Bucket (Children's Books, for Young and Old)

Bucket the cat was a reincarnated pirate. He lived with Ellie Kulikan, who owned a boarding house at the end of a dock in a fishing village where old men with floppy hats told tales of such inventiveness that they became the truth and were passed down to the local children as the history of the town. One day the cool, dreamlike sea turns dangerous, and an adventure falls into the life of Bucket and Ellie and their woodchopper friend Olaf. Lost, the three find shelter in a magical place where Bucket had been once before, two hundred and forty-seven years ago, but he can't quite remember its name. Beautifully illustrated by his artist/teacher mother, Forrer's poetic tale of gentle mystery and wry humor reflects his own diverse career on the water, in boat-building, commercial fishing, writing, and ocean freight. All ages.