Illustration copyright © 2010 by Marie Lafrance from The Firehouse Light by Janet Nolan. Tricycle Press.

This summer, read the true story of-yes-a lightbulb that has stayed lit in a firehouse for more than a century.

Finding firefighting equipment in the dark was not easy. Then one day a businessman gave the firefighters a gift. No longer would they have to waste time lighting lanterns. A wire burning inside a ball of glass would light the way. Day after day, year after year, the lightbulb did not burn out.

As horse-drawn carriages make room for automobiles, dirt roads give way to paved streets, and small clusters of homes are crowded by new buildings, a small town grows and changes. And firefighting changes, too: fires once fought with bucket brigades and hand-pulled hose carts are now attended by full-time firefighters and fancy fire trucks.

Readers of all ages will be fascinated by this long-lasting lightbulb and how it still glows, strong and steady, lighting the way for firefighters and their trucks.

JANET NOLAN loves creating characters, imagining settings, pondering plots and finding the right words. She currently serves as Program Co-Chair for the Illinois chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Janet lives in Oak Park, Illinois.

MARIE LAFRANCE has illustrated more than 20 children's books and has lived in San Francisco and New York, where she worked as a silk-screen printmaker for various galleries. She has been nominated for many awards, including the prestigious Governor General's Award. Marie lives with her partner and their daughter Beatrice, in Montreal, Canada.