KATE'S LIGHT: Kate Walker at Robbins Reef Lighthouse

 Who doesn't love a lighthouse? 

Certainly no one I have ever met. I've also never met a lighthouse-themed book that didn't win my heart, especially if it is a picture book. Going a long way back to the evergreen  KEEP THE LIGHTS BURNING ABBIE, by the incomparable writing Wisconsinites, Peter and Connie Roop, a commitment to do lifesaving, sometimes life-threatening work is a reading hook that refuses to be ignored. The Caldecott winning HELLO, LIGHTHOUSE, by Sophie Blackall, uses  a family-centric point of view in an oversized/tall format to reveal the inner workings and daily practices of lighthouse operations with elegance and insight. If either of these books is new to you, add them to your must-read lists.

Margaret Ferguson Books
Holiday House Publishing, Inc., 2020

Now another beloved and Caldecott-winning illustrator, Emily Arnold McCulley, has created the latest lighthouse picture book, KATE'S LIGHT: Kate Walker at Robbins Reef Lighthouse. Those famiiar with New York City will recognize immediately that Robbins Reef Lighthouse is in the bay that shelters the Statue of Liberty, within rowing distance from Staten Island. Those less familiar with that territory benefit from the excellent historic map featured on endpapers, a map clearly labeling geographic sites that are so often referenced in various narratives, and also anchoring (forgive the pun) the story in time. The waters are practically littered with enormous steamboats, tall masted ships, and water vehicles of every kind and size you can imagine. 

Author Elizabeth Spires has written other texts for children, all of which reflect her core identity as a poet of extraordinary grace. This biography in prose sustains a lyrical quality. It manages to engage readers despite launching Kate's story as a 34 year old widow with a son, immigrating from Germany to find a better life for herself and her child.

It's not easy to "hook" young readers on an adult biography with nary a word about their childhood life, and yet there is that irresistible lighthouse, entering Kate's life in the opening pages.  

Kate was not an early supporter of her new husband's choice to live on a rock: no garden, no neighbors, away from the happy and settled life she had been building with him and her son on land. In fact, she kept her belongings packed in the lighthouse for six months before she fully absorbed the lure of her new life. Spires's  storytelling is powerful, informative, and admiring (with good reason). Kate's developing role as assistant lighthouse keeper, then full lighthouse tender, was not welcomed by the Lighthouse Board, but her competence and reliability won their grudging approval and eventual full endorsement. 

Despite the appeal of the writing and the details of Kate's barrier-breaking accomplishments, including numerous rescues at sea, I began this post with a nod to the art. Those familiar with McCulley's work will recognize and appreciate her style. With settings that feature water and sky, in all kinds of weather, McCulley is at her best. The scenes range from idyllic to horrific, with colors and expressions revealing that Kate's decision to remain, in fact insist, on assuming Lighthouse Keeper duties was driven by her heartfelt conversion to such a life. She lived out her long and dedicated responsibilities in tribute to her young husband's parting words to her as he was rowed back to the mainland: "Mind the light, Kate." When medical treatment of the time failed to save his life, his words sustained her until (and after) her retirement several decades later.

In that earlier book about another female light keeper, Abbie, her father's parting words to "Keep the lights burning, Abbie," had a happier conclusion, with his return after a desperately long storm delay. Even so, she, too, felt that commitment to continue on as Lighthouse Keeper. 

Both women, and those two Caldecott-winning women illustrators among a much longer list of male medalists, remind us that following our own lights, finding our path through life, even when discouraged or directly hindered, is worth the effort. Stories like these underscore the importance of WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, but also reveal why the accomplishments of  women (and girls), in history (and present day), should be celebrated all year long.