Cover of Sport -Ship Dog of the Great Lakes, which features an illustrated brown and black dog standing on a pier in front of a lighthouse and boat

“SPORT – Ship Dog of the Great Lakes” is the 2026 Great Lakes, Great Read picture book selection.

Join us on Wednesday, May 13 at 6 p.m. CT as Wisconsin Sea Grant’s senior special librarian Anne Moser sits down to talk with Pamela Cameron, author of the 2026 Great Lakes, Great Read picture book, “SPORT – Ship Dog of the Great Lakes.”

SPORT – Ship Dog of the Great Lakes” is the true story of a puppy rescued during a storm by a sailor working on a Great Lakes tender, a boat that brings supplies to the various lighthouse keepers in the lakes. With lively illustrations, author Pamela Cameron introduces readers to Sport and his human companions as they deliver essentials to keep the lights on and ships safe in Lake Michigan.

Parents, grandparents, educators, librarians, and readers of all types are welcome to join the webinar and learn more about the book. The event is free, but please register in advance.

The Great Lakes, Great Read program is based on the One Book, One Community model where reading programs choose one book for libraries, community groups, and the public to read and enjoy together over the course of a year. This year’s selections also include a book for middle-grade readers and one for adults. 

  • “Saving Our Sturgeon: Protecting Wisconsin’s Ancient Fish” by Rebecca Hogue Wojahn
  • The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by John U. Bacon

Find announcements of region-wide webinars with each of the authors, as well as toolkits and other resources, on the Great Lakes, Great Read website

The Great Lakes, Great Read program is a partnership between the Library of the Great Lakes, the Gail Borden Public Library, Saginaw District Library, Swim Drink Fish, Biinaagami Project, Great Lakes Odyssey, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison Wisconsin Water Library. In-kind support was provided by the staff with the Wisconsin Water Library and Wisconsin Sea Grant.

The University of Wisconsin Aquatic Sciences Center administers Wisconsin Sea Grant, the Wisconsin Water Resources Institute, and Water@UW–Madison. The center supports multidisciplinary research, education, and outreach for the protection and sustainable use of Wisconsin’s water resources. Wisconsin Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in coastal and Great Lakes states that encourage the wise stewardship of marine resources through research, education, outreach, and technology transfer.

The post Great Lakes, Great Read author to talk about books, dogs, and lighthouses first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/great-lakes-great-read-author-to-talk-about-books-dogs-and-lighthouses/

Jenna Mertz

Mapping the Great Lakes: Lighthouse search

Love staring at a map and discovering something interesting? Then “Mapping the Great Lakes” is for you. It’s a monthly Great Lakes Now feature created by Alex B. Hill, a self-described “data nerd and anthropologist” who combines cartography, data, and analytics with storytelling and human experience.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/mapping-great-lakes-lighthouses/

Alex Hill

Visit a Lighthouse: Explore history in one of the many preserved lighthouses around the Great Lakes

Go right to the list of lighthouses here. 

For Patrick McKinstry, his love of lighthouses began when he was 4 or 5 years old.  

He was on a family trip at the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City, Michigan, and asking his mother what it was and if he could go in. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/visit-a-lighthouse/

Natasha Blakely

Rising Waters: Great Lakes lighthouse keepers fight to preserve history in the face of climate change

One evening in the late 1800s, a lighthouse keeper named John Herman was drinking, as he usually did, when he decided to play a prank on his assistant. Herman locked the assistant in the lantern room and left him there. 

When the assistant managed to get out of the room, he found himself all alone in the lighthouse.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/rising-waters-great-lakes-lighthouses-climate-change/

Rachel Duckett

Grants to help with repairs, rehabilitation at 3 lighthouses

NEWBERRY, Mich. (AP) — Repairs and restoration are coming to three historic lighthouses in Michigan.

More than $126,000 in grant funding from the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office have been awarded to the Crisp Point Light Historical Society, the North Manitou Light Keepers and St. Clair County Parks and Recreation.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/ap-grants-repairs-rehabilitation-3-lighthouses/

The Associated Press