Children's book - seawreck

August 25, 2006 9:15 AM

I'm trying to remember a book from my childhood. Shipwreck, tragedy, dead girl...

Sounds like a fun read for a kid, huh? The story was about the captain of a ship who took his daughter onboard on one trip. There was a terrible storm, and in order to save his daughter's life, he lashed her to the bow of the ship like a masthead. The story ends when someone finds the girl's body washed up on the shore, still lashed to a broken off piece of the bow.

posted by Evangeline to media & arts (6 comments total)

Longfellow's "Wreck of the Hesperus"?
posted by TedW at 10:42 AM on August 25, 2006

Oh my goodness - that's it! It's funny, but I have a memory of reading it in the form of a picture book as a very small child. That can't be right, surely.

Thanks!
posted by Evangeline at 12:10 PM on August 25, 2006

Ironic, given your name.
posted by clarkstonian at 12:24 PM on August 25, 2006

Not my real name, just a name I've always loved. I must have been reading a lot of Longfellow as a child.
posted by Evangeline at 12:44 PM on August 25, 2006

Fascinating!
Until now, this title's been only a wonderful song by Procol Harum, to me. Always appreciate learning the source.
posted by Rash at 1:08 PM on August 25, 2006

There were probably many illustrated versions of the story, so your recollection of a picture book may not be all that far off.
posted by lhauser at 11:13 PM on August 26, 2006