Dear Lake,
When I think of you, I think of rocks hiding under waves, like secrets. Remember me, your friend Rosie? Remember me?

Rosie’s Mom is preoccupied and troubled. On such a cold, cranky, dark morning, Rosie needs a friend. So Rosie dreams of her summer friend, the lake. In her mind’s eye, she writes a letter to the lake and remembers the many warm, joyful hours spent with one of her closest friends, the bountiful natural world of the lake.

With rich imagery, Susan Marie Swanson vividly depicts Rosie’s body preparing for school on a cold, troublesome winter morning while Rosie’s imagination fuels her mind and soul with memories of gentler, warmer days spent relaxing at the lake. After placing her “best rock” collected from the lake in her pocket, Rosie secretly uses it to connect to her fond memories, and then gives the soothing token to her mother as she leaves the car for school. Catalanotto’s illustrations juxtapose Rosie’s real view of the cold, grey morning with Rosie’s lush, green memories. Together, Swanson’s masterful writing and Catalanotto’s expressive illustrations create a tribute to how children and adults connect to the power within imagination and memory in order to sustain them during troubled times. Letter to the Lake offers a refreshing, soothing antidote to the sometimes bleak winter days ahead and reminds us that to everything there is a season.

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