Twelve days of Letters to Santa Day eleven - The Lighthouse Keeper's Christmas

Dear Father Christmas,
I will be at the Grinlings' house on Christmas eve.
They have a chimney.
Your friend, 
George

Dear Father Christmas,

Uncle ways that he would like something for Christmas that's fun to wear.

No boring slippers.

Your friends

Mr Grinling and George

PS Hamish would like another toy mouse

George is the great-nephew of the lighthouse keeper Mr Grinling and he has come to stay. This will be the last Christmas, as lighthouse keeper, for Mr Grinling. On Christmas eve Mr Grinling, George and Hamish row out to the lighthouse. At the end of their busy day a storm whips up and their small dinghy is tossed out into the waves. Mrs Grinling had packed a delicious lunch but what will they eat for their tea? Mrs Grinling packs a new basket (just as she did in the very first book) with cake, pies, sandwiches, and fruit BUT yes, just as we have seen previously, those pesky seagulls attack the basket and everything is either eaten or lost into the sea. Luckily Mr Grinling is able to find a tin of baked beans, some sardines, an old potato and a packet of chocolate biscuits. They are snug and safe inside the lighthouse and everything is okay BUT then George remembers his letter to Santa. He needs to write a new one!

Father Christmas, Father Christmas

We are at the lighthouse tonight. Please ask the reindeer 

to bring the sleigh to the door because there isn't any chimney.

Your friends

George and Mr Grinling and Hamish

They attach this note to the top lighthouse window and Mr Grinling finds two enormous socks that Santa can use as Christmas stockings. 

"They left the socks and a chocolate biscuit by the lighthouse door, then Mr Grinling tucked George back into bed."

Over night it snows, and they wake up to a perfect white world AND stockings full of presents! And later Mrs Grinling sends their Christmas dinner over in the basket - but will those pesky seagulls attack the food again? Oh and Mrs Grinling also finds a way to reach the lighthouse and she has a special card for Mr Grinling from all the people of the village. A perfect happy ending.

Bookseller blurb: Once there was a lighthouse keeper called Mr Grinling. At night time he lived in a small white cottage perched high on the cliffs, and in the daytime he rowed out to his lighthouse to clean and polish the light. Mr and Mrs Grinling are looking forward to an extra-special Christmas with their great-nephew, George. But on Christmas Eve, Mr Grinling and George get stranded in the middle of a storm! Can Mrs Grinling reach them in time for Christmas dinner?

The Lighthouse Keeper's Christmas was published in 2002. The paperback edition was released in 2014 - that's the good news. It is still in print (I think) but the online bookseller price is over AUS$25. I was lucky to pick up my copy at a recent charity book sale for just 50 cents and it is in mint condition.

I have been a fan of the Lighthouse Keeper's book series since the first book was published back in 1977. In one of the schools where I worked as a Teacher-Librarian one class spent the whole term on work inspired by this book and all the sequels and as a result I made this Pinterest and now my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything adds books too. My love of lighthouses does go back even further than 1977 though - back to 1968 or 1969 when my family rented a tiny garage which was used by the owners as a make-shift holiday house at Port Macquarie on the New South Wales coast. The address was Lighthouse Road and so as expected there was a glorious lighthouse right the end of the road and this became by regular bike riding expedition and book reading nook nestled under the tower of the lighthouse. 

Christmas and lighthouses - a perfect combination. Here are a couple of other Christmas books set in Lighthouses!

It's day eleven of my twelve days of Christmas letters to Santa - I wonder which book will appear tomorrow - actually there might be a Christmas surprise - TWO books!

The Lighthouse Princess by Susan Wardell illustrated by Rose Northey

"The princess lived in a tower by the sea. She wasn't sad and she wasn't stuck."

Her tower home is a lighthouse. The princess loves to fish, collect shells, swim and make paper planes. 

"She wasn't even lonely ... Well maybe a little bit."

One day during a wild storm, she sees a young boy in a little boat and he is in danger. When she pulls him to the shore the boy, who has just been rescued, asks the princess - "Do you need rescuing from the tower?"

