Hello Lighthouse

Genre:

    The Hello Lighthouse picture book is a Caldecott Medal Award book which won the prize in 2019.

Target Age Group:

    The target age group is 2-6 years.

Summary:

    The picture book Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall is a poignant and emotional story about a lighthouse keeper's life and duties. It seems, at first, the life he leads is filled with solitude but soon a wife and child join him "on the highest rock of a tiny island." The skill and necessity of a lighthouse keeper is highlighted by the care given to some shipwrecked sailors and the light that guides ships away from potentially dangerous waters.

Justification:

    It was not a difficult choice when I came upon this title that was on the list of winners for the Caldecott Awards. My last name and my life-long fascination with lighthouses enticed me to this book immediately. The endpapers (inside the front and back covers) were also tantalizing aspects of this book. 

Evaluation:

    For this review I will be evaluating the illustrations, the aspect that this book is an informational book as well as a picture book, and the setting of Hello Lighthouse.  

    The young reader of Hello Lighthouse will be enthralled with the softness and the hues of the colors used in the illustrations. A person can feel the movement or stillness of the waves surrounding the lighthouse by her implementation of color. The texture of the waves are felt by the curvature of lines. Simple but precisely drawn faces of the characters offer the young reader a connection to this book.

    Not only is this a welcoming story into the life of a lighthouse keeper, it is an informational book as well. The use of the endpaper on the back cover answers quite a few questions the reader may have about lighthouses keepers.

    The setting of this book rendered unexpected vantage points of certain illustrations that illuminated the notion that this particular lighthouse keeper may have started out alone but with the help and care of his wife, he had a partner in his seemingly solitary occupation. When he became sick at one point in the story, she seamlessly stepped in to embrace his duties. There are a few more surprises in this captivating book and might lead to a lively discussion with the young reader.

Citation:

Blackall, S. (2018). Hello Lighthouse (S. Blackall, Illus.). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.