Loon Summer

by Barbara Santucci, Andrea Shine (Illustrator)

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.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2001

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sad story of a little girl coming to grips with her parent's separation. The watercolor pictures made for a pretty little book.

[Bob Hayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

From the book's description:

My first morning on the lake I hear the loons.
"Oh-OOOO-oooo."
Their sad songs remind me that Mom isn't
coming to the cottage this summer.

Rainie knows that this summer will be different. As she and her dad do the things they've always done at the cottage, Rainie is painfully aware of her mom's absence. Throughout the summer Rainie watches a pair of loons on the lake—watches as they lay eggs, hatch babies, and are together as a loon family.

"My teacher says loons stay together for life. Why can't you and Mom?" she asks her dad.

Loon Summer is an authentic, hopeful story of a child adjusting to the difficult reality of changes in her own family. As summer progresses, Rainie grows in her trust and understanding of the unconditional love each of her parents will always have for her.

You can pick up a copy of this title at Amazon.com, or direct from Eerdmans Books. For this title, there is also a helpful, free discussion guide.

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

[Lindsey Buhl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right off the bat this book dove into hard feelings about a young child whose parents were going through a divorce. Just an FYI in case you, like us, thought this book would be about looks.

[Stephanie Mixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly deep book. This story shows the many emotions a child can go throguh when their parents are divorcing. It also shows how parents can try to be positive and let their children know they are always there for them. Children are affected by more than we think, especially an issue as serious as divorce. This book presented this in an inspiring way.

I believe this book could be used in 2nd-4th grade due to the emotional content and text. I do not know how it could be presented since this is such a sensitive matter. Maybe it would be best to be used outside of the classroom or kept in a classroom library for certain situations.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written by my friend, Barbara Santucci. It has a positive message for children of divorced parents - not that there isn't heartache for the children but there can be a positive compromise to the situation.

The illustrations are absolutely beautiful. Remind me of my home state of Minnesota.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's kind of a sad book, although it may help some, though I'm not sure what to think. I just picked it up (a random book, not knowing what it was about) and read it.

Note: the read date I have listed is approximate.

[Rachel Rouleau · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grabbed this at the library thinking it looked like a nice book about summertime. It is actually a super sad story about a girl whose parents just got divorced. I think it deals with the topic well, but it's not necessary for my three-year-old to learn about yet.