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Children's Nonfiction General

My House is a Lighthouse

Stories of Lighthouses and Their Keepers

by (author) Christine Welldon

Publisher
Nimbus Publishing
Initial publish date
Jul 2019
Category
General, General, Pirates
Recommended Age
7 to 10
Recommended Grade
2 to 5
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781771087568
    Publish Date
    Jul 2019
    List Price
    $17.95

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

Can you imagine yourself as a light keeper? Could you live full-time on an isolated coast? Your job is to keep a light shining out to sea, guiding ships to land, warning them of jagged shoreline, and maybe even assisting with a rescue in the case of a shipwreck.

Even though there are 750 lighthouses across North America, only 51 light keepers actively live and work in one in Canada, and just 1 keeper remains in the United States. In the newest installment of Nimbus's popular Compass series, Christine Welldon takes readers past the postcard-perfect image and depicts a day in the life of 11 modern light keepers. From Cape Beale, British Columbia, to Puffin Island, Newfoundland, learn about the grit, intelligence, and quick thinking that helps keep our coastlines safe. Expertly weaving the historical with the modern, Welldon shows us how light keepers are still bound by an age-old mission: "Keep the light shining. Be ever watchful. Help those in trouble on the sea."

Includes over 50 full-colour photos, illustrations, and maps, as well as a glossary, index, and historical timeline.

About the author

Christine Welldon is the author of several books including The Children of Africville; Children of the Titanic; Canadian Pacific Railway: Pon Git Cheng and Pier 21: Listen to My Story. Her work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, The Fiddlehead, Canadian Business and Omni magazines. Her most recent book Reporter in Disguise: The Intrepid Vic Steinberg is on the Honours list for the American Library Association Amelia Bloomer Award for excellence in feminist children's literature, and short-listed for the Children's Choice Hackmatack Award, 2015. Her newest book, Lifelines: The Lanier Phillips Story will be released in the fall of 2014 by Breakwater Books.

Christine Welldon's profile page

Awards

  • Short-listed, Red Cedar Book Awards: B.C.'s Young Reader's Choice Awards

Editorial Reviews

"The varied skills and tasks shared in the lightkeeper profiles, scientific asides, and sources throughout are for anyone who wants to learn more about any of the topics touched on. My House is a Lighthouse has something for everyone, including a thorough glossary to fill in any gaps, especially for those 'landlubbers' who haven't spent much time near the ocean. No matter what your interests are, My House is a Lighthouse has a lighthouse for everyone!" —Canadian Review of Materials (Winnipeg, MB)

"With lots of beautiful colourful captioned photographs, Welldon describes the coastline where the lighthouses are situated, the keepers who are currently working there and the kinds of things they do along with some of the events they have encountered." —Resource Links (Pouch Cove, NF)

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