Beacons of Light: Lighthouses

Gail Gibbons has created over one hundred entertaining, eye-catching books that explain how things work. She lives in Corinth, Vermont. In Her Own Words...

"I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.

"Later, I went to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child d. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon.

"Since then, over seventy books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are nonfiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.

"Most of the time I live in Corinth, Vermont, in the middle of three hundred acres. I live with my husband, Kent Ancliffe, and our dog, Wilton. We also have three cats. My life in Vermont is very secluded. There are lots of wild animals that live on our property. We also spend a lot of time on an island off the coast of Maine where we have a little farmhouse. In fact, my book Christmas on an Island is about Christmas on this island.

"I have many hobbies, like swimming and boating, but my favorites are reading and creating books."

Grade 2-4-- Gibbons combines clear, colorful illustrations with lucid, simple text in tracing the history of lighthouses in this country. The important role of these "beacons of light" from the earliest lighthouse in Boston harbor to those existing today is outlined. Mention is also made of the lonely, sometimes arduous life of lighthouse keepers and their families, who lived year-round on these isolated outposts. Gibbons details in depth how the sources of light changed over the centuries, from the earliest oil-fueled wick lamps to modern electricity-powered signals. There is a paucity of material available on this subject; Smith's Lighthouses (Houghton, 1971; o.p.) and Carse's Keepers of the Lights (Scribners, 1969; o.p.) are targeted for older readers. This title could be a useful tool for reports, or for interested recreational readers. --Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, NY
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.