Are you thinking of Rapunzel? Does she need rescuing or is there another possible outcome for this new fairy tale? I am not going to spoil the story but I can say ...  And yes they both lived ...

Happily ever after

My wonderful "library" friend gave me this book for my birthday last week because she knows I LOVE lighthouses and I believe in fairy tales. This book was the most perfect present ever!

The Lighthouse Princess won The Storylines Gavin Bishop Award from New Zealand. Here is the web site for Rose Northey who is a performance poet. Susan Wardell is an anthropologist and also an poet. Here is an interview with Susan where she talks about writing this book. 

The Storylines Gavin Bishop Award was established in 2009. The award aims to encourage the publication of new and exciting high-quality picture books from new New Zealand illustrators. ... The award is open only to previously unpublished illustrators.

Take a close look at the cover of this book - I love the way it shows the confidence of the princess and the wild waves that surround her lighthouse. But the illustration below there is a hint about her wishes and dreams. 

Here are some versions of Rapunzel which you might like to explore.  I would also be tempted to revisit The Paperbag Princess and perhaps The Tough Princess along with lots of picture books about living in a lighthouse.

A Lighthouse Story by Holly James illustrated by Laura Chamberlain

Eva visits her lighthouse keeper grandfather each summer. She has been visiting for many years and so is an expert on lighthouses, their design and purpose. When Eva arrives, Grandad has a long list of chores - cleaning the light lens, recording the clouds in the log book, and sounding the fog horn on foggy days. Eva understands every lighthouse has a different flashing pattern and in the evening Grandad explains the constellations. Grandad also shares stories of past lighthouse keepers and heroes of the age such as Grace Darling. Eva does have to return to school but she will be back at the lighthouse again next summer.

On the final pages of this book you can read more about lighthouses and see some famous examples including our Macquarie Lighthouse here in Sydney, Australia.

The subtitle of this book is: The Magic and Wonder of Living by the Sea.

Publisher blurb: On a rocky island in the middle of the sea, Eva's Grandad is the keeper of the lighthouse. When storms brew and the mist descends, the lighthouse offers a beacon of hope to sailors trying to find their way home. Why were lighthouses first created? How does the light travel so far? What happens when a storm hits? Join Eva and her Grandad and discover all about the inner workings of a lighthouse, what a lighthouse keeper does all day and thrilling stories of daring sea rescues. Did you know that you can see the light from a lighthouse nearly 30km away? Readers will learn about cloud formations, stars in the night sky and the wildlife that surrounds the lighthouse. There is always lots to do and see as a lighthouse keeper.

Read more about Laura Chamberlain here.

I saw this book in my local bookshop - Beachside Bookshop today and of course I just had to add it to my own collection because you may already know I am a huge fan of lighthouses. when you open A Lighthouse Story take some time to linger over the front and back end papers. They are very special.

Here are some of my favourite lighthouse picture books:

The Lighthouse Santa

Hello Lighthouse

How Does a Lighthouse Work?

Featherlight by Peter Bunzl

"There always has to be someone watching the sea and the lantern in case of emergencies. For the rest of the hours of this strange night that person has to be me. For the first time ever, I am by myself in the lighthouse, taking Dad's place on the night watch."

A new baby is due to arrive coming into a family who live in a lighthouse on Featherstone Island. Late one night Deryn's father needs to row her mother over to the town and so Derryn is left alone because someone has to make sure the light keeps burning. The first two nights go well and then her grandmother arrives to help but this is when everything goes wrong. Their oil supplies run out and there is a wild storm and Derryn and her grandmother can see a small fishing boat floundering in the waves.

This story is partly realism and partly magical. During her second night alone Derryn rescues a a small bird that has crashed into the glass of the lantern room. Derryn names the small bird Tan. Derryn tries to feed the tiny creature but it refuses every type of food. Derryn's head is filled with the fairy tales from a book her dad has been reading to her each evening. One story is about the firebird.

"Firebirds would drink the oil from sailor's lamps and then fly above their ships, lighting the way for them."

