- based on a true story of Katherine Walker, a lighthouse keeper in New York
- Kate becomes a full-time keeper after her husband dies (while raising children)
- potentially new vocabulary words: dory, kerosene, oilskin, reef, shoals, sou’wester
- lovely illustrations depict each scene very well
Type: picture book
Ages: 4-10
Author: Elizabeth Spires
Illustrator: Emily Arnold McCully
Functioning lighthouses are one of those things I’m sad that technology has replaced. They involved such strenuous work, yes, but have a unique charm to them.
When I prepare to read a book with a female heroine, I always brace myself for feminism and other related modern ways of painting history. However, I did not feel any of that in this story. The back even includes a professionally-written note with more details on Kate’s life that I enjoyed.
I loved learning that the Lighthouse Board maintained traveling libraries for their keepers, rotating chests of books between them for fresh reading every few months. I’m not sure I’d heard about that before.
Overall, we wholly enjoyed this story!