A week ago I had a wonderful Zoom author visit with the 4th graders and their teachers at Judson and Brown School in Redlands, California. They had all read my book KEEPER OF THE LIGHT: Juliet Fish Nichols Fights the San Francisco Fog. I shared some of the highlights of the book and a power point showing how I researched the story. The students then had a chance to ask me questions. One boy wanted to know how long it took me to write the book. In fact, it was ten years from my first visit to Angel Island in 2012 to the publication of the book in 2022. I explained that the process of writing a book involves many rewrites.
Manuscript pages for KEEPER OF THE LIGHT
I was interested to know how the students reacted to the story. I asked them, “What kind of person do you think Juliet had to be to take on the job of lighthouse keeper?” Their answers were very perceptive. She had to be brave. Determined. Take her job seriously. One boy said she was the Savior of the Ships.
Illustration by Rachell Sumpter for KEEPER OF THE LIGHT
In advance of my visit, the students had used the book as inspiration for several projects, which they shared with me. One class combined art and a creative writing project—writing their own log entries as if they were lighthouse keepers—and then illustrating them with a watercolor painting.
Watercolor painting by 4th grade student.
Another class painted four types of weather on a piece of paper folded into four rectangles, using one word to describe each type of weather—eg sunny, cloudy, rainy, foggy.
Weather paintings and labels by 4th grade student.
The students in the third class made their own weather logs, noting the temperature, wind speed and direction, precipitation, and description of the sky, following the model of Juliet Nichols' official lighthouse log.
Pages from Julie Nichols Angel Island Lighthouse log.
I was pleased to see how much the students had enjoyed learning about Juliet Nichols, lighthouses, and what it takes to be a lighthouse keeper and to see their enthusiasm for the projects inspired by the book. While we met on the last day of February, KEEPER OF THE LIGHT is a perfect lead-in to Women’s History month in March.
I want to thank Todd Rossi, principal of Judson and Brown School for setting up this cooperative endeavor with the fourth-grade students and teachers at his school. And I want to thank teachers Brooke Nakaoka, Stephanie Howard and Mary Ann Ufkes, for sharing the book with their students and leading the follow-up projects. They did a terrific job.
I shared the students’ response to KEEPER OF THE LIGHT in my presentation at the Charlotte Huck Children's Literature Festival at Redlands University, March 2-3, 2023. I want to thank Marjorie Arnett for connecting me with Todd Rossi and the 4th grade team at his school. I loved finding out how real students are responding to my book and using it to expand their knowledge of California history, and in particular women’s history. Juliet Fish Nichols battled the fog in San Francisco Bay more than one hundred years ago, but her grit and determination to do her job well make her an excellent role model for young people today.
