The Lake Where Loon Lives

Brenda Reeves Sturgis is a Maine author who began her writing journey in 2004. She is the author of 10 Turkeys in the Road and No Fun in the Sun for Santa. She and her husband Gary live on a lovely little lake where she listens to loons wail and watches an occasional moose meander across her back yard. She has four children and five grandchildren.

Brooke Carlton‘s whimsical illustrations have appeared in children’s magazine and book publications, private home collections, commercial brochures and posters, mailing envelopes, and even large mural walls. Brooke is also a musician. With paintbrush in one hand, saxophone in the other, and her dog, Lucy, at her feet, she works out of her tiny studio in the woods of rural Maine.

 

"Brenda Reeves Sturgis utilizes the repetitive House That Jack Built rhyming scheme and expertly creates a tale that transports the reader to a summer day on a lake in Maine. What fun!” 

—Chris Van Dusen, author/illustrator of The Circus Ship

 

"The narrative doesn't adhere strictly to the traditional rhyme scheme, giving it enough originality to keep it fresh and amusing. Carlton's delightful watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations are perfectly matched to Sturgis's playful story. From the smallest of background details to extreme close-ups, the cartoon style and bright colors are sure to catch and hold young readers' attention."

—School Library Journal

 

"The Lake Where Loon Lives is a complete adaptation of the old story poem "This Is the House Where Jack Lives." Instead of Jack, the main character is a fearless, sedate Mama loon and her two baby chicks. The rest of the story concerns a fly, a fish, a boy, a lake, a struggle, and a peaceful resolution on a lovely, moonlit lake. Spectacular, original, wacky watercolor paintings fully express all the drama contained in The Lake Where Loon Lives. Whoever heard of annoying flies that practice a trumpet, or a Mama Loon who wears a flowered hat and has tea from a camp stove, or a pair of loon chicks who water ski? If you can imagine it, the loony pictures of The Lake Where Loon Lives will evoke it, hilariously! Exciting vocabulary melds with familiar verse patterns and tell the highly unlikely story filled with splashy adventures of "The Lake Where Loon Lives." The scenery of rural Maine informs and pervades this charming book by two very talented, creative individuals."

—Midwest Book Review

 

"Filled with a energy that will capture readers’ attention from the get-go, this delightful story celebrates the cacophony of loons, mixing with chattering chicks, snapping fish and buzzing flies . . . An ode to summer and all things outdoor, this picturesque picture book pays tribute to the symphony of nature and all its wonderful sounds."

—The Talking Walnut blog

 

"The story involves a loon and her chicks and includes flies, fish, and the antics of a young boy. The lilting language is poetic and fun to read to a youngster."

—George Smith, GeorgeSmithMaine.com
 

Carlton’s vibrant watercolors and Sturgis’ rhyming prose brilliantly represent all that is good in a whimsical children’s book –– fun, pictures, words in full sentences and a cute story sure to bring smiles to kids and adults.

––Bill Bushnell, Kennebec Journal