Monhegan inspires `School’

SEAL ISLAND SCHOOL, written by Susan Bartlett, illustrated by Tricia Tusa, Viking, New York, 1999, 69 pages, hardcover, $13.99.

“No, Mom,” 6-year-old Katie would protest, “That’s not the way Mrs. Smart does it,” any time I strayed too far from kindergarten protocol at home. And 9-year-old Amber would preface new, fascinating school-gleaned gems of information with “Mrs. Sanborn said …” in the tone of an old-time preacher announcing chapter and verse for Scripture. When all goes well in school, young students tend to put their teachers on pedestals.

Any child who has gone through a school year convinced that a teacher is simply the best will empathize with Pru Stanley, the spunky, resourceful young protagonist of Susan Bartlett’s “Seal Island School.”

Pru loves the intimate, cozy community and quiet beauty of her island home. She doesn’t understand why teachers stay at its two-room schoolhouse only a year and move on, finding it boring and lonely. She is determined not to lose her third-grade teacher, Miss Sparling, the best teacher in all of Maine. How she sets about meeting this challenge makes a satisfying read for children who can handle chapter books and a fun read-aloud for younger boys and girls.

Bartlett, a Vermont resident, spends time each summer in Maine hiking, sailing and bird- and seal-watching. The inspiration for “Seal Island School” came from her experiences on Monhegan Island.

Like her heroine, Pru, Bartlett finds something special about the small schools that both Vermont and Maine still maintain. Her community school, although much larger than the fictional one on Seal Island, is a modest size with 150 pupils in kindergarten through sixth grade. She finds that, despite their limitations in acquiring the latest equipment, small schools have pluses that greatly outweigh their minuses. “There is a close student-teacher community. It is important to maintain a sense of community in school.”

A retired children’s book editor, Bartlett teaches writing at the University of Vermont. There was never any doubt that she would become an author. Even before her involvement in the publishing world, reading was an important part of her life. “I was introduced to books at an early age. And I brought my own children up in a house full of books. I always read faithfully to them and encouraged them to read. I bought them books for presents.”

Bartlett feels that the most exciting aspect of being a writer is creating stories that will entertain children and cause them to feel for the characters. “It’s much more difficult than most people imagine: creating believable characters who react in honest and convincing ways and a plot that has forward motion, a plot that doesn’t wander.”

She has certainly succeeded in “Seal Island School.” From the opening scene where a startled Miss Sparling discovers a live gerbil in Pru’s desk and gently convinces Pru to wait until lunchtime to show her friends her pet, the characters are likable and inspire empathy. Pru’s quest for a way to keep her beloved teacher from leaving has integrity and forward motion. Her solution is both clever and believable for a 9-year-old. And the special events of her school year — a surprise birthday present, the discovery on the beach of a note in a bottle — do not in any way cause the plot to wander.

Bartlett enjoys volunteering as a reading tutor at her local elementary school. “It helps keep me in touch with children, what level they’re reading on, what kind of books interest them.”

She has advice for a parent wanting to help a child learn to read. “Spend time with your child. Introduce him or her to the wonder of books. Make reading time together a close and happy time. Don’t push. Give your child time to respond. Discuss the illustrations. Talk about the people and ideas of the books.”

If you and your children enjoy “Seal Island School” as did Katie and I, you’ll be pleased to know that Bartlett is working on a sequel.

And if your children come home quoting beloved teachers frequently, you’re in luck. These close, supportive relationships are enhancing their love of education in the same way that your careful nurturing sent them off to school with a zest for learning. You and the teachers on the pedestal are on the same team. And you’re winning!