A new keeper arrives at a lighthouse on a tiny island. Every day he winds the clockwork that keeps the light turning, writes in his log book, refills the oil, trims the wick, polishes the lens. He fishes for his dinner and writes letters to his wife. Eventually, she arrives on the tender that also brings supplies. In the long arc of routine across years, there are moments of high drama, and slow change, calm seas and fierce storms. Shipwrecked sailors are rescued. Their baby is born and begins to grow into a little girl. Eventually, there is a collective goodbye as new lights are installed that make the keeper’s job obsolete. Exquisite Chinese ink and watercolor illustrations capture the sweeping romantic sensibility that lighthouses can conjure while porthole-shaped insets show intimate scenes of family life (such as the keeper’s wife walking circles while in labor, and their little girl playing with toy boats). The measured, present-tense narrative is followed by a robust author’s note, “About Lighthouses,” that fills in additional details about keepers’ busy, sometimes lonely, lives. (Ages 4–8)

A beloved picture book from two-time Caldecott Medal award-winner Sophie Blackall that transports readers to the seaside in timeless, nautical splendor!

Watch the days and seasons pass as the wind blows, the fog rolls in, and icebergs drift by. Outside, there is water all around. Inside, the daily life of a lighthouse keeper and his family unfolds as the keeper boils water for tea, lights the lamp's wick, and writes every detail in his logbook.

Step back in time and through the door of this iconic lighthouse into a cozy dollhouse-like interior with the extraordinary award-winning artist Sophie Blackall.