“Here is the constellation Little Dog,” said Stanley. “And here is the Dog Star.”
“More dogs in the heavens than I ever knew,” said Seabold.
“And here is my favorite constellation,” said Stanley with a smile. “The Eagle.”
“It does look like an eagle!” said Lila.
“Perhaps,” Pandora said to Stanley, “you might like to stargaze from the catwalk of our lighthouse.”
“Oh yes!” said Whistler. “You could show us all the constellations!”
“Please, could you?” asked Lila.
And so that evening on the catwalk of their lighthouse, the family assembled with the eagle who would show them the stars. Whistler had made his own Starry Sky Notebook and as Stanley spoke, Whistler took notes. Stanley pointed out the Dippers and the great Bull and the Seven Sisters. He showed the family how the moon follows a path across the night sky.
“I have followed the moon many a time,” said Seabold. In his voice was the pride of a sailor who had traveled well.
When the gazing was done, Pandora made tea for everyone, then the eagle set about to return home.
“Don’t forget to watch for shooting stars,” he reminded the children. “And make a wish on every one.”
“Thank you, Stanley,” said Seabold. “Thank you for everything.”
When the eagle was gone, Whistler and Lila returned to the catwalk to watch the sky for another hour.
In that hour they saw sixteen shooting stars, and they each made sixteen perfect wishes.
CYNTHIA RYLANT is the author of more than 100 books for young people, including the beloved Henry and Mudge, Annie and Snowball, Brownie • Pearl, and Mr. Putter • Tabby series. Her novel Missing May received the Newbery Medal. She lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Visit her at CynthiaRylant.com. PRESTON MCDANIELS lives on the Great Plains in Aurora, Nebraska.
BEACH LANE BOOKS
Simon & Schuster • New York
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Other books in the Lighthouse Family Series
The Storm
The Whale
The Turtle
The Octopus
The Otter
BEACH LANE BOOKS
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Text copyright © 2004 by Cynthia Rylant
Illustrations copyright © 2004 by Preston McDaniels
Jacket design by Lucy Ruth Cummins and Dan Potash
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BEACH & LANE BOOKS is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
The text for this book is set in Centaur.
The illustrations for this book are rendered in graphite.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rylant, Cynthia.
The lighthouse family. The eagle / Cynthia Rylant; illustrated by Preston McDaniels.— 1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: Two mice that live in a lighthouse along with a dog, a cat, and another mouse, lose their compass while exploring the forest, and learn to use their instincts before being rescued by an eagle.
ISBN 0-689-86243-1
ISBN 978-1-4424-9936-2 (eBook)
[1. Lighthouses—Fiction. 2. Mice—Fiction. 3. Cats—Fiction. 4. Dogs—Fiction. 5. Eagles—Fiction.] I. Title: Eagle. II. McDaniels, Preston, ill. III. Title.
PZ7.R982 Lg 2004
[Fic]—dc22 2003018636
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