The Waving Girl - Paperback

by J. B. Nicholas (Author)

Flora Martus lived on Elba Isle near Savannah, Georgia, in the early 1900s. Her family were the lighthouse keepers, and the little girl Flora grew up to be a light for others in her own way, waving to ships at sea for more than forty years.

Back Jacket

"Waites's watercolors are pleasingly old-fashioned, with romantic flair for the scenery and costume of the times."
--School Library Journal

Flora Martus lived on Elba Isle near Savannah, Georgia, in the early 1900s. She, her brother, and her father were the lighthouse keepers there, and Flora loved watching the ships pass back and forth. But the life of a lighthouse keeper is a lonely one, and Flora missed playing with other children. Her father comforted her with the idea that she would always be a light for others.
For more than sixty years, Flora Martus happily waved to the passing ships, which were her nearest neighbors. It became a tradition for passing ships to honk their horns or blow their whistles at the girl, and then the woman, waving from the lighthouse. Flora's fame spread across the globe, and she sometimes received exotic gifts from far-off places, all addressed to "The Waving Girl."
As time passed, Flora was left to run the lighthouse with her brother, and before long, when they grew old, it was time for someone else to run the lighthouse. For Flora's seventieth birthday, Savannah honored its beloved waving girl by throwing a party for three thousand people. A bronze statue in her honor was erected on the south end of River Street in Savannah, Georgia, in 1971.
Author J. B. Nicholas is a former third-grade teacher who now writes full time. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and a graduate of Wheaton College. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her family.
Illustrator Joan C. Waites is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and also illustrated the Pelican book "Moon's Cloud Blanket," a Storytelling World Award Honor Title for 2004. Ms. Waites lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Author Biography

Family and faith are two of the most important elements in Julie B. Nicholas's life. When she is not writing, Ms. Nicholas takes care of her son, Peter; gives piano lessons; participates in music and Sunday- school programs at her church; and travels with her family (especially to the seashore). Ms. Nicholas was born October 15, 1968, in Alexandria, Virginia. After she graduated in 1990 from Wheaton College in Illinois with a bachelor of arts in elementary education, she taught first grade in the Wheaton area for two years. In 1992, Ms. Nicholas and her husband, Dean, moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she taught third grade for the next five years. She is currently retired from teaching and spends a large portion of her time writing stories for young readers. In the past few years, Ms. Nicholas published numerous works in a variety of mediums. In 1998, she contributed a first-person essay to the book Earth Angels, a compilation of heartfelt accounts from individuals whose lives have been touched by an angel. In 2002, she also published an article in the well-known children's magazine Highlights for Children.