⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Kate’s Lighthouse Written by Elizabeth Spires and Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully [with teaching ideas]

Publication Date: January 12, 2021 | Grade Levels: 1-3

Good Morning! ☕️ Hope you are enjoying a beautiful spring morning where you are! I’m happy to share a book that I really enjoyed with you today: Kate’s Lighthouse written by Elizabeth Spires and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully.

Quick summary. Kate Walker moves to America with her infant son – only to meet Officer John Walker. The two later marry and keep Robbins Reef Lighthouse.

Critique. Revealing the hardships Kate endures as she, ultimately, becomes the sole keeper of the Robbins Reef Lighthouse in New York, Kate’s Lighthouse is a biographical nonfiction book children (at least those who can sit long enough through what is a rather long text) and adults will enjoy. Kate’s story is inspiring – for its introduction to what it must be like to call a lighthouse home – but, more poignantly, for its insistence on what it means to make a home from something that may be considered anything but. McCully’s watercolor, pen, and ink drawings, generally bright, help capture the movement of the sea and the depth of Kate’s heart.

Teaching ideas. Here are some ideas for Kate’s Light:

• Have student compare and contrast Kate’s experiences with those of Sally Snowman, keeper of the Boston Light.
• Use Kate’s Light as a mentor text when teaching the introductory clauses.

A fascinating story to add to your bookshelf, Kate’s Light earns four stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️