It was a beach day, by Maine standards — slightly overcast and moderately balmy, with a hint of balsam in the air. But on a peak-summer morning in July, 225 people steered clear of state parks and went to Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick instead. They were young and old, in strollers and on walkers and strutting the latest technical sandals. They wore pigtails, baby slings, ironic T-shirts, a head scarf, a lobster hat, a crown, a tiara and halos of white hair. As “Sal” McCloskey, now 78, settled into an armchair at the front of Morrell Reading Room, a hush fell over the undulating sea of children at her feet.

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Persons: Curtis, Sarah McCloskey, Sal ”, Robert McCloskey, Ducklings ”, “ Sal ” McCloskey, Morrell, Matilda, Pippi, Eloise, haven’t Organizations: Curtis Memorial Library Locations: Maine, Brunswick, strollers