Sisters of Scituate Light

During the War of 1812, sisters Abbie and Rebecca Bates are tending Scituate Light while their father makes a brief trip to shore. When a British warship arrives in the harbor, the girls must think quickly to protect their home. Armed with only a fife and drum, the girls play "Yankee Doodle Dandy". The British, fearing what they assume is the imminent approach of American soldiers, retreat and never return to Scituate Light. Abbie and Rebecca are later hailed as heroines in the community. Krensky uses the sisters' own words (gleaned from later accounts of the incident) for the book's dialogue. Vibrant illustrations enrich the retelling of this classic lighthouse legend, although the depiction of the British soldiers as sneering villains is too stereotypical and does not match the style of the rest of the art.

This true story is a natural for a kids' book. During the War of 1812, when the British Navy was raiding the American coast, Abigail and Rebecca, the daughters of the keeper of Scituate Light in Massachusetts, successfully scared off a British warship by playing "Yankee Doodle" on fife and drum, making the British think the Home Guard was on its way. Krensky, who has written many fine children's books, does a great job with the text, using the sisters' own later account of the event as the source of their dialogue. Schuett is an excellent illustrator (I particularly like her Spring Thaw and Come and See), and the art is engaging, dramatic and pleasing to the eye. (My only quarrel is with the slightly too cartoony depiction of the British sailors.) A far cry from the run-of-the-mill illustrations you get in children's historical nonfiction. The story has been done before as a children's book, but this book is far and away the best version. If you want the perfect audio accompaniment to the book for your class or at-home use, get the CD "Airs from who knows where" by the Gloucester Hornpipe & Clog Society: on it Diane Taraz sings the terrific, catchy song she co-wrote, "An American Army of Two," which tells the same story. We play it every Fourth of July.