"A steep ladder led to the topmost floor,
the glassed-in lantern room. The great
light stood, still and silent, in the center
of the tiny room. It's polished lenses
sparkled in the sunlight, bright as a
diamond."
Aren't we always looking to those who do heroic things, so we can share their stories with our kids and students? I am a great fan of picture book biographies, as I have mentioned in other posts. I have suggested that if teachers spent a half-hour each week sharing just one such book and discussing it, their students would get to know nearly 40 people who have lived amazing lives ... and they might know nothing of their stories if these books are not shared. Over the years, I have been introduced to many heroes through my reading.
Kate's Light caused me to wonder how many working lighthouses there are in the world today. Of course, it must be a hard list to keep current. Wikipedia tells me that, according to Lighthouse Directory,
there are more than 18,600 lighthouses worldwide. That is almost unbelievable to consider. I cannot imagine the isolation, the dedication, the often-difficult circumstances that those who keep the lights burning must face. In Hello Lighthouse (Little Brown, 1918), Sophie Blackall gave her readers a tour of a lighthouse itself, and told the story of the people she imagined lived there.
In this book, Elizabeth Spires introduces Kate Kaird, a widow from Germany with a young son, Jacob. Following her husband's untimely death, she sought a better life for the two of them by moving far from home. The year was 1882. It wasn't long until she met and married John Walker who was, at the time, the keeper of the Sandy Hook Lighthouse. When he accepted a new position at the Robbins Reef, they moved offshore where life might prove very lonely.
Added to that, Kate became an assistant keeper ... one of the first women to hold such a position on the East Coast of the US. Readers are invited to spend time with the Walker family as they go about their duties, the rescues, the schooling that took Jacob away from the lighthouse for a time, and Kate's eventual appointment as keeper when her husband died. In her time there, she rescued more than 50 people and did not retire until she was 71, when she passed her duties to her son. Kate helped to pave the way for other women to be considered for such work.
Ms. McCully matches the energy, fortitude, and drama of the story with exemplary and detailed scenes of the demanding work such a life entailed. Her watercolor images of New York Harbor, Robbins Reef Lighthouse, and the family that made their life there makes for quite a remarkable story.
An author's note and archival photos add important information. Also included are notes and additional sources for kids wanting to know more.
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