Leo's grandfather gives him a most unusual birthday gift in this lovely picture-book from Spain. Taking him along one night to his lighthouse, Grandpa shows him the nighttime images he creates for people in the vicinity, sharing the Morse code messages he sends to a lonely old fisherman on a nearby island, and the stories he projects onto the clouds. Coming home in the early morning, the old man declares that the lighthouse, which he uses to cheer the people around him, now belongs to Leo...

Originally published in Spanish as El faro de las almas, The Lighthouse of Souls features a gentle, thought-provoking tale from expatriate Argentine author Ariel Andrés Almada (now living in Europe), and gorgeous artwork from Polish illustrator Zuzanna Celej. The book is oriented somewhat differently, opening and reading vertically, rather than from side to side. This emphasizes the idea of height - an important part of a lighthouse - and allows Celej to create beautifully tall images. The lighthouse is an evocative symbol - providing light in the darkness, and guidance in uncertain waters - so I thought Almada's idea to use it as a beacon for souls was quite interesting, and very perceptive. The mystery and magic of that beacon, and of the story the author spins around it, is captured by Celej in the artwork, which features a muted but lovely color palette, and an adept use of mist and shadow and light. There is a contemplative quality here that makes me think this would be a good bedtime book, as well as a good story for lighthouse lovers young and old. ( )