ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Ages ago, giants arrived on the coastlines of the world. They built tall round houses on the dark headlands. Out their high windows the lighthouse giants shone bright lanterns to guide ships safely past their homes.ย
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Blanco is the last of the lighthouse giants. From sunset to sunrise he shines his fish-oil lantern from his house on Cape Humbug, to aid steamer ships along the Oregon coast.ย
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Jenny Hughes, age ten, is Blancoโs friend. Jenny lives with her father, Jacob, on the Hughes Dairy Ranch below Cape Humbug. Each day Jenny and her father bring Blanco a kettle of clam chowder for his daily meal. Jenny teaches Blanco reading and writing. In turn, the lighthouse giant teaches Jenny, who wishes to become a marine scientist, the ways of the ocean and its creatures.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Blancoโs job is threatened when a conman,ย Professeur Poisson,ย arrives in Port Beaver, hoping to replace the giant with a first-order Fresnel lens and modern machinery. Can Jenny help save the giantโs lighthouse job? A tough task considering the entire town is against her. Book-with-Tunes! Scan the QR codes or click links to hear the songs.
Douglas Evans taught elementary-grade students for twenty fiveย ย years in settings ranging from a small logging town in Oregon to international schools in Helsinki and London.ย
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Hisย ย published booksย for children include THE ELEVATOR FAMILY (Delacorte/Yearling), CLASSROOM AT THEย END OF THE HALL (Scholasticย ย receivedย record reprint rights.), APPLE ISLAND, OR THE TRUTH ABOUT TEACHERS (Scholastic),ย MATH RASHES, ANDย OTHER CLASSROOM TALES (Scholastic), MOUTH MOTHS, MOREย CLASSROOM TALES (Scholastic), and MVP*: THE MAGELLAN VOYAGE PROJECT (Boydsย Millsย ย a Junior Library Book Guildย selection and winner of three state awards.).ย
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Many of his short stories have appeared in CRICKET publications.ย ย His play, THE ELEVATOR FAMILY, has been produced over one-hundred times in theaters around the world.