43 months - a fairly long picture book but a good one. We read it a few times over the holiday and it was fun to learn about lighthouses and their importance something that's not really on our radar living in Colorado. ( )

The Flying Santa Service has been serving families since 1929. Toni Buzzeo brings this Christmas tradition to life with the story of two siblings. Frances and Peter are new to Ledge Light; their father is the lighthouse keeper. There are only two days until Christmas and the children wonder if Christmas will come to the island. With dwindling supplies, the chance for a festive holiday seems grim. When a nor'easter blows in, Frances must keep the light shining while her papa attempts to rescue a fisherman. The storm even keeps the much needed supply boats away. Yet, somehow without cookies, music, or fancy gifts the children learn about the true meaning of Christmas, especially when a surprise delivery is made to the island.

The Bottom Line: This story was inspired by a true holiday tradition that continues to this day. Buzzeo's heartfelt tale focuses on the importance of families and tradition. Meanwhile, Nancy Carpenter's illustrations are nostalgic with soft colors. Very highly recommended for kids in grades 1 - 4.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )

Newly moved to the Ledge Light - a lighthouse located on a small island off the coast of Maine - with their father, Frances and her younger brother, Peter, wonder what Christmas will be like this year. Cut off from the mainland, with supplies running low, it seems as if there will be no real celebration. With their mother recently passed away (the cause of their move from the mainland), it also seems that Papa isn't really in the mood to celebrate. When the children receive an invitation to spend the holiday with their Aunt Martha, they are excited to go at first, until they recall that they will be leaving Papa by himself. Then a storm blows up, and a shipwrecked fisherman needs rescuing, making it a moot point in any case. Has Christmas been ruined? Or will the Ledge Light family's resilience, and a surprise gift from the skies set all to rights...?

Set during the Great Depression, this sweet holiday story features the long-established New England institution of the "Flying Santa" - begun in 1929, this custom involved the dropping of holiday gifts and food to isolated lighthouse keepers, and continues to this day (mostly for Coast Guard installations) - and highlights, in a sensitive and compassionate way, the difficulties faced by recently bereaved families at Christmas time. I really liked the character of Frances, and the accurate way in which her new role, as surrogate mother to her brother, and cook and housekeeper to her father, are worked obliquely into the story. I also liked the one-eared cat that the children love, and that their father eventually comes to accept as one of the family. All in all, Lighthouse Christmas was a very appealing Christmas tale, one I would recommend to young readers who have recently been bereaved, or to anyone interested in stories about the "Flying Santa" program. Another recent title to explore this theme, is The Lighthouse Santa. ( )

Warm, nostalgic story inspired real-life Christmas tradition of the Flying Santa Service delivering gifts to lighthouse keepers and their families. ( )

Perfect and Dear, a New Treasure to Add to the Holiday Bookshelf, December 9, 2011

By Michele Kingery
This review is from: Lighthouse Christmas (Hardcover)

"We both want Christmas, Frances thought. So why did people have to live in lonely places like Ledge Light?"

Frances and her little brother Peter are especially lonely this Christmas. Their mother died in the spring and their father has taken a job transfer, moving their little family from the mainland lighthouse to one "in the middle of the ocean." Peter is determined that Christmas will come one way or another and sets out to "plan" it with cheerful drawings of his holidays dreams; cookies, carols around Aunt Martha's piano, candy canes and an evergreen tree. Frances doesn't say it, but an empty pantry and a delayed supply boat don't bode well. She carries on, never dashing Peter's hopes, but not overly optimistic either.

I found this book on the NY Times Review page several weeks ago when I was trolling for children's holiday literature. What can I say about this wonderful little story? Nancy Carpenter's illustrations are done with a limited palette that captures a bygone era. Frances, in her cropped hair and white pinafore is the perfect mix of brave and vulnerable. Snuggled up to a chubby, one-eared cat with his crayons and paper, Peter is a little boy so filled with hope and optimism, your heart aches for him.

Writer Toni Buzzeo is to be commended for having just the right touch, taking what could have been a sentimental, overwrought tale and weaving something heartfelt and fresh. A Christmas miracle arrives in the form of a special package dropped from a plane piloted by a "flying Santa". A little bit of history about the "Flying Santa Service" follows at the end of the book.

"Lighthouse Christmas" will take its place among my favorites. It is a delight and one I look forward to revisiting each year. To keep or share, "Lighthouse Christmas" is a treasure.
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