Lighthouses for Kids: History, Science, and Lore with 21 Activities
For Jim Jonathan and Caroline I couldn’t have done it without
Note to Readers ou might be surprised to find out that the word lighthouse means different things to dif ferent people Lighthouse experts can't even agree on an exact definition So what did I consider a lighthouse for this book A structure designed to stand forever and provide a light to boaters The structures highlighted in Lighthouses for Kids also featured an enclosed area the lantern room where the keeper could do his or her job In nearly every case a keeper lived at the lighthouse at some point in the past to tend the light Finally I chose to emphasize the lives of keepers and their families who were civilian workers rather than more recent members of the U S Coast
Al Acknowledg ments any people have played a role in helping me get this book published Thanks to Jim and Barbara Leupold for introducing me to the magic of lighthouses as a child and to my husband Jim who has grown to admire lighthouses almost as much as I do My son Jonathan enthusias tically explained lighthouse technology to his friends and mastered the art of refracting light My daughter Caroline patiently waited to discover mobility until this project was nearly finished Maxine House read the manuscript with the keen eye of a retired English teacher Warm thanks to Jeremy D Entremont author of several lighthouse books and webmaster of http lighthouse cc who reviewed the entire man uscript I appreciate his expertise helpful comments and attention to detail I am also grateful to Millie Frese who cheerfully read early drafts and offered so many suggestions Thanks to SCBWI Iowa for con necting me with the folks at Chicago Review Press and to Lisa Rosenthal for her enthusiasm for the project Cynthia Sherry helped me shape the man uscript into its current format for which I am grate
