The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Larson, Deborah Jo

One Frozen Lake

32 pp. | Minnesota | November, 2012 | Trade ISBN 978-0-87351-866-6 $16.95

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher. Grandpa and grandson go ice fishing in this pseudo counting book written in verse. The book's strong suit is the evocative collage-style paintings capturing the historical essence of this northern pastime--with faded lures, maps, and scraps of old newspaper peppering the background. Unfortunately, the unwieldy meter is crowded with too many syllables and the counting backbone lacks consistent organization.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson