• Age: 6 to 8
• Grade: 1 to 3
• Reading age: 6 to 8

Shmuel is eager to help support his poor family, but no one in his shtetl is interested in hiring a ten-year-old boy. One day, the village installs new electric lamps, bringing light to their square and dazzling away the dark. Until a lamp breaks during a storm—and Shmuel is the only one who can fix it. Will Shmuel be able to conquer his fear of heights and bring light back to his town?

A gentle tale of bravery, empowerment and community, and the thrill of transformation.

Karen Levine is a prizewinning producer with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio. Karen has won awards for her radio work, including two Peabody Awards - the Oscars of radio. She originally produced Hana’s Suitcase as a radio documentary before making it into a book. Though she travels widely to talk about the book, she makes her home in Toronto with her partner and her son.

Karen Levine's profile page

Sheila Baslaw began writing children’s stories after a career in social work. Intrigued by the stories her parents told about growing up in a shtetl, she based Shmuel on her father's life as a Jewish child in Russia in the early 1900s. Sheila, now in her nineties, lives in Ottawa.

Sheila Baslaw's profile page

Alice Priestley has illustrated numerous books including five other children’s stories. Out on the Ice in the Middle of the Bay was shortlisted for a Mr. Christie Book Award and the Amelia Frances Gibbon Award. Her other books include Winning the Girl of the Sea, The Watcher, Clouds on the Mountain and Someone’s Reading This Book. She lives in Toronto with her husband and children.

Alice Priestley's profile page

"This gentle story of perseverance and kindness is a cozy read. Accompanied by beautiful illustrations, The Light Keeper would be a great addition to any family, school, or library bookshelf."

Historical Novel Society

"This inspiring story, based on an incident in the family history of co-author Sheila Baslaw, offers a unique view of a small, Jewish, East European town—a shtetl. Though the book draws on the typical motifs of poverty and hard work, it also offers a telling glimpse of modernity, thereby avoiding a portrait of the shtetl as a static place bound only by tradition...Priestley's gentle illustrations evoke both the traditional shtetl lifestyle and the wonders of electric light. A luminous tale!"

Booklist

“Fascinated by the new technology, Shmuel befriends the workers, soaking up information like only a child can, until one day he gets his chance to be the village hero as the only one who knows what to do when a light burns out…. Toronto artist Alice Priestley brought the story to life with her illustrations.”

Ottawa Citizen

"The Light Keeper shows the impact of innovation and resourcefulness in a community and how communities can come together in support of one another….a wonderful story to share resilience and to show young readers how they could make an impact on their communities in big and small ways."

Storytime With Stephanie

"Baslaw’s storytelling draws from a rich wellspring of life experience, including her 35-year-long career in social work and her father’s tales of life as a Jewish child in early 1900s Russia.... The Light Keeper is a huge accomplishment."

Ottawa Life Magazine