselves. What I noticed most was that the very young Phoebe was experiencing Fire Island much as an young child would, in the company of attentive adults open to nature and exploring. And of course Phoebe has no phone or technology, leaving her fully in the present to see the wonders of the forest, the dunes and the beach. Leading Phoebe to social interactions with new dogs and immediately creating friendships was also something my covid-scarred audience had not yet experienced for themselves so that might have been more relevant for them. However, children in that first grade age bracket often don’t have many opportunities to meet people outside their parents’ social circle so I thought that was an important addition to the story. I particularly loved the illustrations. The watercolor was very bright and colorful with high definition for young children, but also leaning into realism with enough going on to satisfy adults. I think The Famous Phoebe of Long Island could easily become a series, which would be terrific for children to look forward to every vacation season.