The Firebird is described as a large bird with majestic plumage that glows brightly emitting red, orange, and yellow light, like a bonfire that is just past the turbulent flame. The feathers do not cease glowing if removed, and one feather can light a large room if not concealed. Wikipedia

Could Tan be a firebird? How can Derryn and her grandmother restore the light and rescue the people in the small boat? Perhaps there is a way Tan can help?

This book is perfect for readers aged 9+. It is a short book with just 90 pages and it has a really good pace. Barrington Stoke do an excellent job of creating very satisfying stories written by skilled UK authors such as Peter Bunzl (Cogheart; Moonlocket; Skycircus; and Shadowsea).

It would be great to share a version of The Firebird story after reading Featherlight but I have not had much luck locating one apart from a few that have been written for reading schemes. I am guessing you might find this fairy tale in an anthology. I did find this four minute video story. Jane Yolen does have a picture book based on the ballet published in 2002.

The Puffin Keeper by Michael Morpurgo illustrated by Benji Davies

This book contains two of my favourite things - lighthouses and puffins. When you pick up this book begin by feeling the texture of the dust jacket. Now lift off the dust jacket because underneath is a beautiful surprise on the front and when you flip the book the image continues onto the back cover. 

Benjamin Postlethwaite is the lighthouse keeper. I adore that name so I am going to say it again. Benjamin Postlethwaite lives in his lighthouse on Puffin Island. 

"Not once in all his years as the lighthouse keeper had he ever let his light go out. All the sailors and seafarers that sailed or steamed past the lighthouse in the fog would hear his horn sounding, see his light guiding them through, and be grateful for it."

One stormy night, though, a four-masted schooner named the Pelican was driven on to the rocks just off the Scilly Isles. 

"That night Benjamin Postlethwaite saved thirty lives, men, women and children."

One of the children was Allen Williams. The Puffin Keeper is the story of Allen and his memory of the night he and the others were rescued, his memory of being inside the lighthouse, and his memory of the lighthouse keeper.

On the walls of the lighthouse Allen saw dozens of paintings. Painting of boats in all shapes and sizes. And each painting was simply signed Ben. As Allen leaves the island and the lighthouse Benjamin Postlethwaite gifts him a small picture of a four-masted schooner just like the one he had been travelling on.  This painting becomes a treasured possession and inspires Allen to try painting himself. When he finishes school Allen sets off to revisit the lighthouse. He and his mother had sent lots of letters to Benjamin over the years but sadly he never replied.

"He fetched down a shoebox from a shelf ... I opened it. It was full of letters. I took one out. It was one of the letters I had written to him, with a painted envelope. It turned out all the letters in the box were the ones I had written to him ... Not one of them had been opened. He told me why. 'I can't read,' he said. 'Never had no schooling. ... I knew they came from you, because of the ship picture on the envelope. But I couldn't read them."

The day Allen arrives, Benjamin has had two visitors. The other is a tiny lost puffin. The island with the lighthouse is called Puffin Island but no puffins have been seen there for years but this is about to change.

I loved this book. I read the whole thing in one sitting. The story by Michael Morpurgo feels like you are drinking a cup of tea and eating warm toast with heaps of butter and the illustrations by Benji Davies are utterly perfect.

Listen to an audio sample here.  Here are a set of comprehensive teaching ideas. Spoiler alert - this book is actually written to celebrate Allen Williams Lane the man who founded Penguin Books in 1935 and from Penguin books we have Puffin Books too. The first four Puffin Books were published in 1940. 

A book to have, to hold, to share and, to treasure. RedReadingHub

Sometimes, fate seems to bring us to certain places and people, and this heart-warming story of a lost puffin, a lonely artist and a life-changing friendship is a real testament to Morpurgo’s talent for capturing those pivotal moments in people’s lives where everything changes. Book Trust

Finding Francois by Gus Gordon

Elegant language, endearing characters, 

and irresistible images will warm hearts and 

minds with each reading. 

Kirkus Star Review

This review quote is very significant because Kirkus have given Gus Gordon a STAR review!
Look at each part of these comments:

elegant language - "you are a marvel"; "crème brûlées to be eaten"; "he wrote a carefully considered reply"; "it zigzagged out to sea".

