Product Description

You may never have

heard of a lightship.

Once, lightships

anchored on waters

across America,

on the oceans

and in the Great Lakes,

floating where lighthouses

could not be built.

Smaller than most ships,

but more steadfast, too,

they held their spots,

through calm and storm,

to guide sailors

toward safe waters.

In these pages

one lightship

and her crew (and cat)

again hold their place.

The crew goes

again from bow to stern,

from keel to mast,

to run their engines,

shine their lights,

and sound their horns.

They run the small ship

that guides the large ships.

They are the crew (and cat)

that work to make the ocean safe,

that hold their place,

so other ships can sail.

Come aboard!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #479609 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 48 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781416924364
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 2—Lightships were anchored where lighthouses could not be built. They protected our ocean harbors as well as points along the Great Lakes. The last one was decommissioned in 1983, so this fascinating picture book is a piece of nautical history. Floca's watercolor drawings depict daily life aboard one of these vessels, cooking, sleeping, working, all the while rolling with the rhythm of the waves. There were many hazards involved. Big ships came too close, anchors lost their mooring, and weather caused many problems. But when the fog rolled in, the lightship sprang into action. Lights flashed and horns sounded, allowing ship traffic to make it "through fog and night, past rocks and shoals, past reefs and wrecks, past danger." The drawings are very detailed. Some pages are collages of small scenes. Many are full spreads. The sailors' facial expressions are amusing to watch, and the resident cat appears on almost every page. The front and back endpapers show a cutaway view of one of the vessels. This fascinating, little-known slice of history should prove interesting to every child who loves big boats.—Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Lightships--floating lighthouses--were retired in 1983, but they live on in Floca's handsome picture book, which uses simple words and repeated phrases to emphasize the vessels' purpose and uniqueness as well as their day-to-day operation. "Here is a ship that holds her place," begins the text, which takes children on a sensory tour of the Ambrose, complete with the slapping of the waves on the hull, the rocking motion of the ship, the smell of the sea and of fuel, and--in one climactic blast that sends the ship's cat leaping straight up into the air--the sounding of the foghorn. Meanwhile, the ink-and-watercolor illustrations offer close-ups of the crew at work as well as wide, double-page scenes of passing ships (including the SS Ardizzone). Varied in composition and perspective, the art shows the little ship inside and out, in summer and winter, in calm and stormy weather. Some pictures include elements of humor, while other scenes are notable for their quiet beauty. Floca explains in an informative note that before it was possible to build platforms in deep water, lightships served as floating lighthouses, using powerful lights and blaring foghorns to signal other ships. From the endpapers, showing a cutaway view of the ship, to the final phrase, "the lightship holds her place," this handsome book respects both its subject and its audience. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Brian Floca is the award-winning author and illustrator of Lightship, a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book; The Racecar Alphabet, called "astonishing" in a starred review from Kirkus Reviews; and Five Trucks. He is the illustrator of The Hinky-Pink, by Megan McDonald; Uncles and Antlers by Lisa Wheeler; and Poppy, by Avi. His forthcoming Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 stems from long-standing interest in the space program and is the result of extensive research, including trips to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the Johnson Space Center.

Customer Reviews

Our first pick at bedtime
We bought this book as soon as it was available because Brian Floca's book, "Racecar Alphabet" was our favourite. Now, with "Lightship" we have two favourites at bedtime.
I can't recommend this book highly enough. The illustrations are lovely and fun. The story is educational and interesting, but to me, "Lightship" is the story of steadfastness. Not all jobs are glamorous, or flashy but that doesn't mean they aren't important. In fact, they may be the most important.
I love this book and I can't wait for Brian's next.
Buy "Lightship", and while you are at it buy "Racecar Alphabet", they are sure to become family favourites!

Descriptions of the lightship's construction, crew and purposes are accented by excellent drawings throughout
Brian Floca's LIGHTSHIP reads with the drama and action of fiction but is actually a nonfiction account of a 'lightship, which once anchored across America, going where lighthouses couldn't be built to help guide ships to safe waters. Descriptions of the lightship's construction, crew and purposes are accented by excellent drawings throughout to provide young leisure readers with a special interest survey perfect for any who love boats.

Yet another favorite
It seems like every year our boys find a new Brian Floca title to call their favorite book. First it was "Five Trucks", then "Racecar Alphabet" enjoyed a long stay at number one. Now with "Lightship", my boys spend their time split between devouring the elegant illustrations which draw them into the life of the crewmen (and their cat!) and looking out onto our little view of the ocean, trying to find their own Lightship. Thank you, Brian, for sparking their imaginations.