Our Lake
by Angie Kang; illus. by the author
Primary    Kokila/Penguin    40 pp.
3/25    9780593698235    $19.99
e-book ed.  9780593698242    $10.99

At the start of this bittersweet ode to the enduring bonds of family, the unnamed young narrator and “Brother” embark on a summer outing, hiking to a jewel-like lake complete with a massive rock perfect for diving. Although they follow all the same rituals (changing, stretching) that “Father used to,” the narrator hangs back, afraid, even as Brother fearlessly dives into the lake’s cobalt depths. What’s changed? The answer prompts the narrator to relive memories of earlier visits to “our lake” with Father and thereby reclaim some former courage. Art rendered in gouache with colored pencil and crayon is saturated with the colors of midsummer. Dark blue and green trees, whose shapes seem to mimic heat waves, rise into a lemon-yellow sky; memory takes shape through teal and chartreuse swirls that mingle with the sky and with the lake’s rich blues. The play of bubbles, light, and shadow on water is especially striking. Without being explicit, the story encourages readers to draw their own conclusions about the siblings’ shared loss. Kang’s debut picture book is a quiet portrait of the ways in which grief takes us by surprise, and its glorious final celebratory splash offers a radiant reminder of how joy and connection can exist alongside sadness.

From the May/June 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.