The Way of the Loon tells of a spring and summer in a loon family’s life on a lake in the boreal forest. When LaLa and Dapper return to the northern lake to raise a family, challenges lie ahead: hungry eagles, rowdy humans, and a large fish threaten their peace and security. But the loving couple are soon the proud parents of little Chortle, and spend the warm seasons helping him grow and teaching him about the ways of the loon. As he strengthens and matures, Chortle learns that his parents will soon leave him for the south. He will need to learn to listen to the breezes—the breezes will tell him when it’s time to journey on by himself.
From their home, two young boys hearing the call of the loons, watch and learn about the birds. Through this watchful, gentle childhood presence, young readers are beckoned into the beautiful, poignant “way of the loon” and the inevitability of growing up.
Sally E. Burns has always loved lake country, and grew up in northwestern Ontario, paddling, fishing, and swimming every summer on the lakes surrounding her small town.
She graduated from the University of Toronto with a BA, and eventually returned to work and live on the edge of Quetico Provincial Park. She raised her family beside a crystal-clear lake, watching all kinds of wildlife and loons also raise their young on the water. She wrote The Way of the Loon on a screened porch of her summer cottage, and when her granddaughter was born, she knew she also would be raised in the outdoors and would enjoy learning about the loon families.
Sally lives in Atikokan, Ontario, and spends summers in a log cabin on the shores of Eva Lake with her golden retriever.