Lighthouse Seeds

by Pamela Love

Overview

When her father, a Maine lighthouse keeper, is transferred to a station on a barren island far offshore, Sarah is quick to note how much her mother misses the flowers she used to grow in her garden on the mainland. Determined to reverse her mother's melancholy, the girl hatches a plot to put soil in the cracks and crevices of the ledge and to plant seeds there. Lo and behold, they bloom, delighting not only Sarah's family but also the local fishermen. The book is based on a true story about the light at Mount Desert Rock around the turn of the nineteenth century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461744245
Publisher:	Down East Books
Publication date:	01/01/2004
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	71 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 3-The life of a lighthouse keeper's daughter can be lonely, especially when her father is transferred to a lighthouse far from the mainland. As Sarah and her family approach their new home, she thinks it is like a desert, despite being surrounded with seemingly endless water. The child is startled by the bleakness; her mother becomes seriously depressed by the lack of her beloved flowers. To rescue her, young Sarah makes a plan to bring a garden to the barren ledge. Based on a true lighthouse garden, this gentle story of love and adaptation off the coast of Maine is a family snapshot of finding contentment in harsh surroundings. While the story is predictable and the text is a bit stiff, the tale is worth telling. Warner's watercolors are at their best when showing the flowers. Although facial expressions seem awkward, the artist successfully uses contrast between water and ledge, hard and soft, bleakness and beauty to add dimension to the story. Contrast this book with Peter Roop and Connie Roop's Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie (Carolrhoda, 1985) for a theme about life as a Maine lighthouse keeper's daughter. Or stretch minds by comparing this book with Paul Fleischman's superb Weslandia (Candlewick, 1999) for a discussion of unusual, life-changing gardens. A supplemental purchase.-Mary Hazelton, Warren Community School and Miller Elementary School, ME Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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