Customer Reviews

Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie (1st Avenue)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie is a well-written piece of historical fiction based on Abbie Burgess' own accounts and other historical sources. This information is provided in the note by the authors at the beginning of the book. All incidences appear to be very representative of the life of the time depicted. Abbie's character is developed well. The reader is able to see that Abbie is a strong young girl who does not want to let her family, especially her father, down. She faces the conflict of person vs. self and also person vs. nature is evident in the book. The theme evident in the book is bravery and strength. Abbie had to be brave to keep the lights lit. She needed the strength to overcome her fears and to live up to her father's expectations. The illustrations were beautiful watercolors that set the mood of the story.

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Great Books for Girls: More Than 600 Books to Inspire Today's Girls and Tomorrow's Women

This story is about a real girl who rises to meet a challenge that would frighten any adult. My kindergartner now holds this book near/dear as she sees it as a model of courage/bravery to aspire to. Even more exciting is that this story is based upon a real event in a real girl's life.

This book gives you an idea of what it was like to operate a lighthouse in the mid 1800's. Sure doesn't sound fun. In that sense the book is very educational, and it give hero status to a deserving individual that most people have never heard of. The only real flaw it has is in the format of its printing. I can't tell where one paragraph starts and another ends, so if I were trying to narrate this thing I would have a hard time knowing where to stop and start as far as the vocal intonation goes. I also think the introduction gives away the whole story on the first page, so it should really be put at the end of the book.

Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie is a well-written piece of historical fiction based on Abbie Burgess' own accounts and other historical sources. This information is provided in the note by the authors at the beginning of the book. All incidences appear to be very representative of the life of the time depicted. Abbie's character is developed well. The reader is able to see that Abbie is a strong young girl who does not want to let her family, especially her father, down. She faces the conflict of person vs. self and also person vs. nature is evident in the book. The theme evident in the book is bravery and strength. Abbie had to be brave to keep the lights lit. She needed the strength to overcome her fears and to live up to her father's expectations. The illustrations were beautiful watercolors that set the mood of the story.

Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie is one of our all-time favorite books for children, in so many ways. It offers a gentle, inspirational, and historical look at life in the 19th century about a little girl who does an extraordinary thing. Like all of the books we've read by these authors, it is beautifully written and well researched -- but the kids don't need to know that! They'll love the story and will be excited the next time they see a lighthouse!

A great story of what life was like living in the 'old days' on an island on the east coast and the changes they faced. There were lots of responsibilities and courage was needed in herd times.

This is a nice simple story of a girl who is left manning her family's lighthouse when her father is away for some weeks. It's not easy work with the stormy weather experienced, but she perseveres because ships at sea are depending on her for their safety. So, there's a good message of perseverance and responsibility.

The age range given of 4 to 8 years old is definitely appropriate. The story is appropriate for a 3rd-grade reader to be able to read, which means that it's a bit simplistic for children that are much more advanced in their reading. And this sense of being simplistic is exacerbated by the fact that the text has one sentence per line, one after another, with no paragraph breaks. It makes the book feel a bit choppy.

There is an introduction at the beginning that explains the need for lighthouses and that Abbie was a real person. This is on a more sophisticated level and would need to be read by a parent or teacher, but is useful information. The whole plot of the book is spoiled, however, and some of the information should only have been contained in an afterword.

The illustrations are watercolor in type and are nice enough. For whatever reason, half of the illustrations are only black-and-white. I wish they had all been in color.

Overall, this is a worthwhile book. It's a nice one to have on hand for early readers that has historical value and a good moral lesson, but it is not by any means a "must-have."

I remember watching this book on Reading Rainbow when I was little and I had to have it. I got the Audio casatte and Loved it I recommmed this book to anyone! Highy!!