Loon Summer

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.