According to the dedication page, a hangashore is “an unlucky person deserving pity.” There are three hangashores in this picture storybook: John Payne, the 16-year-old minister’s son who’s considered by the Newfoundland offshore islanders as “not right in the head, but…of a good nature”; a recently arrived magistrate from England, very conscious of his position and determined to set an example of authority to the colonials; and an alcoholic layabout.

The time is the closing days of the Second World War, as soldiers are coming home. The first crisis occurs in church when John, who feels that the magistrate has been less than welcoming to the soldiers, calls him a “hangashore.” The magistrate’s retaliation is to threaten to put John into a mental asylum. The second crisis comes when John is instrumental in saving the magistrate’s life. It is an intricate plot without the impact of Butler’s The Killick, which is a highly emotional story of the relationship between a young boy and his grandfather, with the grandfather in a disaster at sea sacrificing his life for the boy.

Although the plot of The Hangashore can be described as a gem of an idea, it appears to be worked out in a hurry. There are inconsistencies in the portrayal of the characters and inconsistencies in the use of Newfoundland dialect (a glossary would have been an asset), and overall the writing is pedestrian. The full-page coloured illustrations continue Butler’s love affair with the province of his birth, but with a few exceptions, have a static quality; they depict scenes described in the text, but do not enhance them. Picture books and picture storybooks (the latter having more text than the former) are today considered a literary and art form for all ages, not just young children. Still, such books must have an appeal for a wide audience – both children and adults and anyone in between. The Hangashore does not fall into this category. It might have had a more substantial life as a short story for young adults. On the positive side, it’s a welcome book for teachers since the hero has Down’s syndrome. It is also in many ways a morality play about the conversion of the curmudgeon and the skill and generosity of those often deemed to be less than normal.