Gorgeous illustrations. ( )

Allen Say does a wonderful job at capturing the hard times for kids when their parents are split and captures just how fun quality. time can be! ( )

I really liked this book, I related to the Dad a lot because I want to get away from everything and everyone too for a little while. I think in the book, the Dad got so upset that he and his dad's "lost lake" was now found. I am sure that a tradition that was so sacred to him was ruined by a ton of people at their private lake. I liked that Say and his dad hiked around looking for their own private lake, those are memories that neither of the men will forget. I really enjoyed how Say was agitated throughout the whole journey, but when they finally found their private lake he understood why his dad fought so hard to find it. ( )

I think this book is great for three reasons. For starters, I really like the theme of the book. Many children can relate to having parents who are too busy with work to spend time with them, but when their parents do finally have time, it is very positive for the child. This book centers around a father and son who barely interact since the father is busy with his work until one day the father goes into his son’s room and sees pictures of what his son wants to do. One morning, the dad wakes up his son and tells him that they are going on an adventure. The dad decides to take him to a lost lake that he and his father discovered and no one knew about. When they arrive at the lake they realize that the lake has been discovered. The father and son then go on to search for another place that other people have yet to discover. They found a lake and called it the “special lake”. Another reason I like this book is because the illustrations fit the mood for the story. At the beginning of the book, the pictures are dull and not very colorful. Throughout the story the pictures become more colorful and vibrant to symbolize their journey together and their mending relationship. The illustrations incorporate so much detail to what the father and son were seeing. The last reason I like this book is because of the story itself: a father and son rekindled the lost bond that they had. The lesson the book has to offer is that sometimes things that may seem lost can be found again and fixed, despite any challenges that may arise. ( )

This was a great picture book for children. The two main characters were a son and his father. The father wanted to take his son to a special lake that no one knew about. After traveling to the lake, they both saw that their special lake was found by others. Both of them decide to keep going on their journey. After multiple days, they both wake up to a glorious lake in the distance. They named it the special lake. I really liked that the book went over the whole journey of finding their lake. The illustrations were dull then they became very colorful and helped enhance the story. The book pushes the readers to think about changes and new experiences. Also, the book pushes about parental relationships with their children.