The Light Keeper by Karen Levine, Sheila Baslaw & Alice Priestley

Times are hard in young Shmuel Saslovsky’s shtetl. Papa has just lost his job, and tho everyone in their family of eight pitches in to make ends meet, it’s a struggle to get by. While Shmuel’s five older sisters earn a few kopeks taking in mending or helping out around town, no one wants to hire a ten year-old.

To help make up for that, Shmeul volunteers to do as many household chores as he can. He has a secret tho. He’s deathly afraid of heights, and will happily do anything except help repair the roof.

One day, he and the other villagers are startled by the appearance of strangers approaching on a wagon. Boldly, Shmuel asks the pair why they’re here. Beryl, the younger and friendlier man, announces that they’ve arrived to install electric lights in the square, which is currently lit dimly by only two small kerosene lamps.

This is exciting news for the shtetl, but especially for a ten year-old boy. Over the course of the next eight days, he watches Beryl and his partner closely as they set up the poles and wires. While the older man is pretty grumpy about it, Beryl is happy to explain everything that they’re doing to the wide-eyed kid. And when it’s time for them to head on over to the next town to install lights there, Beryl tells Shmuel that he told the mayor to go get Shmuel if the lights ever need fixing, as he has faith that the kid will know what to do.

When one of the lights goes out, as promised, the mayor comes asking Shmuel for help, promising payment in return. Shmuel absolutely knows what to do, and desperately wants to help both the village and his family. But doing so means climbing to the very top of those light posts. Will he be able to face down his fear of heights for the sake of everyone he knows?

This is a lovely picture book based on the childhood of co-writer Sheila Baslaw’s own father Shmuel, who grew up in a shtetl in Russia. Her dad didn’t much like talking about his childhood but would share this story with her. Now in her nineties, she wrote this book to honor her dad and his life, with the help of author and prizewinning radio producer Karen Levine.

Alice Priestley’s gentle but expressive art captures both the hardships and joys of shtetl life in 1900s Russia. Her watercolors and inks perfectly illustrate the highs and lows of Shmuel’s life as a ten year-old who badly wants to help his family but will have to conquer his own fears to do so.

I did have questions about certain aspects of the ending to do with their neighbors, tho I 100% applauded Shmuel’s gumption throughout. I have a fairly good imagination but have been trying to think of either of my own ten year-olds successfully navigating that situation, and have been failing miserably (tho my youngest does like changing all the lightbulbs in our house, sometimes in less than perfectly safe circumstances, despite our chagrined guidance.) The Light Keeper is delightful historical reading for any kid who wants to read about facing your fears and helping the people you love, and an excellent look into the time and place.

The Light Keeper by Karen Levine, Sheila Baslaw & Alice Priestley was published October 1 2024 by Second Story Press and is available from all good booksellers, including