"Clutching her lantern, Kate felt the sting of salt
spray hit her eyes. It took six hundred steps to
make it from the keeper's house to the tower. Kate
searched the dark for the rickety wooden walkway
that led to the lighthouse. The glow of her lamplight
revealed ice-coated planks.
One wrong move and Kate would fall off the boards
and into the icy water sloshing beneath her feet.
Tap. She felt for her next step. Tap. Tap."
What a stunning story of the bravery it took to be a lighthouse keeper in the 19th century. When she was five, Kate's father was named the new keeper on Fayerweather Island in Connecticut. Considered by all to be the keeper's daughter, Kate had a very different opinion of herself and her abilities. She was her father's assistant. She followed him every minute of the day, learning how to grow a garden, shear sheep, milk cows, collect eggs and catch rainwater - all those things that made island life possible for the two of them.
As you might imagine, life there was not a walk in the park. By the time she was 12, the only thing Kate had not done was to tend the lighthouse alone. The hard work of climbing the spiral staircase was by then causing some health issues for her father. He needed Kate's help.
"Kate knew the walk was dark, the work was difficult, and the weather was treacherous. She knew the lighthouse's staircase was torturous. She knew the hours were tedious. Each dangerous duty was everything that little girls in the 1800s were not supposed to do. After all, women were told they were absolutely, positively not capable of such bravery, courage, or strength. Little girls were supposed to be ladylike, not lighthouse keepers."
Kate knew she could do it; do it she did. Everything her father had done ... four times a day! Her courage, her resilience, and her many rescues earned her respect and accolades. When her father died, nearing his 100th birthday, Kate applied for his job.
An inspiring tale, beautifully illustrated with watercolor, ink, pencil, and pastel, is sure to interest a wide audience despite knowing relatively little about this amazing woman. Emily Sutton's artwork shows readers the calm of the island and the terrifying conditions that often plagued it. Dark, windswept images of Kate climbing the ladders, tending to the oil lamps, and putting her own life in jeopardy to save 23 lives during the course of her tenure are compelling. The endpapers are wonderful.
Back matter includes further information about Kate, a timeline, archival photographs, an author's note, an invitation to visit Fayerweather Island, and a selected bibliography.
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