Published by Margaret Ferguson Books

Summary:  When Kate Kaird left Germany for America with her young son Jacob, she couldn’t have imagined what lay in store for her.  She soon married John Walker, the keeper of the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, and within a year they moved into the lighthouse to live.  She spent the next 33 years there, taking over all the duties after John died when their daughter was only three years old.  It took four years for her to get the title and salary of permanent lighthouse keeper, securing the job after two men passed it up as being too lonely.  Kate kept the light clean and polished, rowed back and forth to Staten Island for visits and supplies, and rescued more than fifty people during her long career.  Includes additional information with a photo and a list of sources; endpapers include a map of the lighthouse and the surrounding area.  40 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  Another great choice for Women’s History Month, this would also pair well with Sophie Blackall’s Hello, Lighthouse!  The lengthy story gives plenty of details which are supplemented further with the author’s note.  As always, Emily Arnold McCully’s illustrations are excellent and really capture the different seasons and types of weather experienced by the lighthouse dwellers.

Cons:  The story is long enough that younger readers might get antsy during a read-aloud.