Lake Where Loon Lives

by Brenda Reeves Sturgis, Brooke Carlton (Illustrations)

There’s a lake with a loon and two chicks. Sounds peaceful, right? Guess again. The Lake Where Loon Lives starts quietly, but the story builds, one line at a time, to a wacky and wonderful splashy crescendo, as the loons are joined by a playful fly, a slippery fish, and a curious boy on the dock. Brenda Reeves Sturgis treats us to fanciful and evocative word play while Brooke Carlton’s exuberant watercolors tell the story behind the story. Mama Loon rolls her eyes and tolerates the antics that take place on the lake until, at the end, she snuggles with her chicks who are ready for sleep, just as the readers of this wonderful picture book will be.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 16, 2014

Reviews

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun tale about life on a lake. The rollicking, rhyming narrative builds after each scene in the same way that The House that Jack Built does and the story is really fun to read aloud.

The pen and ink and watercolor illustrations are colorful, but a bit too rudimentary and 'scribbly' for my taste. Still, it's an entertaining book and I enjoyed reading it with our oldest as we browsed in a gift shop during our summer vacation trip home to Massachusetts.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lake populated by a loon and her babies might sound idyllic, but in this take-off of "The House That Jack Built," that turns out not to be the case. The story is fun to read as the suspense builds, and the loons are finally ready for some sleep. What's a mother loon to do when there is so much happening around her? The pen and ink and watercolor illustrations are filled with plenty of humor and action.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun twist on the "House that Jack Built" that includes some facts about loons as well as some fun. But the pen and watercolor illustrations are a bit loose and distracting. The fly with the horn looks more like an angel trumpeting the birth of Christ, and on the page where it's circling the loon's head, it looks like it is trumpeting into a red beak which is supposed to be the bow of the hat on the loon. A bit confusing.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those fun cumulative rhyming stories.
Mama loon lives on the lake with her two chicks. They are joined by a fly, a fish, a boy, and lots of confusion. The story is told by repeating each addition with some variation nearer the end. It's a funny story, nicely illustrated in watercolour, and an easy fun read for children.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think Farmer in the Dell with this one.
I loved the pics.
I thought the kids would get the repetition and join along but they didn't. they still enjoyed the story

[Nanny B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitive story like "A hole in the log", which I know some children may like.
The illustrations are colorful. but are difficult to make out what they are on some pages.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this through a Goodreads giveaway. Great summer read for the kids. Fun to read aloud.

[Crystal M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short children's story I won through First Reads and a quick and easy read. It's cute and I liked how the sentence built and built until the end.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book builds on the same sentence throughout in a fun, rhyming fashion.

Good for preschool or toddler storytimes.

[AnnieM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh!

[Cherie Cormier · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lake where the Loon Lives is such a fun hook! Author, Brend Reeves Sturgis, keeps children guessing as each page brings another laugh and more fun. My children absolutely loved it!