Hello Lighthouse

About the Book

“Hello! Hello! Hello!” sings the refrain in this tribute to lighthouses, delicately illustrated with ink and watercolor. A young man becomes a lightkeeper “on the highest rock of a tiny island at the edge of the world.”  A cut-away picture shows him polishing the lens in the top room, sleeping in the room below, and cooking and eating on a lower level. His wife arrives, their daughter is born, and the child grows up there as winds blow, the sun shines, fog rolls in, and sailors are rescued.  In the end, a mechanical lamp replaces the keeper so the family moves to shore but in sight of the lighthouse. 

Why this Book?

Tall and narrow to echo the lighthouse, this Caldecott Award winner combines excellent illustrations with a graceful narrative. The many circular shapes lend a sense of warmth even in stormy weather while an old-fashioned feel characterizes the pictures and fascinating topic. Blackall is one of the best illustrators working today. Check out more books she’s illustrated including another Caldecott winner, Finding Winnie written by Lindsay Mattick, a story about the bear that inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.