‘Lighthouse Dog’ a howling success Author’s second children’s book leads readers through clever canine adventure

LIGHTHOUSE DOG TO THE RESCUE, written by Angeli Perrow, illustrated by Emily Harris, Down East Books, 2000, 32 pages, hardcover, $15.95.

Angeli Perrow’s fans have a wish come true just in time for the holidays. Her second children’s book, “Lighthouse Dog to the Rescue,” lives up to the promise shown in “Captain’s Castaway.” This lively story set in the 1930s should appeal to dog lovers and all who enjoy a good adventure.

Pauline, older daughter of the Owls Head lighthouse keeper, has a loyal, intelligent canine companion named Spot. The spaniel takes a great interest in the boats and ships that pass his territory and often barks his greetings. One day, when the fog is too thick for light to penetrate, Spot learns to help pull the warning bell, to his and his owners’ delight.

On a particularly harsh winter day when a blizzard strikes, the lighthouse light can’t penetrate the blinding snow and the bell is frozen solid by sea spray. With no way to warn sailors of the treacherous rocks that have shattered so many boats in the past, Pauline’s family sits helplessly, hoping that all seafarers have safely made it home.

The telephone rings and it’s bad news. The mail boat is late and they have to rely on Spot to hear the boat and his barking to alert the captain.

Perrow said she discovered Spot in a book about New England lighthouses by Edward Rowe Snow.

“The dog was so smart and loyal. And he just seemed to jump out of the account as a character I wanted to get to know more.”

Perrow found this story more difficult to write than her first one. “I had to do major rewritings of the book twice. The editor wanted the child character developed more. The crisis of the book had to be built up.”

She discovered much satisfaction in the creative process. “The part I enjoyed most was the research: talking with people about the family and learning about the lighthouse.”

Emily Harris, also illustrator of “Captain’s Castaway,” skillfully painted the drama of a blizzard and the warmth and supportiveness of a close-knit family. In one scene, Pauline, her father, and Spot, whipped by a sleety gale, hover close to the edge of a cliff, straining to hear the sound of a boat’s engine. In another poignant scene, Pauline and little sister Millie watch through a window as their father disappears into the fearsome dark.

Perrow said, “[The illustrations] were softer and more subtle than [the pictures in] my first book. The characters are very expressive.”

Since the publications of “Captain’s Castaway,” Perrow has met many children and teachers who treasure her work. “It gives me lots of personal satisfaction because when I was a kid I was a big reader. … This feels like a way to give that opportunity to other kids.”