Lighthouse and the Little Boat

When new boat Brightness appears in the harbor, Lighthouse urges, “Stick close to me. I’ll keep you safe,” and the newbie gratefully “nestled in the foam at Lighthouse’s feet.” But the sailboat gradually grows more intrepid, and one cold day disappears past Lighthouse’s horizon view. Seasons pass as “Lighthouse watched and waited and worried,” especially when an epic winter storm arrives. Eventually, a battered Brightness appears between the waves, and Lighthouse expertly guides the ship back home, refusing to take any credit for the rescue (“You saved yourself. I only lit the way”). Mantle’s digital renderings employ watercolor, ink, and pastel for painterly page-filling vistas of the sea; both Brightness and Lighthouse have amiable faces with googly eyes and expressive mouths. The duo’s relationship easily echoes that between caregiver and child in this peppy maritime tale about the anchoring support that allows independence to grow. Ages 4–8. (May)