Ivan and the Lighthouse

Description

Ivan is happy enough at Devonport School, but he finds it hard to concentrate, because through the classroom window he can see, gleaming in the harbour, Bean Rock Lighthouse, where his father is the keeper, and that's where he really wants to be...This richly illustrated story follows Ivan as he finally gets to go with his father to the lighthouse. It follows the events that happen on and around the lighthouse, including a ship running aground, local birdlife and sharks. It is set in 1910 when Halley's Comet appeared and sows the seed in Ivan to learn about being a keeper when he grows up. Ivan and the Lighthouse is loosely based on events in the life of Ivan Anderson and his father James, who was the keeper at Bean Rock Lighthouse in Auckland Harbour from 1909 to 1911. Aimed at readers who like history, science, astronomy and a sense of adventure. It will also appeal to children who have curious minds and parents with unusual occupations.

Grant Sheehan is a photographer and publisher with a lifelong interest in lighthouses, their keepers and their families. He took the photographs for the book Leading Lights, Lighthouses of New Zealand, published in 1991 by Hazard Press. In 2013, he produced Lights in the Landscape: Lighthouses of New Zealand, published by Phantom House Books. Rosalind Clark is a graphic designer and illustrator specialising in narrative graphics. Roz's intention for her designs is to tell stories and take the audience on a visual journey, though the mediums of pencil, collage, pixel or ink. In 2008, Roz illustrated the children's book The Chesterman Cats, written by Scott Granville.