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Trim Sails the Storm

Illustrated by Kristy Caldwell
Paperback
$7.99 US
6"W x 9"H | 13 oz | 120 per carton
On sale Jul 15, 2025 | 48 Pages | 9781682633830
Age 7-10 years | Grades 2-5
One small kitten learns about the great big world as he set sail with his fellow shipmates, animal and human, in this historical fiction intermediate reader.

Trim has learned a lot about life at sea. He understands the daily routines and the responsibilities of each crew member, and he knows many of the ways to help. But one day he ventures outside and experiences something new and scary: a storm is brewing. As the wind whips his whiskers and the sky grows dark, Trim’s heart beats like a drum. All his friends are doing new things: preparing the sails, closing any openings on deck, and securing loose items. Penny and Jack explain each step to Trim and he is comforted to learn all the ways to prepare for a storm. And then he hears a strange noise coming from the lifeboats. There he finds Wisdom, a young albatross who is also experiencing her first storm. Can these two small creatures help each other ride out a storm and make a frightening experience a little less scary?
Deborah Hopkinson is the award-winning author of more than seventy nonfiction and historical fiction books. Her writing and programs help bring history and research to life for readers. She holds degrees from the University of Massachusetts and the University of Hawaii and lives in Oregon with her family and a menagerie of pets.

Kristy Caldwell is an illustrator from Louisiana, based in Brooklyn. Her first picture book, Flowers for Sarajevo, was a Kirkus Best Picture Book of 2017. She also has a history of providing graphic art to theater companies and is married to director Kelly O’Donnell. Visit her at www.kristycaldwell.com.

About

One small kitten learns about the great big world as he set sail with his fellow shipmates, animal and human, in this historical fiction intermediate reader.

Trim has learned a lot about life at sea. He understands the daily routines and the responsibilities of each crew member, and he knows many of the ways to help. But one day he ventures outside and experiences something new and scary: a storm is brewing. As the wind whips his whiskers and the sky grows dark, Trim’s heart beats like a drum. All his friends are doing new things: preparing the sails, closing any openings on deck, and securing loose items. Penny and Jack explain each step to Trim and he is comforted to learn all the ways to prepare for a storm. And then he hears a strange noise coming from the lifeboats. There he finds Wisdom, a young albatross who is also experiencing her first storm. Can these two small creatures help each other ride out a storm and make a frightening experience a little less scary?

Author

Deborah Hopkinson is the award-winning author of more than seventy nonfiction and historical fiction books. Her writing and programs help bring history and research to life for readers. She holds degrees from the University of Massachusetts and the University of Hawaii and lives in Oregon with her family and a menagerie of pets.

Kristy Caldwell is an illustrator from Louisiana, based in Brooklyn. Her first picture book, Flowers for Sarajevo, was a Kirkus Best Picture Book of 2017. She also has a history of providing graphic art to theater companies and is married to director Kelly O’Donnell. Visit her at www.kristycaldwell.com.