Molly and the Lighthouse
Malachy Doyle and Andrew Whitson
Graffeg

This is the fourth title in the splendid series featuring young island dweller Molly.

One night she wakes up and realises that something is very wrong: the lighthouse has stopped working, the harbour and sea are in darkness and the fishing boat aboard which both her own father and her best friend Dylan’s, is out at sea. Worse still a storm is raging: how will the boat find its way safely back to the harbour without a guiding light? One night she wakes up and realises that something is very wrong: the lighthouse has stopped working, the harbour and sea are in darkness and the fishing boat aboard which both her own father and her best friend Dylan’s, is out at sea. Worse still a storm is raging: how will the boat find its way safely back to the harbour without a guiding light?

And what has happened to Old Jamesie, the lighthouse keeper – something must be wrong with him or he’d never have allowed the light to go out.

Having alerted her mother, who heads off to the harbour to make a fire to guide the boat safely home, Molly (plus her doll Megan) and Dylan set out to check on the old man in the lighthouse.

Full of dramatic excitement, this is a superbly told, heart-warming tale of teamwork, determination, the consideration of others and finally, heroism. Equally superb and in real harmony with the telling are Andrew Whitson’s illustrations. The drama and tension is heightened by his use of varying perspectives, textures and a changing colour palette.

A smashing book to share over and over, and for those interested in finding out some information about lighthouses, the inside cover contains 10 interesting facts about them.