This is a superb non-fiction text that incorporates history, geography and STEM by exploring the topic of lighthouses through a series of interesting questions. The text has both simplicity and depth which means that you could use it across the whole primary age range and I can imagine it pairing really well with related popular children’s fiction, such as Ronda and David Armitage’s ‘The Lighthouse Keeper’ books in KS1 or Emma Carroll’s ‘Letters from the Lighthouse’ in KS2. It is also a great example of a non-fiction text that could be read for pleasure over and over just because it is fascinating in itself.

Each double-page spread addresses a different question about lighthouses, such as ‘What Is it Like on the Top Deck?’, ‘How Does the Light Shine So Far?’ and ‘What Happens When It’s Foggy?’ and the text is cleverly structured so that each question builds on knowledge from the previous pages.

Accompanying the text are striking illustrations in primary-coloured tones, designed to emphasise the yellow light across the blue of the water and the reds of the lighthouse structures. The diagrams show a range of lighthouse types from all different angles and tend to highlight the way in which lighthouses are carefully constructed and engineered according to their geography and purpose. This is a text that covers the topic in such a way that every page is interesting and appealing and at no point through the book does the topic lose appeal. On the final pages, the reader is challenged to walk through the steps of designing their own lighthouse. A highly recommended addition to your primary library.