Terrizita Corpus (text), Maggie Prewett (illus), The Grumpy Lighthouse Keeper, Magabala Books, April 2016, 32pp., $17.95 (pbk), ISBN: 9781925360189
Far away from chalk cliffs and mischievous seagulls lives another lighthouse keeper. And this one is none-too-happy as well. He keeps the light in Broome, where the creatures are more troublesome than hungry seagulls. In a wild storm one night, this keeper gets out of his warm bed to tend to the light. Such is the fury of the storm and sea that a progression of sea creatures, including Cassius the Crab and Olena the Octopus, make their way into the warm refuge of the lighthouse, all the way up to the lighthouse keeper’s bed. A lighthouse keeper’s bed, the animals soon learn, is no safe port in a storm. And the lighthouse keeper too learns a lesson, though not as comical or ironic as readers might expect.
This colourfully illustrated tale is laid out well, the pictures complemented by a remarkably clear sans serif text which immediately invites young readers to attempt the text on their own.
Reviewed by Kevin Steinberger