Hello Lighthouse

by Sophie Blackall

Overview

A lavish new picture book from Caldecott-winner Sophie Blackall that will transport readers to the seaside in timeless, nautical splendor!

Watch the days and seasons pass as the wind blows, the fog rolls in, and icebergs drift by. Outside, there is water all around. Inside, the daily life of a lighthouse keeper and his family unfolds as the keeper boils water for tea, lights the lamp's wick, and writes every detail in his logbook.

Step back in time and through the door of this iconic lighthouse into a cozy dollhouse-like interior with the extraordinary award-winning artist Sophie Blackall.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316362382
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/10/2018
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 1.50(h) x 9.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sophie Blackall is the bestselling and Caldecott medal-winning artist behind Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear. Her work has appeared in the bestselling Ivy and Bean series, many award-winning picture books, a global pro-vaccination campaign, and on a renowned NYC subway poster. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/22/2018
Painted with the featherlight touch that distinguishes Caldecott Medalist Blackall’s work, this graceful account of a lighthouse keeper’s life celebrates a lost era. While it was lonely and sometimes dangerous, watching the lighthouse was monastic in its simplicity: “He tends the light and writes in the logbook.” The lighthouse keeper readies his home for the arrival of his wife, who nurses him when he falls ill; then he helps her as she gives birth to their first child. Soon the family receives word that the lighthouse is to be fitted with a mechanical light, and their idyll comes to a serene end. Many spreads, delicate as painted porcelain, depict the lighthouse amid the breaking waves and changing life of the ocean. Seals bask, whales pass, and the aurora borealis flickers overhead. Repeated images of circles echo the lighthouse’s circular rooms, from vignettes framed with nautical rope to a breathtaking sequence of the lighthouse-keeper’s wife walking through her labor, each moment like the hand on the face of a clock. It’s a jewel of a creation and a gift to those who dream of retreat. Ages 4–8. Agent: Nancy Gallt, Gallt + Zacker Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

* "Blackall's charmingly old-fashioned art style is beautifully matched to this nostalgia-rich story, which imbues an antiquated place with warmth and wonder."—Booklist, starred review

* "A delightful bedtime read perfect for one on one sharing."—School Library Journal, starred review

* "It's a jewel of a creation and a gift to those who dream of retreat."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Praise for Finding Winnie:
A #1 New York Times bestseller and Winner of the 2016 Caldecott MedalA New York Times Notable Children's Book of the Year

*"The sum total is as captivating as it is informative, transforming a personal family story into something universally resonant."—Horn Book (Starred Review)

*"Little ones who love Milne's classic stories will be enchanted by this heartening account of the bear's real-life origins."—Booklist (Starred Review)

*"A perfect melding of beautiful art with soulful, imaginative writing, this lovely story, penned by Colebourn's great-great granddaughter, is ideal for sharing aloud or poring over individually."—School Library Journal (Starred Review)

*"The book strikes a lovely, understated tone of wonder and family pride...[Sophie Blackall] proves that she's equally imaginative at chronicling straight-on reality too."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Gorgeously illustrated...[a] delightful telling."—New York Times Book Review

From the Publisher

★ 01/01/2018
PreS-Gr 3—On the highest rock of a tiny island at the edge of the world stands a lighthouse. Every day and every night, the lighthouse guides the way for passing ships, as its keeper tends to the light and writes in his guidebook. Over time, the lighthouse becomes a constant fixture in the middle of the sea as endless waves, ships, winds, whales, fish, storms, and keepers come and go. Here, Blackall tells the story of a lighthouse and its keeper, and how they both serve the sea. In the end, a machine is able to tend the light and the keeper must move on. But he will be forever connected to his lighthouse. The keeper's own light across the bay shines back at the lighthouse, saying "hello!" Gorgeous and appealing illustrations done in Chinese ink and watercolor make readers feel as though they are inside the lighthouse along with the keeper, surrounded by the beauty and drama of the ever-changing sea. A spread full of information about lighthouses for those who seek further knowledge is appended. VERDICT A lovely picture book, recommended for all libraries. A delightful bedtime read perfect for one on one sharing.—Elizabeth Blake, Brooklyn Public Library

School Library Journal