Explore the Wonders of Crab Lake with the Beautiful Children’s Book Series

Marvel at nature’s miracles, spread joy wherever you can, experience earth’s infinite wonders. This is what led David Mulford to create the Crab Lake series. Explore the author’s world through Jeannie’s Crab Lake Christmas and Jeannie’s Crab Lake Winter Tales.

About Jeannie’s Crab Lake Christmas

All the animals in the forest are abuzz. Jeannie, the kindest and most beautiful lady they know, is coming to Crab Lake for Christmas! The animals love to watch Jeannie from a distance when she visits in the summer, but they have never had a chance to talk to her before now — for, as everyone knows, animals can only talk in the winter. This time, however, they can finally say a proper hello.

So come to Crab Lake for Christmas, and spend the evening with Jeannie and her forest friends: bear cub Pudgey and his family, kindly Mr. Woodchuck, distinguished Bellknap Beaver, and the deer, the wolves, the cardinals, and more! Beautiful illustrations by Christine Cathers Donohue bring them all to life in Jeannie’s Crab Lake Christmas, David Mulford’s charming tale of friendship, family and fun.

About Jeannie’s Crab Lake Winter Tales

In this second book, winter has come back to Crab Lake, Wisconsin. Reunite with Jeannie and her woodland friends as they catch up and share the joy of the season and the holidays. All your favourite characters are back to teach you that friendship and helping others is what truly leads to the greatest of life’s adventures.

Our Thoughts

These beautiful, sweet books featuring Jeannie and the wildlife of Crab Lake, will become a story that you can treasure up to and during the holiday season.

Jeannie is a special woman. She is kind, loving and thoughtful. Those around her can sense these strong values and kindness and love her very much for this. I am a firm believer that animals can sense good and bad people, and the animals in these stories love her so very much.

Both books take place at Crab Lake and I love how the author makes the location come to life (especially as someone who has never visited these areas). You feel like you are visiting Crab Lake and the surrounding area yourself. The author uses descriptive language that brings to life the lakes, hills and forest in this area, while the illustrations help to deliver that message. We become part of the festivities and excitement of the holidays (I can’t wait for the simple things like family gatherings, fireplaces, and hot buttered rum) that is so often described throughout the story.

The animals play a huge role in this story, as we learn that the animals can speak and be heard by humans but only in the winter! As someone who loves animals, I truly wish this would come true (I can only imagine what our dogs would tell us – ‘how dare you not let me sleep in your bed when you are not home’). We found ourselves giving certain characters their own accents (especially Mr. Woodchuck, Mr. Beaver and the bears) and it fit well into the story (I found myself naturally using a British accent at times when I was reading the story to my son).

The story in both books is on the longer side but would make for an excellent bedtime story with your child or after dinner reading in front of the Christmas tree. Jeannie’s Crab Lake Winter Tales is a bit longer but worth every minute. I loved the illustrations, they felt soft, warm and engaging. It fit the characters and tone of the story perfectly. The books are well written and remind you of all the important things in life – family, harmony, love and helping other captured in a manner that children of all ages will appreciate. It is both fun and serious, with such important messaging for young children today.

As a side note – I loved that David wrote these stories for his wife, Jeannie. It is so beautiful and touching, the love that he feels for her and the time they spent at Crab Lake is captured so well in these stories.

These books will make a great addition to your holiday reading list and you can purchase a copy of this book here.

About the Author

For David Mulford and his wife, Jeannie, Christmas would not be complete without their visits to the beautiful Wisconsin waters of Crab Lake. These magical journeys provide the inspiration for David’s whimsical tales. In addition to writing, David has a PhD from Oxford University, serves as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, and has enjoyed a long and notable career in international finance and diplomacy. For the last twenty-seven years, David’s Christmas gift to Jeannie, no matter where they are in the world, has been a story of Christmas at Crab Lake. When not traveling, David and Jeannie reside in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.