Once there was a great big fisherman and a little fisherman. . . They sailed boats.” So begins the classic story by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Dahlov Ipcar. The book, now condensed into a beautiful board book version, follows the two fisherman through a day in their life at sea, the big fisherman with his big boat, big fish, and big sailors, and the little fisherman with his little boat, little fish, little sailors––and a big story.

The Little Fisherman is a milestone in the illustrious career of the legendary Dahlov Ipcar. The Little Fisherman, originally published in 1945, was the very first children's book illustrated by the then-twenty-eight-year-old artist. The book, with its authentic coastal scenes, helped establish her distinctive style and ignited a four-decade creative run that saw her write and illustrate more than thirty children's books, all from a studio overlooking her farm on Georgetown Island, Maine. The fact that Ipcar's first book was also written by Margaret Wise Brown only adds to its importance in the world of children's literature.