THE HAUNTED LAKE

Love, loss, and ghosts are featured in this picture book for older readers.

When a dam is built, the ensuing lake floods the village of Spetzia, whose residents have moved to new homes they were given in the big town below the dam. Jacob and his father, Reuben, however, stay. Their cottage, formerly on the hillside, is now on the lakeshore, and Reuben won’t leave Jacob’s mother, who is buried in the flooded village’s cemetery. The lake is considered haunted, but Reuben and Jacob fish it for their living, selling their catch at the market. When Jacob meets young Ellen, they fall in love and make plans to marry. But one fateful evening, Jacob goes fishing and fails to return. As Ellen mourns Jacob, she stays at Reuben’s cottage and helps out, unwilling to leave Jacob behind. Then one day, she sees a face under the frozen lake. This comfortably eerie ghost/undying-love story is unvarnished and competently told, but the illustrations make it sublime. Created with watercolor and gouache—a choice that embraces the story’s watery setting—each illustration, whether single-page, quarter-page, or double-page spread, exhibits a distinctive perspective, an expert palette of warm and cool colors, and skilled draftsmanship to create both ambiance and movement. The book’s large format allows readers to luxuriate in the gorgeous illustrations. All characters are illustrated as White.

Satisfying and visually superb.