Pandora the cat becomes a lighthouse keeper and saves the life of Seabold the dog, and together the two of them create a family with three young mice rescued from the sea.

A mysterious forest stands near the lighthouse where Lila and her brother Whistler live. When these mouse children become curious about the forest and ask permission to go exploring, they discover enchantment, adventure and, best of all, a new friend. Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant and illustrator Preston McDaniels bring us the beauty of both the forest and the sea in this new story about a wonderful family: The Lighthouse Family.

"I am, and always will be, a lighthouse keeper's daughter. I had the good fortune to be born to a different kind of childhood. I didn't recognize this fact back when I was small. I thought that everybody lived like we did on our little island of Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts, which in itself was a life apart..."This is the true story of a family's life at lighthouses on the edge of civilization. It's a story of adventure, devotion to duty, and love.Seamond Ponsart Roberts shares her memories and emotions with good humor, a sharp eye for detail, and above all an appreciation for a way of life that has passed into history.Illustrated with 30 B&W photos and maps."If you enjoy reading as much as I do, you will understand what it means to have a book 'grab you' right from its opening pages. This book captured me before I'd even finished the acknowledgements with the author's simple way of writing and her invitation to share her adventures as if 'we are old friends sitting on the porch telling each other stories.' A pleasant conversation with a treasured friend is exactly what reading this book is like. . . . 'Everyday Heroes' is a wonderful book rich with history and the everyday trials and tribulations of life as lightkeepers. It left this reader feeling nostalgic for a way of life I've never experienced –a life both rich and somehow uncomplicated by the hardships faced by those who lived it. The author's words will enthrall you and by the time you reach the end of the book, you will have a new appreciation for a lost way of life. But just as importantly, you will feel you have a new friend in Seamond Ponsart Roberts." -- Donna Suchomelly, World Lighthouse Society newsletter.

Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant brings the peaceful sounds, sights, and characters of the coast vividly to life in the seventh book of the Lighthouse Family series, in which the family cares for a baby sea lion. One morning, the lighthouse family wakes up to find a baby sea lion asleep in their kitchen! The baby, whose name is Topper, explains that his mother left him here and instructed him to wait for her return. Pandora the cat and Seabold the dog are happy to care for Topper, and mouse children Lila, Whistler, and Tiny are excited to make a new friend.

A cloth bag containing ten copies of the title.