I grew up on a lake, so this adorable book spoke to my soul. Fabulous artwork. Would definitely recommend

Based on real events this is a coming of age story of a young girl visiting her grandparents along for the first time. Young readers will enjoy Kate's journey and seeing how one girl can help make a huge difference. Make sure to read the author's note at the end of the book to read about the girl who inspired Kate.

Out into the Big Wide Lake is a beautiful story about a sweet girl with Downs Syndrome. Kate is spending the summer with her grandparents and goes with them in the boat to make grocery deliveries. She meets neighbors and family, and learns the route, so she can help. When something happens and her grandfather is not able to deliver the groceries, Kate gets in the boat and does them herself. This is a story about facing your fears, gaining self-confidence, helping others and community. I read this one to my grandchildren without saying that Kate had Downs Syndrome, and they just talked about her as a girl, a friend, etc. I will say that unless you know ahead of time by reading the synopsis, you would not know that this young girl has Downs Syndrome. That is not a criticism, but you could easily read this story, like I did, and it would just be a great story about a young girl moving beyond her fears in a new and scary situation. The illustrations were wonderful. They were large, full of nature and the world. The faces show expression and are a bit whimsical. I can definitely see this book being used in a classroom where special needs children are part of the class to show acceptance and that they are able to do things we might not think they can.

You are going to love Kate!

One day Grandma comes to visit. She wants Kate to come and spend the summer with her and Grandpa. After a bit, Mom agrees. Grandma and Kate travel on a train and then by boat to get to Kate's grandparents home on the lake where they run a local store.

Sleeping in what used to be her mother's bed, Kate is a bit homesick. However, she's soon busy helping her grandfather deliver groceries. Most of the people they deliver to are friendly, except for grumpy Walter.

In the evenings Grandma teaches her how to drive the boat and Parbuckle, the dog, becomes a good friend.

One morning Grandpa collapses with a heart attack. After he is rushed to the hospital, Kate sits on the dock with the groceries and decides to deliver them herself. Her only worry is that troublesome Walter.

I enjoyed this book a couple of times before reading the information about the author and illustrator on the jacket flaps. Knowing that Harebridge wrote this for his down syndrome sister and that the protagonist, Kate, is based on her, brought significant meaning to aspects of the story. I appreciated it even more.

Josée Bisaillon's artwork is swoonworthy. It wowed me right from the start. Her illustrations, "a mixture of collage, drawings and digital montage, take us into a world so richly detailed and multidimensional that you'd hardly think it all came out of only one person's imagination."

Loved the Story, Not the Illustrations

This is a story of a little girl and the summer she spends with her grandparents. From the initial writing, it is clear she is a special-needs child, though it is not explicitly spelled out. (We learn at the start, before the story begins, that the author's younger sister who has Down syndrome inspired the book.) Her grandparents own a grocery store on a lake, and they make deliveries in a small motorized boat to customers living on the lake. The little girl goes out with Grandpa every day delivering groceries. Both Grandpa and Grandma teach her how to pilot the boat. One day, Grandpa gets sick, and the little girl decides to make the deliveries herself. It's a sweet story about love, acceptance, and helping others. Unfortunately, I did not like the illustrations at all. Some might call them “country rustic”, but it didn't work for me. I strongly disliked the bright red patches the characters had on their faces. Most also had beady eyes, which made some look mildly sinister. Even the backs of knees were red to show the fold. Someone needed to take away that illustrator’s red brush/pen. The perspectives were wonky, too—forced, stretched, and pulled in unpleasant ways—especially certain backgrounds and even an oddly vertical oblong plate on a table. If the illustration had been better, I would have given this book a higher rating.

This story was really cute. It is about Kate [Linda Catherine) who has Down Syndrome. She goes to live with her grandparents for the summer on a lake. She learns to help with the grocery runs, and takes initiative during a health scare to make the trip all on her own. This would be a great story time or bed time story for younger kids.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This is a book about a young girl spending her summer with her grandparents on the lake. Lovely story, I really enjoyed it.

A summer away from home is always an adventure, especially when you get to immerse yourself in the ways of a small community! It's lovely watching Kate's grandparents build up her self-confidence with love and trust, so that she is able to save the day in the event of an emergency. Kate is an excellent representation of how the abilities of children with Down Syndrome can be grossly underrated, and I hope this starts a conversation about that. The only reason my rating isn't higher is because the writing itself made the read-through a fairly choppy experience.

I know that the story is probably set in Canada, but to me it was just so Northern Wisconsin or Minnesota. Kate has a disadvantaging condition but is able to read and learn, and all of her limbs and senses work. Grandma and grandpa bring her to their home and know that she can learn to help with the grocery deliveries on their lake and thereby gain a stronger sense of herself. And so she does! The story is simply written and with great sensitivity. The illustrations are equally basic but intrinsically beautiful. Altogether this is a great book for readers to donate to their local public library once they have shared it at home!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Penguin Random House Canada/Tundra Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

This book is something special. I think the dedication/introduction helps bring the story to life so be sure not to miss it.

