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I love perusing book lists as I plan out our lessons. I like to add as many picture books and chapter books as I can to our to-do list.
I leave picture books lying around for the kids to read or thumb through. I choose one or more books to read aloud – usually a short chapter book and a picture book or two.
These children’s books about lighthouses are great for introducing kids to these fascinating structures and are perfect for your summer lesson plans.

These children’s lighthouse books feature both picture books and chapter books. Each of the featured books can be read independently or used as read-alouds.
All will spark lively discussions and pique kids’ interest in lighthouses and life on the shore.
Children’s Books About Lighthouses
Below, I’ve featured just a handful of lighthouse books that will help your kids understand more about these structures and their benefits to life along the shore.
You should be able to find them at your local library or book store. If you can’t find them locally, you can click each image cover to purchase them on Amazon.
Lighthouse Dog to the Rescue – Pauline, the lighthouse keeper’s daughter, is proud of her pet spaniel because he is helpful and clever and a friend to all. But even Pauline does not realize just how brave and loyal Spot is until the night a terrible blizzard hits and a boat is missing out in the storm.
The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge – On the Manhattan bank of the Hudson River, a small lighthouse–made of steel and painted bright red–proudly protects boats with his faithful beam. One day a great expanse of gray steel, which also shines a bright light into the fog and darkness, is built over it. The little red lighthouse feels insignificant and useless in comparison but soon learns that . . . small can be mighty!
Lighthouse – This beautifully illustrated storybook tells the tale of an old man who embarks on a journey at sea. While on his voyage, he encounters a mighty storm and becomes scared, lost, and tired. Through the darkness, a lighthouse calls to him and guides him to an extraordinary place where he is reminded of the beautiful things that make life worth living.
Hello Lighthouse – Watch the days and seasons pass as the wind blows, the fog rolls in, and icebergs drift by. Outside, there is water all around. Inside, the daily life of a lighthouse keeper and his family unfolds as the keeper boils water for tea, lights the lamp’s wick, and writes every detail in his logbook.
Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie – This is the exciting true story of Abbie Burgess, who in 1856 single-handedly kept the lighthouse lamps lit during a tremendous storm off the coast of Maine.
Jack Jones: The Haunted Lighthouse – When the Jones family is invited to stay at the old Point Danger Lighthouse, Jack, his sister Emma and best friend Albert are excited to spend time playing by the sea. But when they hear from the lighthouse caretaker that strange things happen that can’t be explained, the three adventurers work together to solve a mystery.
The Mystery on the Great Lakes – Christina, Grant, Mimi and Papa fly the Mystery Girl, and take the mystery boat, Mimi, to all the Great Lakes on a wild and watery adventurous mystery of shipwrecks, haunted lighthouses, and island intrigue!
The Lighthouse Mystery – The Aldens take a trip to the New England coast and get to stay in a lighthouse! But strange things happen after it gets dark―an unknown woman is seen walking around, and Watch wakes up growling late at night. Can the Boxcar Children shed light on a seaside mystery?
The Lost Lighthouse – Justin Robert, Jackie Salsberry and Nick Barnes are fishing under sunny skies when a sudden and violent storm chases them off Fourth Lake and into an unfamiliar forest – a forest that has harbored a secret for more than 100 years!

Round Out Your Unit with These Activities:
Add a lighthouse LEGO set to your hands-on learning area, and kids can build their own 3D version.
These adorable wooden beach play accessories are ready to be added to any ocean or summer small world, felt playscape or sensory bin.
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