You will even find a quote, in French, from the Victor Hugo poem 'Demain, des l'Aube'.  The line in Finding Francois says: "Triste, et le jour pour moi sera comme la nuit."

Here is the full verse from the poem and one possible translation:

Je marcherai les yeux fixés sur mes pensées,

Sans rien voir au dehors, sans entendre aucun bruit,

Seul, inconnu, le dos courbé, les mains croisées,

Triste, et le jour pour moi sera comme la nuit.

I will walk the eyes fixed on my thoughts,

Without seeing anything outside, nor hearing any noise,

Alone, unknown, the back curved, the hands crossed,

Sad, and the day for me will be like the night.

endearing characters:
Alice  Bonnet does so many things that make me smile. She collects buttons, she loves to draw and read, and crème brûlée is one of her favourite foods. Alice is lonely but she is a girl of action. She does not sit around feeling sad she writes a letter and puts it in a bottle. An astute reader may have already guessed she might do this because Alice has been reading a book entitled "Message in a Bottle."

Francois Poulin is also a truly special boy not least because he has such interesting hobbies. Just like Alice, he loves writing lists; reading books and drawing. "But Francois also loved dancing, and wearing funny hats and origami, and garlic butter and flower arranging."

Irresistible images: Gus Gordon loves to collage little pieces of vintage books into his illustrations. They become tiny precious fragments that are a delight to discover. The kitchen table, for example, is filled with treasures. Take a look at the art work especially the circular paintings in the lighthouse kitchen. You will also see an image inspired by famous painting The Great Wave of Kanagawa.  Make sure you read the titles on every book cover - they are all very significant. Oh and I do need to mention the end papers (thanks Gus) which are filled with all shapes and sizes of bottles waiting for those letters.

My two favourite things in this book are the way the messages in the bottles travel to Francois over and over again and the way replies always come back to Alice even though the journey is filled with hazards.  I am also thrilled that Francois lives in a lighthouse because, if you have been reading my blog over the years, you will know I adore lighthouses - they are my happy place.

How lucky are our Australian children to see, touch and hear such a beautiful book which has clearly been crafted with love and care. Yes the setting for this story is perhaps Paris but make sure you look for the koala Gus has included. This made me smile and recall the koala we saw in Herman and Rosie. Perhaps they are related? For more details about this book you could check out this review. US editions of this book also have a subtitle: A Story about the Healing Power of Friendship.

Grab a cup of tea and a home made baked lemon muffin and sit down with your own precious child ready to share this truly special book today!

Here is my favourite quote from this book:

"Over time, the dark clouds slowly packed up their things and shuffled into the distance, and the sun sprang forth from wherever it was hiding."

I adore the idea of putting a letter or a precious object in a bottle. I would pair Finding Francois with In a Jar by Deborah Marcero and Junebug by Alice Mead.

Make sure you look for some other books by Gus Gordon too, such as Somewhere Else; Wendy; Herman and Rosie; and The Last Peach.

Surely Finding Francois will be selected for the 2021 Children's Book Council of Australia short list. YES it is THAT good!

Gus Gordon shared his book this week on Instagram by asking his friends (famous Australian authors and illustrator such as Ursula Dubosarsky and Leigh Hobbs) to read his book!

The House of Light by Julia Green

"I found a boat and a boy from the sea and I bought them back here so we can help him and maybe use his boat for fishing and going on voyages."

This is a book about light and dark. The title and lighthouse image on the cover are perfect signposts of these themes.

Darkness:
For Bonnie and her Granda life in their community is dark but they both try hard to keep some light in their lives. Julia Green gives her reader tiny fragments to show this darkness. Bonnie finds school is tedious and that she is often shouted at. She has to recite The Rules of Civil Conduct and copy out The Duties of Citizenship. Food is very short and so Bonnie needs to scavenge things from the beach near their home. She finds "sticky sea flowers"; "green crabs"; and "fresh green edible sea-leaves, and pink seaweed that tasted good in soup." There is a Border Notice on the beach and concrete blocks "big, ugly things which had been put there to stop tanks invading from the sea in some old war, years and years ago."

