Review of Picture Book #1: HELLO LIGHTHOUSE by Sophie Blackall

 

  

Hello Lighthouse Review by Lucinda Zamora-Wiley

1.     Bibliography:

Blackall, Sophie. Hello Lighthouse. Illustrated by Sophie Blackall, New York: Little Brown and

Company, 2018. ISBN-13 : 978-0316362382

2.     Brief plot summary:

Hello Lighthouse follows the lovely story of a new lighthouse keeper who takes over the post from the former. The story begins with his daily tasks of upkeep—everything from refilling the oil, trimming the wick, painting the walls a sea-green, and sending letters home to his wife. After a long, lonely wait, the keeper’s wife arrives, and life in the lighthouse is brighter, especially when a new baby comes. And all through the keeper’s story, the lighthouse keeps on shining bright through the fog, allowing the keeper to save some sailors from a boat wreck, lighting the way for migrating whales, lighting the way into the future. As many years pass, the keeper learns that the Coast Guard will be replacing the old fashioned lamp with a new electric light, and when this happens, the keeper closes up his log book for good. He and his family float away from the lighthouse, saying, “Goodbye, Lighthouse.” And the lighthouse keeps on shining.

 

3.     Critical analysis with specific literary considerations pertinent to each genre (this is the “heart” of your review)

What makes Blackall’s Hello Lighthouse so lovely is the breathtaking illustrations that accompany each page of text. The text is never overwhelming, and it never overpowers the artistry that lies on the page—each page almost like a canvas for the eyes. In terms of plot, young readers will appreciate the heroism of the lighthouse keeper as he saves sailors from a boat wreck after a storm with the lighthouse’s help, and they’ll appreciate how the keeper’s wife nurses him back to health after he gets very ill. When a new baby arrives for the keeper and his wife, this too, brings young readers great joy. No conflict in the plot line is overbearing—not within the light and safety of the lighthouse. The setting is historic, as the story begins in a day when keepers used to trim the wick and oil the lighthouse lamps, and it follows up to modernization with electric light, and though the lighthouse keeper and his family are presumed to be White, it follows with historical context and seems appropriate to Blackall’s purpose of honoring the lighthouse and its traditional keepers. Pacing of the story is superb, and young readers will delight in the repetition of “Hello Lighthouse” at the beginning and middle of the book and “Goodbye Lighthouse” at the end. And though there is a tinge of sadness when the keeper leaves his post for the very last time, the last scene of the book is beautiful and satisfactory to the reader: the retired lighthouse keeper and his wife and daughter look across the sea to the lighthouse as it keeps on lighting the way, and they say from afar, “Hello Lighthouse!” Young readers can rest assured that the steadfast, luminous lighthouse remains dutiful to its calling.

 

 

4.     Awards won (if any) and review excerpt(s) (from Horn Book, School Library Journal, Booklist, etc.)

Hello Lighthouse was awarded the 2019 Caldecott Medal for its illustrations. In addition, the book received starred reviews from Booklist, the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Kirkus Reviews, and Publishers Weekly, who also named it a best book of 2018 calling it "a jewel of a creation.” School Library Journal’s Elizabeth Blake wrote that, "readers feel as though they are inside the lighthouse along with the keeper, surrounded by the beauty and drama of the ever-changing sea.” The New York Times also praised the book, with Bruce Handy writing, "I will be surprised if a more exquisite picture book is published this year.”

5.     Connections (related books, enrichment activities, children’s responses, etc.)

 ·       Use as a basis for studying historical lighthouse function (oil and wick) and modernized electric lights that replaced them.

 

•  More history connections: when and where in the US were lighthouses first built? What was the work of historic lighthouse keepers? The following link is to the US National Parks Service and offers great historical information on American lighthouses:

https://www.nps.gov/apis/learn/kidsyouth/upload/LightCurrA.pdf

 ·       Science class connections: research how light is “magnified” through the lens of the lighthouse.

 ·       Art connections: read the other Sophie Blackall Caldecott-awarded book based on Winnie the Pooh, and compare and contrast Blackall’s artistic styles.

 ·       Pre-K readers: choose from 3 various lighthouse templates; students can color and glue chosen colors of yarn string to illuminate/ design their lighthouse.