“Hello Lighthouse”

by Sophie Blackall

This year’s Caldecott Medal winner was Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall.

Watch the days and seasons pass as the wind blows, the fog rolls in, and icebergs drift by. Outside, there is water all around. Inside, the daily life of a lighthouse keeper and his family unfolds as the keeper boils water for tea, lights the lamp’s wick, and writes every detail in his logbook.

Step back in time and through the door of this iconic lighthouse into a cozy dollhouse-like interior with the award-winning artist Sophie Blackall.

 

WATCH and LISTEN to Bill from Little, Brown & Co. Read the Caldecott-winning picture book Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall:

 

ACTION SONG: “The Waves in the Ocean” (tune: The Wheels on the Bus)

The waves in the ocean go up and down,
Up and down, up and down,
The waves in the ocean go up and down,
All through the day!

The crabs in the ocean go pinch, pinch, pinch,
Pinch, pinch, pinch; Pinch, pinch, pinch,
The crabs in the ocean go pinch, pinch, pinch,
All through the day!

The clams in the ocean go open and shut,
Open and shut, open and shut,
The clams in the ocean go open and shut,
All through the day!

The lobsters in the ocean go click, click, click,
Click, click, click; click, click, click,
The lobsters in the ocean go click, click, click,
All through the day!

The sharks in the ocean go snap, snap, snap,
Snap, snap, snap; snap, snap, snap,
The sharks in the ocean go snap, snap, snap,
All through the day!

The fish go swim, swim, swim,
Swim, swim, swim; swim, swim, swim,
The fish go swim, swim, swim,
All through the day!

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  • What is the purpose of a lighthouse?
  • Why do you think there are lighthouses?  Look for evidence in Hello Lighthouse that shows why lighthouses are important.
  • What changed at the end of Hello Lighthouse?  Does the purpose of the lighthouse change?

 

EXTEND LEARNING by completing 1 or 2 of these activities:

Make a “To Do” list for the lighthouse keeper. There are so many daily tasks for a lighthouse keeper to complete.  Every lighthouse keeper must keep a journal, but what else might a lighthouse keeper have on the daily “to do” list?  Re-read Hello Lighthouse and then fill in the “To Do” list with at least 5 different chores shown in the book.

Visit the National Park Service‘s Lighthouses page for cool photos and information.

Take a virtual tour of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

 

FIND this and other Caldecott honors and winners on Overdrive:

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