Then we hear about the Border Guards. Granda has been away for the day completing the Registration. "Their stupid rules and punishments... The guards. They're keeping tabs on numbers. How many people live in the village. How many cross the border." In this place of darkness babies have died in the past because there were no medicines. People call this "the seven day death."

Light:
That same day Bonnie finds a row boat on the beach. A boat means hope. Hope that she and Granda can leave this place and travel over to the light. The light comes from an island, one of twenty five, which can be glimpsed from the shore on clear days. The lighthouse island is now uninhabited because everyone has been told the islands are poisoned with sickness and death. Granda regards this, though, as "superstitious nonsense."

Bonnie, though, finds more than a boat. She finds a boy. It is illegal to land on the beach. This boy is in danger and he is hurt. Bonnie takes him home and hides him an old barn. What Bonnie has not realised is that this boy, the boat, and her Granda will soon be able to escape over to the island with the lighthouse and that this physical journey will also mean Bonnie can make important discoveries about the journey of her own life - the mystery of her mother, her father, her past and her future. Bonnie will find the light!

This is a thrilling read, a truly heart-stopping adventure which has no need to labour the details of the dystopian society in which it is set. The setting is so vividly realised and the nuances of the relationships are so movingly portrayed that the reader is absolutely in the moment with Bonnie. A beautifully written book with a powerful but ultimately hopeful message. LoveReading4Kids

Bonnie’s relationship with both the boy, Ish, and her Granda are drawn tenderly and evocatively. The reader feels her doubts and pain, her love and instincts. Although this is a simple story, it is well told, with underlying depth and memorable characters, and a tangible setting. It sears its message and vision into the reader’s mind. Minerva Reads

Update to this post: A wonderful friend of mine has been reading The House of Light to her grandchildren. She pointed out to me the power of the chapter headings that Julia has used in her book. Words such as these allow the reader to anticipate and predict the unfolding events: Boat; Early; Eggs; Boy; Sickness; Guards; Dark; Runaway; Island; Storm; A fair wind.  She also alerted me to the power of the short sentences which are used by Julia Green. These highlight her perfect word placement.

"He was shivering. His feet were bare. His clothes were torn. She was sure he hadn't eaten for a long time."

"A small bird landed on the yew tree. Robin. It sang its chirpy song. It flew down to the wall and looked at them with its beady eye, as if expecting something. It did not seem afraid."

"They laid his body on the quiet earth. They hardly said a word."

Julia Green is the author of seventeen books. I am keen to explore some of her other titles:

Here in Australia there seems to be some issues with purchasing this book. It is fairly new - only published in 2019 so I cannot imagine it is out of print. I do hope you can find a copy in a bookstore or library as I highly recommend The House of Light for mature readers aged 10+. Lighthouse fans will not be disappointed with the wonderful lighthouse where Bonnie, Ish and Granda find their sanctuary.  I would follow this with Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk and Jubilee by Patrica Reilly Giff.

The Mystery at Stormy Point by Tracey Corderoy

Horse riding fans will adore the early chapters of The Mystery at Stormy Point. Bryony is completing in the Three Coves Gymkhana. She has her dream horse called Red and some good, horse loving, friends in her team.

"Red stood very well as Bryony got him ready to be bathed. First, she picked out any bits in his hoofs, then curry-combed and dandy-brushed his coat to get out any mud. She also used a wide-toothed mane comb on his mane and tail. 
'Oh and we mustn't forget your little star,' she said, finally drawing the dandy brush over the small white star between Red's eyes. Red breathed out and his warm breath on the back of her hand made Bryony's heart melt. She closed her eyes wanting to remember this moment for ever."

There is a lighthouse in the town but it has been empty for many years. One day Bryony sees a light coming from the lighthouse and later she meets a lady called Lavender. Some developers have plans to change the lighthouse into a resort. This may mean the lighthouse itself is demolished. Lavender Jones lived in the Stormy Point lighthouse as a child. She is sure her late father is still the owner but any papers that can prove this have long ago been lost.

