Beacons of Light

LoveReading4Kids Says

August 2026 Book of the Month

The reader’s journey though history starts with imagining the first sea travellers being guided safely home by the flickering light of a bonfire and then how ancient peoples started to build the first towers to contain the beacon fire and spread its light further. The oldest known lighthouse was the Pharos of Alexandria and this is the first of the 52 examples from all around the world  that are featured in the text or illustrated against a vivid red background on the endpapers. There is a useful list of each one at the back of the book, alongside a timeline and a page of facts and explanation of key vocabulary. The author takes pains to give the historical context of trade, colonisation and exploration that developed the need to protect shipping from the dangers of the sea and coastline. She  effectively highlights the human-interest stories and the  ingenious technological solutions behind these fascinating buildings, including the fact that The Statue of Liberty was originally intended to be a lighthouse, but its torch was not bright enough! There are detailed two-page spreads which feature cutaway views of a lighthouse, of a lightship, of the various fuels used for creating light over the centuries opposite a large image of a modern Fresnel lens and a particularly fascinating feature on the famous Eddystone Lighthouse, the first four versions of which succumbed to weather, fire or erosion.

This lyrical and fascinating text would make a perfect read aloud companion for curious  4-7 year olds, to such picturebook classics as The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch, as well as offering sufficient detail to be a  valuable support to older children in the History, Geography and Technology curriculums. 

Joy Court

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