Smout and the Lighthouse by Jane Yolen, John Patrick Pazdziora, and Lyndsay Roberts Rayne - OPTIONAL

Smout and the Lighthouse: a story of Robert Louis Stevenson by Jane Yolen and John Patrick Pazdziora, illustrated by Lyndsay Roberts Rayne. PICTURE BOOK Albert Whitman and Co., 2023. $19. 9780807574843 

Content: PG (One illustration is of shipwrecked pirates falling to the ocean floor) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

Robert Louis Stevenson's father is taking him on a tour of the lighthouses the generations of his family had built around Scotland. Poor Robert, affectionately known as "Smout" to his family, was more interested in creating stories of pirates and shipwrecks and treasure instead. 

Not a biography here - more like a vignette of an episode of Stevenson's life. Rayne's cut paper illustrations are darling, adding a lot of charm. A nice gift for a Stevenson fan. Easily used as an introduction to the author. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS