Reviews

The Lonely Lighthouse

Gr 1-3–This nonfiction picture book offers a history of an unsung Michigan beacon. Owen details the story of the oldest remaining brick-built lighthouse within the Great Lakes region, from its first bricks, the lighthouse keepers, the long time it stood abandoned and uncared for, and finally, its triumphant rejuvenation. Avedikian captures the grandeur that this small lighthouse shines on the surrounding community. Both author and illustrator have Michigan ties, and the pride they have in the old, faithful watchtower is apparent. Whether intentional or not, the book borrows a bit thematically from Hildegarde Swift’s 1942 classic, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, and Swift does provide a great jumping-off point, although Owen forgoes the physical qualities of the anthropomorphic building and lets the history surrounding the structure do the talking. This results in a story grounded in reality and, maybe, a more actionable one. Classrooms or families may be inspired to see what they can uncover in their own towns and what voices those landmarks might have. VERDICT: Updates a classic with realism that may lead kids to an interest in what surrounds them in their own neighborhoods.

— Anthony Murisco