Bryony now has two missions. She wants to win the gymkhana and save the lighthouse. However, Bryony has a serious rival - a girl called Georgina and it is Georgina's father who seems to be behind the plans to remodel the lighthouse. Perhaps he has the papers that can prove the true ownership.

You may have guessed I picked up this book because I saw a lighthouse on the cover. I adore lighthouses but I have to say the lighthouse itself is not the main feature of the plot. This is really a book for horse riding fans and for children who enjoy a light mystery story with a determined hero - Bryony.

The Mystery at Stormy Point is the second book in the series Seaview Stables Adventures but I am happy to report The Mystery at Stormy Point can stand alone. There are three books in the series so far.

Take a look at Tracey's web site. I have already talked about Shifty McGifty and Just Right for Two on this blog.

The Lighthouse Santa by Sara Hoagland Hunter illustrated by Julia Miner

"I know nothing is impossible on Christmas Eve in a lighthouse."

The weather is wild. Christmas is approaching. Kate has made her Christmas wish but will the Lighthouse Santa be able to fly in these conditions? During the night Kate is woken by her father shouting about a shipwreck. Sam, Kate's older brother, and her father head out into the night.

"The wind sounds like a thousand seagulls shrieking."

Eventually Sam and Dad arrive home with a man and a small girl. She is wearing a red cap with a white fur pom pom. It's the Lighthouse Santa, Mr Snow, and his daughter Dolly. The two girls talk about their different lives. One in a town and one in a lighthouse. Dolly is impressed to see Kate has the biggest night light in the world. The weather clears and Mr Snow invites Kate to join him with Dolly to deliver the rest of the Christmas presents.  But what did Kate wish for?

"Don't you know Lighthouse Santa already bought exactly what I wished for?' I say. 
'He did?' she asks.
I nod. 'All I ever wanted was a friend."

"Nothing is impossible on Christmas Eve in a lighthouse."

I know Christmas is far away (well around 120 sleeps) but this book is also about Lighthouses! and friends and the setting is Maine. So many of my favourite things in just one book. Oh and I should also mention this is based on a true story. Edward Rowe Snow really did fly Christmas gifts out to the children living in remote lighthouses from 1936 for fifty years.

Here are the actual lighthouses mentioned in the story:

Great Point Lighthouse Nantucket

Owls Head Lighthouse Maine

Brant Point Lighthouse Nantucket

Sankaty Head Lighthouse

West Chop Lighthouse Martha's Vineyard

I am adding to this post from September (it is now the end of November) because I have just discovered another beautiful and very moving picture book about a different flying Santa - William Wincapaw who flew Christmas packages to lights in Maine's Penobscot Bay starting in 1929 and continuing to the present.

Sadly this book is out of print but if you can find copy it is a beautiful Christmas book which you could share with an older child. 

Frances, Peter and their father have moved out to Ledge Light which is on an isolated island. Christmas is just two days away. Peter is desperate for Christmas with all the trimmings but Frances worries.

"But she wasn't sure that Santa knew where Ledge Light was, here in the middle of the ocean. When Mama died in spring, Papa had taken the transferred from the mainland lighthouse. Had Santa noticed?"

Frances has another worry - their food supplies are running out and Papa has become so remote. It is decided the children should return to the mainland for Christmas but then the weather turns bad. Papa has to leave Frances in charge of the light while he goes out in the wild storm to rescue a fisherman. Frances realises she and her brother cannot leave the lighthouse. They are a lighthouse family. Their father needs them. Frances is a problem solver. She decides they can improvise and still celebrate Christmas but just as they begin to sing around the old piano they hear a small plane overhead. 

"A package fell out of the tail and landed at the water's edge. Inside was a thick later of marsh hay wrapped around a heavy burlap sack."

Inside the parcel there are real treasures - food, coffee, cocoa, crayons, books and two yo-yos. 

Here is an interview with the author Toni Buzzeo. I have now discovered Nancy Carpenter is the illustrator of one of my favourite books - Little Bear's Little Boat.

