- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 5–8
- Comedy
Rabbit and Bear: This Lake is Fake!
Book 6 of 6 in Rabbit and BearView the full series
The lake that Rabbit and Bear live beside turns out to be fake, something is very wrong with the water. The most nature-forward entry in the series and the best book in the run for children interested in the environment, Gough makes the ecology funny and then makes it matter.
- Best for5–8
- FormatIllustrated
- Length112 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr35 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
- Repetitive
- Onomatopoeic
Tone
- Funny
- Warm
- Silly
- Exciting
- Thought provoking
- Heartwarming
- Cosy
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
This Lake is Fake! is the series' environmental book: nature_and_environment leads the deep_themes at 0.8 (its highest weight across all six books) and the mystery_to_solve plot_engine is built around understanding what has happened to the lake. The conceptual_intensity rises to 3, the highest alongside A Bad King is a Sad Thing, because the environmental questions are real even in comedy form. The beaver surface_topic and the interested_in_science reader_situation reflect a book that takes its ecology seriously while generating most of its laughs from Rabbit's response to the situation. The making_a_difference core fantasy is at its most literal here: Rabbit and Bear are solving an actual environmental problem, not just a social one, and the resolution requires the community to act together. Gough uses the ensemble_cast character_setup to bring the whole woodland community back in, which gives the conclusion more weight than a duo-focused resolution would. The science_and_curiosity deep theme at 0.45 is the most useful tag in the series for caregivers whose children are interested in how things work in the natural world.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 5–8
- Read aloud · 4–7
- Independent · 6–8
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
High
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Laugh out loud
- Discussion starter
- Great read aloud
- Gift book
Avoid if
No common reasons to avoid this one — a rare clean sweep on the sensitivity flags.
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Struggling with reading
- Making friends
- Interested in science
- Anxiety and worry
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A funny, warm early chapter series about friendship and fairness in nature — a lovely class read-aloud and step into chapter books.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is the lake going wrong — something is up with the water, Rabbit and Bear having to figure out what, the woodland community having to act together. The Rabbit and Bear about the environment that doesn't moralise.
- Making a difference
- Animal companions
- Friendship and belonging
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
The Rabbit and Bear environmental volume — ecological mystery, beaver-and-water plot, the community working together to fix it. Useful for any child interested in nature; Gough makes ecology funny first and important second.
- Shared humour
- Conversation starter
- Quick to read
- Great writing
In the series
Rabbit and Bear.
6 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
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- Hive ↗
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