Birdie's Lighthouse

By Deborah Hopkinson

Book Overview

December 1, 1855 The sea is never still. Sometimes it roars so load that it drowns our voices. Mama says there hasn't been a storm this fierce since the night I was born. She thinks it too dangerous for me to go to the tower again. Yet what else can I do? I'm the lightkeeper now. On the tiny lighthouse island that is her family's new home, Birdie faithfully keeps a journal. She writes down everthing: the change of seasons, the rhythms of the sea, and all that her father, the lightkeeper, is teaching her. But then one stormy night, her father is taken ill. And only Birdie knows how to keep the lighthouse's strong beam running. Will she be brave enough to guide the boats safely into harbor?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689835299
• ISBN13: 9780689835292
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 11.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

birdie's lighthouse

i received my book yesterday 2/23/09,and it appears to be in excellent condition. thanks!, jb

Birdie's Lighthouse-- a terrific book!

This book made me smile. I have known Deborah Hopkinson since I was born, and I am now fifteen. I think she is a wonderful writer and comes up with really clever ideas for books. I never knew there was someone that actually took care of the light house, I thought it was just there. She has a way of writing fiction that teaches readers at the same time. I also loved her other book, SWEET CLARA AND THE FREEDOM QUILT. When I read her books, I can sort-of hear her reading them aloud, telling the story of Clara or Birdie. She will always be dear to me and I hope that she keeps writing books for a long time to come. --Angela Kieran-Vast

An exciting slice of Maine lighthouse life in 1855!

This lovely picture book, whose tall thin shape reflects its subject, is the fictional journal of a lighthouse keeper's daughter in 1855, Birdie's tenth year. Hopkinson, author of the highly acclaimed SWEET CLARA AND THE FREEDOM QUILT, returns with evocative prose that captures the roar of the sea, the lonely isolation of lighthouse life, and the terror and exhaustion of managaing the lights alone in a fierce storm. Root's brooding pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations reflect era, setting, and emotion. An author's note reveals the inspiration for Birdie - four heroic lighthouse women and girls, including the Maine herione, Abbie Burgess.

An exciting slice of Maine lighthouse life in 1855!

This lovely picture book, whose tall thin shape reflects its subject, is the fictional journal of a lighthouse keeper's daughter in 1855, Birdie's tenth year. Hopkinson, author of the highly acclaimed SWEET CLARA AND THE FREEDOM QUILT, returns with evocative prose that captures the roar of the sea, the lonely isolation of lighthouse life, and the terror and exhaustion of managaing the lights alone in a fierce storm. Root's brooding pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations reflect era, setting, and emotion. An author's note reveals the inspiration for Birdie - four heroic lighthouse women and girls, including the Maine herione, Abbie Burgess