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Reviewed by Kathy Golden for Readers' Favorite
Little Squiggle's Lake Adventure is a delightful collaboration written by the mother-and-son team of Laura Smetana and Stirling Hebda, respectively. It is the adventure of two young giraffes; a male named Little Squiggle and a female named Little Lou. Little Squiggle has a new, bright red kayak he wants the two of them to try out. With her anxiety over going into the water battling her eagerness to experience something new and different, Little Lou finally agrees to go kayaking, and the journey begins. As they paddle through blue waves, Little Squiggle and Little Lou hear sounds they feel they must investigate. Their curiosity has its price: a cost that leads to an alarming situation but ultimately teaches them a beautiful lesson.
Laura Smetana is the illustrator of Little Squiggle's Lake Adventure. The drawings are well done and different from others I’ve seen in children’s books. The images hint at Impressionist paintings. The effect is to make the trees and grass and the rocky shore feel like part of a dream world, a fantasy world, perfect for exploring. Instead of just traveling to an ordinary island, readers are transported to a magical place. I greatly appreciate how the dialogue of each giraffe is written right above their image so that it is easy to know who is speaking at all times. The pictures are large and colorful with bold and easy-to-read text. I enjoyed this story very much. It reads like the first of many adventures for these two giraffes, and I hope there will be more books featuring them. At the end of the story, there is a beautiful and heartwarming photo you must see.
