CAPTAIN’S CASTAWAY by Angeli Perrow, illustrated by Emily Harris, Down East Books, Camden, 1998, 32 pages, hardcover, $15.95.

Want to be prepared for the next time a real winter storm strikes? In addition to your candles, battery-powered radio and nonperishable food supplies, keep a copy of Angeli Perrow’s “Captain’s Castaway” on hand.

Reading this book aloud as winds whip around your house and sleet drums on the roof will provide your children with a truly memorable experience. Based on a true story, the gentle, timeless narrative of the love and trust that blossom between a brave sea dog and a lonely lighthouse keeper’s daughter will divert younger children from any anxiety created by the unleashing of nature’s destructive power.

Caught in a violent storm at sea, a sailing ship crashes into hidden rocks. When the captain’s dog attempts to climb into a lifeboat, a sailor pushes it away with an oar, terrified it will tip them into the tempest-tossed ocean. The crew manages to reach Great Duck Island Lighthouse where they are given shelter for the night. The next day they depart, mourning the loss of their canine.

Hunting for treasures that the storm might have washed up, Sarah, the lighthouse keeper’s daughter, hears a sound like a crying baby. After she finds and nurses the injured dog back to health, he becomes her faithful companion. Two years later the ship’s captain returns to Great Duck Island and recognizes his dog. A heartbroken Sarah knows she must do the right thing. Fortunately Seaboy, the dog, has ideas of his own and prevails.

Perrow’s interest in lighthouses began when she used the topic to link school subjects into an integrated unit for her fourth-grade class. “I looked for stories and magazine articles we could discuss in class. I developed math activities using lighthouses. We wrote about lighthouses and we explored the lenses aspect in science. We built lighthouses using Christmas bulbs and batteries.”

Perrow created a self-published lighthouse coloring book. “The problem was there wasn’t much information on lighthouses for children. So I spent the summer researching and putting this book together.”

In the course of her research, Perrow learned about Seaboy. “It was a story that had to be told. It amazed me that the dog was able to survive after being hit by the oar, and to make it to the shore in the storm. The loyalty between the dog and the girl, that loving relationship struck me the most.”

Perrow thought that illustrator Emily Harris did a wonderful job. “She interpreted it in maybe a little different way that brought in details that I never would have added to the book.”

Harris’ visual interpretation adds greatly to the story. The white-crested, wind-driven waves of the storm scenes erupt with explosive energy. In contrast, her lovingly detailed scenes of everyday island life convey a nostalgia-inspiring sense of tranquillity. Pigtailed, inquisitive Sarah is a very believable, empathy-inspiring heroine. In one adorable scene she tends to Seaboy in front of a wood stove, oblivious to the siblings who are trying to startle her with a make-believe spider. When she cradles Seaboy in her arms to bid him farewell, trying valiantly to hide her tears, she is the epitome of heartbreak and abandonment.

Seaboy — whether struggling to survive in the tempest-churned ocean, lying injured on the rocks, or trotting faithfully beside his mistress — will capture all but the most hardened heart. In the end, when he leaps eagerly from the captain’s boat into the loving embrace of a delighted Sarah, don’t be surprised to find yourself reaching for a hankie.

When she first held her published book in her hands, Perrow felt it to be a dream come true. “I’d been writing a long time and never had a story published.”

Perrow has quit teaching to devote herself to writing. She is working on a lighthouse book for older children. She eventually would like to illustrate her own books. Let’s hope this promising newcomer to the Maine children’s book scene will continue to shine her literary light for many years.