Blueberry and Jam: Adventures in Maine

By: Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino
Illustrated by: Irina Prisacaru
Publication Date: October 24, 2023
ISBN: 979-8860893214
Reviewed by: Katie Specht
Review Date: January 5, 2024

From award-winning author Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino comes a story of adventure and friendship entitled Blueberry and Jam: Adventures in Maine. Blueberry the cat and his best friend, Jam, a mouse, decide to set off together to explore their home state of Maine to see what they can discover as explorers.

Hamilton-Guarino’s story follows Blueberry and Jam on unique adventures throughout Maine as they ride the waves at the beach, search for sand dollars and shells, visit the lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, and climb up the Portland Observatory. They also visit L.L. Bean, explore the Boothbay Harbor to see the ships, learn about the magical troll Roskva, go lobster fishing and sailing, visit Acadia National Park, pick wild blueberries, and go fly-fishing. To conclude their trip, Blueberry and Jam go camping at Baxter State Park and head to the Appalachian Trail to hike up Mt. Katahdin. There, they meet several fellow friendly hikers, and they share stories of their adventures over the nightly campfires. They are both so excited to finally meet a moose as they wrap up their travels and head home to Mama, Papa, and Blueberry’s sister, Rose.

Blueberry and Jam: Adventures in Maine is a lovely and informative children’s book that kids of all ages will enjoy. The illustrations, created by Irina Prisacaru, are simply adorable and bring Blueberry, Jam, and the rest of the characters to life. Not only are Blueberry the cat and Jam the mouse loveable characters, but the story itself lends itself to a geography lesson for the youngest of learners. This book could be useful in the classroom when teaching young students about the United States. There is even a detailed map of the state of Maine on the back cover, complete with the stops that Blueberry and Jam made on their journey. The last two pages of the book contain interesting and unique facts about the state of Maine that not everyone may know.

Quill says: Author Hamilton-Guarino and illustrator Prisacaru have crafted a sweet tale of two friends embarking on unique travel adventures throughout the state of Maine. This book may just inspire its readers to visit Maine if they have never been!

For more information on Blueberry and Jam: Adventures in Maine, please visit the author’s website at: www.blueberryandjam.com