Lighthouse stories

If you have been reading this blog you will know I am a huge fan of lighthouses.  On my recent trip I saw a sad little lighthouse under a modern bridge and it made me think of The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde H Swift and Lynd Ward (1942). By chance just prior to my trip a good friend gave me a copy of the Caldecott Medal winner from 2019 - Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall so today I thought I would talk about these two wonderful books.

Here is the Kyleakin lighthouse under the bridge from mainland Scotland over to Skye. This is the lighthouse that made me think about The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge.

Here are some details about the Kyleakin lighthouse:

"The 70 foot tall lighthouse, designed by David (1815-81) and Thomas (1818-87) Stevenson, was built in 1857. Thomas Stevenson was the father of the author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94).

When first built the light itself was fuelled by sperm whale oil, and displayed a central white beam flanked by a red and a green beam.

The lighthouse was finally decommissioned in 1993. The channel into Loch Alsh was then marked by the large red and green buoys that can be seen running east and west from the lighthouse. After decommissioning the lighthouse was denoted as a day mark, which means that it remains a landmark that it is used for navigation during the day, and must therefore continue to be kept in good condition."

The Little Red Lighthouse, in the book and in reality, stands on the Hudson River which runs beside New York City. Every evening the lighthouse keeper climbs the stairs and lights the lamp so the lighthouse can beam out a warning about the rocks just below the surface.  One day some men arrive and the little red lighthouse watches as they build a "strange new gray thing (with) huge towers that seemed to touch the sky."  This is the George Washington Bridge and it made the little red lighthouse feel "very, very small."

The little red lighthouse is worried. Perhaps it won't be needed any more. The lighthouse keeper does not come in the evening to light the lamp but that night their is a wild storm. A fat black tug boat crashes against the rocks. Finally the lighthouse keeper arrives. 

"And now beside the great beacon of the bridge the small beam of the lighthouse still flashes. ... And every day the people who go up River side Drive in New York City turn to look at it. For there they both are - the great gray bridge and the little red lighthouse."

Here is a vintage video of the whole story complete with a terrific sound track. I was thrilled to discover a musical was made in 2019 based on this story.

Now we jump forward to 2019 and Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall. The first thing to notice is the format of the book. It is long and tall like a lighthouse. On the end papers we can see a photo of the lighthouse keeper and his new bride, a piece of embroidery and a fragment of a letter to Alice. There is a also a pebble, some dried seaweed and a pen.  My copy of this book is a paperback so I cannot share the final end paper with you.

As the story begins we read about the daily routine of the lighthouse keeper. He enjoys his work but he is lonely. He is waiting for the arrival of Alice, his wife. The lighthouse beams out hello hello hello. There is fog and ice and illness and finally a baby is born. One day a letter arrives. It is time to automate the lighthouse and the keeper and his family will need to move on. 

This is a book to visit over and over again. There are so many beautiful details especially when Sophie Blackall 'slices' the lighthouse open so we can see all the rooms. Look for little details like the fabrics used on Alice's dresses, the floor rug that looks like the ocean and slippers worn by their child.

A fascinating, splendidly executed peek into both the mundane and the dramatic aspects of lighthouse life. Kirkus

Blackall’s gorgeous illustrations are a mix of homey detail (especially in the interior cutaways of the lighthouse) and spectacular scenery (as the seasons pass, we see stormy nights and foggy days; northern lights; icebergs and whales).  Horn Book

Using pictures to tell the story of a steadfast lighthouse and its faithful keeper, Hello Lighthouse is a gift for children. Amid this world’s stormy seas, it is a beacon of light shining bright with truth, goodness, and beauty. Horn Book

Check out these teaching ideas from The School Library Journal. Here is an interview with Sophie where she talks about her extensive research for this book. You can also see many of the illustrations and hear an interview with Sophie herself.

I have a Pinterest with art and craft ideas if you are exploring lighthouses. Here are some teaching ideas and ways to extend this text using other fiction and non fiction books.

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Red_Lighthouse