Loon Summer [Hardcover]

Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2005 | Age Level: 5 and up

While spending the summer with her father, Rainie wishes her parents would stay together, just like the family of loons she sees on the lake.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Santucci makes her picture book debut with a delicate story about a girl and her father, who are spending their first summer at the lake without the girl's mother. As they watch a pair of loons on the water, the child asks her father, "You told me loons stay together for life.... Why can't you and Mom?" Her father responds, "Things change [but] some parts will be the same." Yet the differences and her mother's absence loom large: the youngster makes a flower necklace by herself, placing it over her head like her mother "always did"; and when Rainie and her father eat blueberries right off the bushes rather than bring them home so that her mother could make jam, the girl concedes, "They still taste sweet." Rainie narrates, but while Santucci's language is graceful, it occasionally veers from a childlike sensibility ("I sit on the greening grass"; the loons fly "with their necks stretched south"), and Rainie's emotional growth feels somewhat forced. A subtle, inventive meshing of watercolors and cut-paper, Shine's (The Summer My Father Was Ten) textured art captures the child's emotional swings and her bond with her father, as well as the serenity of the lakeside setting. Especially impressive is the illustrator's use of light and color to create fittingly changing skyscapes. Ages 5-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-This story perfectly captures a child's pain at her parents' separation. Rainie, who wishes that her parents were like loons that mate for life, adjusts to sharing lazy vacation days at a lake with her dad, who assures her that though the family structure has changed, she will always be loved. As the pair watch chicks hatch and grow; as they swim, fish, and pick blueberries, Rainie adjusts to her new circumstances. Life is different without mom present. When she and her father pick blueberries, they eat them right off the bushes instead of saving them to make jam as her mother used to do. As time passes, she wishes that things could be the way they used to be, but she knows that they can't. On the last night at the cottage, Rainie and her dad sit by a campfire and wish on the North Star. Shine's gorgeous spreads capture relaxing moments of summer vacation. Soft, watercolor washes provide a soothing backdrop to Rainie's moodiness and sorrow; bits of cut-paper collage add an intriguing dimension to the illustrations. The father-daughter relationship is beautifully and thoughtfully depicted, so the ending is a hopeful one.

Alice Casey Smith, Sayreville Public Schools, Parlin, NJ

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Eerdmans Books For Young Readers (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802851827
• ISBN-13: 978-0802851826
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,451,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The hopeful story of a child adjusting, June 8, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Loon Summer (Hardcover)

An ideal picturebook story for ages 5 and older, Barbara Santucci's Loon Summer is the story of Rainier and her dad as the spend time together on a lakeside cottage. Rainie misses her mom (who no longer lives with her dad), and throughout the summer she watches a pair of loons lay their eggs, hatch babies, and form a loon family. Beautifully illustrated by Andrea Shine, Loon Summer is very highly recommended for family, school, community library collections, as the hopeful story of a child adjusting to the difficult realities of separated parents but who is able to grow in her trust and understanding of the unconditional love her parents will always have for her as their daughter.

5.0 out of 5 stars A helpful book for kids struggling with the painful realities of divorce, March 12, 2011

By 

R. Hayton "Bob the book-nut" (St. Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loon Summer (Paperback)

The Bible doesn't encourage divorce, but it testifies to the painful reality of it. In our world today, divorce is a major problem. This problem painfully impacts children, and even Christian children. How are children to cope with the reality of a new divorce?

While I would hope that divorce would be rare in conservative Christian circles, I know it isn't. I never really thought about what to do with and how to help children affected by the problems of their parents before. I've been blessed to not have to think too carefully about this up until recently.

This book from Eerdmans is an attempt to help express the emotions and difficulties of a young girl who realizes family vacations aren't and won't be the same without having both her mom and dad with her. The dad and his daughter spend time together at the lake in their cabin. By the end of the book, the girl is more at peace with this new reality, she loves her dad, and her mom both. It's sad reading, but I think for older children recently impacted by divorce or even with the death of a parent, this book may help them cope and be a blessing.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Eerdman Books for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from Books That Heal Kids, February 4, 2011

By 

Books That Heal Kids "Roxanne" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Loon Summer (Paperback)

Divorce reminds me of the grieving process. It's a loss...a letting go. The absoluteness of a new beginning can be especially difficult. Rainie's story will be a familiar and helpful one to many children. She still wishes and hopes things could go back to the way they used to be. I appreciate divorce bibliotherapy validating those thoughts and feelings. Children will also find healing and comfort in Rainie's dads words to her, "My wish is that you'll never forget how much Mom and I both love you. Even when one of us isn't with you." This is what kids want to hear....love. The illustrations are also so soft and beautiful.