This is a sweet book about Kate, who has Down syndrome, and her summer with her grandparents. Kate learns to do new things and is able to help her grandparents when her grandfather gets sick. This is a book about family and trying new things. The illustrations are beautiful!

Out into the Big Wide Lake was a sweet story inspired by the author’s sister, Linda. It was a story about family coming together to help one another in times of need and about a young girl with Down syndrome who finds independence and gains confidence to try new things.

The illustrations were beautiful throughout and captured the feeling of being a young kid out on the lake. The story was lovely and empowering. I would highly recommend this story about facing fears and how to encourage a child who is anxious to try new things.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada & Tundra Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Out into the Big Wide Lake is a story of a little girl who goes to stay with her grandparents over the summer for the first time. I think this was a cute story about being brave and doing new things bit it felt a bit wordy for me. Though I did like the illustrations.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC

Kate, a young girl and the main character in Out into the Big Wide Lake, is based on the author's sister who has Down syndrome. In the story, Kate spends the summer away from home for the first time visiting her grandparents. Her grandparents live in a grocery store that they own on a lake and deliver groceries to others by boat. Kate helps her grandfather deliver groceries and learns how to drive the boat. Her grandfather becomes ill and she bravely makes the deliveries by herself one day. Lovely story with a lovable and independent young girl who amazes everyone. Perfectly illustrated. #NetGalley

In Paul Harbridge’s new story Out into the Big Wide Lake, inspired by his sister Linda, readers get to experience summer on the lake. Impeccably illustrated by Josée Bisaillon readers will be dreaming of a weather warm up and a summer out in nature.

Out in the Big Wide Lake is a longer story so probably one best suited for children who enjoy getting lost in a book. If your child has a limited attention span, you may want to take this book in chunks, like you would a novel. On the dedication and information page Paul Harbridge provides a sweet author’s note about his sister Linda who has Down Syndrome and all of her amazing accomplishments. In this story, readers understand that Kate may have challenges that allow her to see the world from a different perspective but readers are not explicitly told that Kate is disabled. Readers get to see Kate blossom with confidence and see how much she helps out her grandparents and brings a family together. Another wonderful intergenerational story from a unique perspective. This story is never short on adventure and suspense, keeping the reader engaged throughout. Kate navigates the lake and the summer, helping Grandpa and Grandma and building her confidence and self pride.

The illustrations move this story along with the beautiful large spreads giving readers a taste of summer on a lake and the adventure and beauty of being out in the country. Josée Bisaillon is the most adept artist to encapsulate the natural world in her illustrations. There is so much depth to her work, inviting the reader into nature and allowing them to live for a time in the book’s world.

Thanks to Penguin Random House & NetGalley for this advance review copy of Out into the Big Wide Lake by Paul Harbridge.

A heartwarming story of Kate and her grandparents and their summer together. This realistic fiction story reminds me of summers I spent with my grandparents and all the warm feelings and memories they still hold.
Our world needs more diverse stories without diversity being the main theme of the book and "Out into the Big Wide Lake" does just when while reminding adults that a person with down syndrome is simply a person and illustrating to children that we all need practice and love as we grow.

It’s Kate’s first ever time visiting her grandparents’ lake all by herself, and she loves it. Every morning she helps her grandfather deliver the groceries from their store. Every afternoon, she goes out in the boat with her grandmother, who is teaching her to drive it. Then, one day, grandfather cannot deliver the groceries. Can Kate do that all by herself too?

Out Into the Big Wide Lake is a story of perseverance and love, inspired by the author’s sister. The illustrations, a mix of single-page and two-page spreads, calmly capture the colors of a summer at a lake; nature dazzles throughout the story. The characters are also well-developed, especially for a picture book. In just forty-odd pages, I felt connected to Kate, her grandparents, and even crotchety old Walter. Although the writing itself is jumpy at times—some transitions don’t always feel connected—the story as a whole is engaging and cohesive.

The main character, Kate, is based on the author's sister with Down Syndrome and she is a delight. She goes to visit her grandparents for the summer and learns to drive a boat as she delivers groceries from her grandparents' store. I loved the illustrations and how tender the characters are all treated, but how real they feel.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the advance digital reading copy of this book.

I don't know why but this book made me cry! This was such a sweet story of finding your independence and becoming your own person. I loved every minute of it!

OUt into the Big Wide lake is a story about a girl's first summer away from home. She is going to stay with her grandparents who live on an island and will be helping them with delivering food to the neighbors around them. The story naturally weaves in the fears and anxieties that being away from home for the first brings as well the myriad exciting opportunities it offers. Her courage and strength is tested when her grandfather falls ill. This book has a gentle illustration and a story that is assuring and encouraging for those children who are going through similar experiences as her.