However, McCloskey had a summer home on Scott Island in Maine and three of his most significant works: Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine, Burt Down: Deep Water-man, and Time of Wonder were set in Maine. McCloskey used his own family as characters in his books.
Prior to his success with his Maine stories, McCloskey worked as an artist. But he was not successful as an artist until he began to dabble in the arena of children's books. Besides his Maine stories, he is also the author of Lentil, Make Way for Ducklings, Homer Price, and Centerburg Tales.
McCloskey won the Caldecott Medal twice, first for Make Way for Ducklings and later for Time of Wonder.
Barbara Cooney (1917-2000) and her twin brother were born in Brooklyn, New York, though her love was her grandmother's home in Maine. Cooney was educated at Smith College, from which she received a liberal arts degree in 1934. She later attended the Art Students League in New York City as a step to a career in book illustrations. This career in book illustrations led directly to Cooney's own books, including Miss Rumphius, Island Boy, and Hattie and the Wild Waves.
Cooney was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1959 for Chanticleer and the Fox and in 1980 for Ox-Cart Man
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
As for Cooney's personal life, she was married twice and was the mother of four children, one of whom built her prized home in Damariscotta, Maine. Cooney lived in Maine until her death in 2000. Much of her artwork is located at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.
Margaret Wise Brown (1910-1952) was an editor and then a writer, and is also credited with the creation of the modern day picture book. Her books, Good Night Moon and The Runaway Bunny are considered classics. In 1943, Brown moved to Vinalhaven Island, Maine, and wrote The Little Island, which was published in 1946. The illustrator of this book, Leonard Weisgard received a Caldecott Medal for his work.
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