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HELLO LIGHTHOUSE 


  1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

    Blackall, Sophie. Hello Lighthouse. Hachette Children's Group, 2019. ISBN 9780316362382

  1. PLOT SUMMARY 

    “Hello Lighthouse” takes its readers young and old through the later history of the lighthouse before its modernization of automatic lights, and it details the significance of the keeper who lived in the lighthouse and cared for the lamps to keep sailors safe on the sea. The story starts with the arrival of the new keeper of the lighthouse, how he makes it his home, and the daily routines he must keep for the lighthouse to stay running. Soon, the keeper gets lonely in his home, and his wife arrives at the lighthouse, and they make a home together. However, a storm rushes in, and they both must act quickly together, the sea raging, and they must save the sailors whose boat crashed against the rocks. Some time later, the keeper and his wife welcome the birth of a baby girl, and the three make their home in the lighthouse together. Not long after, an electric lantern is placed in the lighthouse, and the lighthouse no longer needs a keeper to keep the lights burning, and the keeper and his family move out to live on the nearby shore, where they can still see their old home across the sea. 

  1. CRITICAL ANALYSIS 

    Readers are immediately transfixed by the vivid, realistic, and colorful illustrations of the book, and are drawn into the rhythm and the alliteration of the words used to tell the story. One of the constant phrases used within the story is of the lighthouse, wind, and sea saying “Hello! Hello ! Hello!”, welcoming the reader into the daily life of a keeper of the lighthouse, and life on sea, and “knowing” the reader. The story itself is inviting the reader into its pages, as does the lighthouse and the keeper to the daily happenings within, and encourages the reader to read further on, traveling through the lighthouse and through time in the lighthouse’s story. 

One of the major themes of the story is that while time passes, in both the physical sense and the time of the keeper living in the lighthouse, the lighthouse and the sea always stay the same. The sea itself is always present in each of the two-page long illustrations, and the author/illustrator uses circles as a motif throughout the story. The circles are not only used for depicting the circular rooms and the lighthouse itself, but also the sea and depicting different moments in time in the lighthouse keeper’s memory within the small space, making the space and stories seem larger than life. Overall, the book itself is a warm and inviting treasure that carries the importance that lighthouses are to those who travel the sea, and welcomes the reader to explore further through its illustrations and information concerning the history of lighthouses and the men and women chosen to be keepers of the lighthouses. 

  1. REVIEW EXCERPTS 

    2019 CALDECOTT MEDAL 

    School Library Journal 

“Gorgeous and appealing illustrations done in Chinese ink and watercolor make readers feel as though they are inside the lighthouse  along with the keeper, surrounded by the beauty and drama of the ever-changing sea. A spread full of information about lighthouses  for those who seek further knowledge is appended. VERDICT A lovely picture book, recommended for all libraries. A delightful bedtime read perfect for one on one sharing.”

    Booklist

“…Blackall’s bright, crisp artwork depicts the changing skies and seas around the proud, solid lighthouse . Softly chopping waves give way to billowing white breakers that crash against the rocks. Clear blue skies transform into the black, inky clouds of a storm. It occasionally seems dangerous to live in a lighthouse , but the repeated refrain of “Hello ! . . . Hello ! . . . Hello !” is stalwart, friendly, and reassuring, just like a lighthouse  should be, and the adoring expressions and gestures of the family living in it quietly demonstrate their affection for the building. Blackall’s charmingly old-fashioned art style is beautifully matched to this nostalgia-rich story, which imbues an antiquated place with warmth and wonder.

  1. CONNECTIONS

Books to explore similar to “Hello Lighthouse” about Lighthouses: 

  • Moss, Marissa, and Andrea U'Ren. The Bravest Woman in America. ISBN 9781582463698

  • Roop, Peter, et al. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie. ISBN 9780874991352

  • Rylant, Cynthia, and Preston McDaniels. Storm. ISBN 9780689848803

Caldecott Winners similar to “Hello Lighthouse” to explore: 

  • Gerstein, Mordicai. The Man Who Walked between the Towers. ISBN 9781595194251

  • Goade, Michaela, et al. We Are Water Protectors. ISBN 9781250203557

  • Swanson, Susan Marie. The House in The Night. ISBN 9780547577692


  1. “Hello Lighthouse” can be used with young children and older children, to explore the parts of the lighthouse, and the jobs of the keeper before automatic lighting as we have today. 

  2. Read “Hello Lighthouse” and “The Bravest Woman in America”, to discuss the similarities of the actions of the characters when faced with challenging situations. 

  3. The book can also be used to discuss rhythm and alliteration within nonfiction text to older children. 

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