Library Intern Book Reviews
Publisher
Little, Brown and Company
City
New York, New York, United States of America
Date of Publication
2018
ISBN
978-0316362382
Date of Review
2020
Disciplines
Library and Information Science | Modern Literature
Keywords
Children's literature, reviews, lighthouses
Recommended Citation
Phillips, Taylor R., "Review of Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall" (2020). Library Intern Book Reviews. 242.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/intern_book_reviews/242
Files
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Review
Summary: Hello Lighthouse follows the story of a lighthouse keeper who lives on a secluded island. We watch as he leaves for his first trip out to relieve the previous keeper and as he adjusts to his new life. He keeps busy with daily chores like trimming the wick and refilling the oil for the lighthouse beacon. He paints and fishes and sews and records everything in the logbook. The keeper starts to feel lonely until his wife finally comes to join him. Together they tend the lighthouse and sometimes each other when someone is sick. They rescue shipwrecked sailors and make sure that the light never goes out. Changes start to come when the keeper’s wife has a baby. Life goes on as normal until the family gets word that the coast guard is bringing a new mechanical light that can run on its own power. The keeper records all of these events in his logbook up until his very last day on the job.
Comments: This book is filled with beautiful illustrations that depict the lighthouse in different seasons and times of day. The author makes wonderful use of color and lighting to convey a sense of time and energy to what would otherwise be a repetitive book. She also uses circles in a creative and symbolic way throughout the book to express the cyclical nature of time and to give a sense of motion to the characters and their world. Together, the words and pictures weave together a story of patience and duty as we watch the lighthouse keeper lead a sometimes repetitive but also fulfilling life. At the end of the book the author includes additional information about her research into the lives of real lighthouse keepers which helps bring the story full circle in an engaging and educational way. Hello Lighthouse would be a great choice for any collection with its fun illustrations and educational content.
Recommended
Taylor Phillips, Centennial Library Graduate School Intern