HELLO LIGHTHOUSE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Blackall, Sophie. Hello Lighthouse. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2018. ISBN 9780316362382

PLOT SUMMARY

This is the story of a lighthouse and it’s new keeper.  The keeper keeps busy every day to keep the lighthouse running up to par.  He spends his days tending the light, drinking tea, writing in the logbook and writing to his beloved wife.  His wife is finally able to join him, and they make the lighthouse their home where they get to welcome their child.  As time passes and the weather changes, the lighthouse always whispers a welcoming “hello, hello.”  The time comes when the keeper’s job is done as a new light is installed in the lighthouse and there is no more need for a lighthouse keeper. The keeper will no longer write in the logbook as he and his family say goodbye to the lighthouse.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

From the beginning, the story captivates the reader to the life of the lighthouse keeper.  It must not be easy to be in the middle of the ocean, in a lighthouse by yourself.  The story depicts the different duties of a lighthouse keeper and the process of how they would get their supplies.  It also demonstrates how a lighthouse’s keeper’s live could be in danger if disaster struck such as when a boat would crash into the rocks.  And finally, how technology has evolved which made the need of a lighthouse keeper obsolete.  The usage of colors in the illustrations demonstrate the different changes throughout the story from clear, calm skies to dangerous, dark nights.   

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

2019 Caldecott Medal

From Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Mary Fellows: “Children will delight in immersing themselves in the captivating discoveries each new look at Hello Lighthouse will bring.”

From Kirkus Reviews: “A fascinating, splendidly executed peek into both the mundane and the dramatic aspects of lighthouse life.”

From School Library Journal: “From the tall narrow book and its title font to the cylindrical vignettes and the circular lighthouse interior, every detail is considered to make this a book that children will return to again and again.”

CONNECTIONS

Gather other Caldecott Medal books to read such as:

• Nelson, Kadir. The Undefeated. ISBN 1328780961
• Cordell, Matthew: Wolf in the Snow. ISBN 1250076366

Gather other Sophie Blackall books to read such as:

• Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear. ISBN 0316324906
• The Baby Tree. ISBN 0399257187
• Are You Awake? ISBN 0805078584

Read Lighthouses for Kids by Katherine L. House and identify the types of lighthouse.

• House, L. Katherine. Lighthouses for Kids. ISBN 1556527209