DAWN WATCH

Dawn watch is the last watch on a sailboat when the sky seems darkest, the waves seem biggest, and you wonder why you’re out there. Pendziwol evokes this memory of that emotional time as a young girl on a sail with her father. Does much happen? Not unless you count the awesome isolation of being on deck or bright comfort of sighting the North Star, which has guided sailors for centuries. Or the awesomely magnificent undulations of the Northern Lights. Or the imagining of dragons at sea turning into a huge freighter about to run the boat over. And then finally the glow of dawn over a cup of hot chocolate with dad. Quiet pleasures, but important ones in a sailboat at sea. Debon, with his chromatic chiaroscuro paintings, has clearly been there too, as he complements this story in perfect trim. (Picture book. 5-9)