'A long, hot summer's day of a book - full of wonderful stories, poignant memories and acute observations of the natural world' Kate Humble

Bruce Fogle's childhood summers were spent barefoot and free at the family cabin by the lake. The summer he turns ten seems, at first, like any other: swimming out to the raft, watching the gulls, frogs and herons, catching crayfish. But just when life seems perfect, everything begins to change and over the course of two months the harshness of adulthood and the patterns of the natural world reveal themselves to him.

Barefoot at the Lake is a beautifully written boy's-eye view of the animals, humans and landscape of Bruce's youth shot through with humour and moving wisdom. Now with an atmospheric new foreword by Bruce's son, wildlife presenter Ben Fogle, that shares his stories of summers spent in the very same cabin.

'Enchanting... Gently and lovingly, Bruce Fogle's writing highlights something we are in danger of losing for ever: that we can understand ourselves most profoundly only in relation to the wilderness' Ruth Padel

'In this glorious memoir of boyhood holidays, he proves himself to be a craftsman of a writer... It's a book full of quiet wisdom, and also an inspiring account of how an adult vocation can grow from the formative experiences of childhood' Caroline Sanderson, Bookseller

'Reading Dad's reminiscence is so evocative. It makes me smile and cry in equal measure' Ben Fogle

'In this glorious memoir of boyhood holidays spent at a cedar-clad cottage by a lake in Ontario, he proves himself to be a craftsman of a writer... It's a book full of quiet wisdom, and also an inspiring account of how an adult vocation can grow from the formative experiences of childhood. A long, hot summer's day of a book - full of wonderful stories, poignant memories and acute observations of the natural world' Kate Humble

'Enchantingly written. Gently and lovingly, Bruce Fogle's writing highlights something we are in danger of losing for ever: that we can understand ourselves most profoundly only in relation to the wilderness' Ruth Padel

Bruce Fogle is a veterinarian and prolific author of pet-care books and travel narratives. Canadian by birth, he has lived and worked in London since the sixties, when there were still cows to be treated in West London dairies. He opened The London Vet Clinic forty years ago and has been treating generations of pets ever since. His pet-care guides with Dorling Kindersley have been published around the world, in multiple languages, making him the world's bestselling pet-care author.