You may never have
heard of a lightship.
Once, lightships
anchored on waters
across America,
on the oceans
and in the Great Lakes,
floating where lighthouses
could not be built.
Smaller than most ships,
but more steadfast, too,
they held their spots,
through calm and storm,
to guide sailors
toward safe waters.
In these pages
one lightship
and her crew (and cat)
again hold their place.
The crew goes
again from bow to stern,
from keel to mast,
to run their engines,
shine their lights,
and sound their horns.
They run the small ship
that guides the large ships.
They are the crew (and cat)
that work to make the ocean safe,
that hold their place,
so other ships can sail.
Come aboard!
Brian Floca has written and illustrated the picture books Five Trucks; the ALA Notable Children’s Book The Racecar Alphabet; and the ALA Notable Children’s Book and Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Lightship. His most recent book is Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, which Kirkus Reviews described as “Breathtaking, thrilling, and perfect.” Brian has illustrated The Hinky-Pink, by Megan McDonald, also an ALA Notable Children’s Book, and several books by Avi, including the graphic novel City of Light, City of Dark and Poppy, winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. A native of Texas, Brian currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. You can visit him online at brianfloca.com.
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