puddles

3 Wonderful Watery Picture Books

| Tasha

The Peddler of Puddles by Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld (9780063318342)

The peddler of puddles is a turtle who moves slowly across the area. Using his heavy puddle machine makes puddles for all sorts of creatures along the way. Puddles for ducks, frogs, insects and children. He doesn’t ask for anything in return, but the others often give him food or smiles in thanks. When he reaches the seashore for the first time, the peddler is shocked. It’s an enormous puddle! He loves playing with a girl in the sea, but when it’s time to go his cart is stuck in the sand. He almost gives up, but then his friends that he’s helped along the way come along with a big surprise.

With just enough machinery and tinkering, this soggy read is also sunny throughout. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Shark Girl by Kate Beaton (9781250184924)

In a story delightfully different than Little Mermaid, Shark Girl sets out to protect sealife by joining the crew of a fishing vessel. She wants a quick revenge but soon finds out that it takes a lot more to get a crew to mutiny even against an awful captain. But through hard work together, skill in fishing, and studying human nature, Shark Girl starts to make new connections. It is then that the captain has a plan that will keep Shark Girl in his boat forever. What’s a toothy girl to do? Beaton is a wonder, effortlessly moving between children’s picture books and award-winning adult graphic memoirs.

This book reads aloud beautifully telling a story of both ecology and girl power. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

We Leap Together by Christopher Silas Neal (9780593812648)

A human mother and child is shown next to a mother whale and her calf in this smart picture book. The similarities between the two lives are emphasized with busy lanes of car traffic compared to the busy shoals of fish. They listen to songs, blow bubbles, dive deep, see colorful creatures, and wave to friends. The bring the book full circle, the humans board a whale-watching boat and the two families leap together in joy. Told in simple sentences, this picture book is approachable and clearly shows our connection to nature and our similarities with other creatures. The illustrations are simple too, telling the story just as profoundly as the words.

Just right for sharing and discussing. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Rain! by Linda Ashman

| Tasha

rain

Rain! by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Christian Robinson

The perfect book to lift your spirits on a soggy spring day!  When an older man wakes up and sees the rain, he is not happy.  But when a little boy looks out at the same rain, he’s delighted.  The older man grumbles through his preparations to go outside, while the little boy puts on his green boots, green coat and frog hat still happy with the gloomy weather.  The old man grumbles about puddles, while you can see the joy of the child.  They end up in the same café, the old man still grumpy with his day and the young boy happy with cocoa and cookies.  When the two bump into each other, it seems like the grumpiness rubs off on the little boy.  But then he notices that the older man left his hat behind, and with a little joke and a shared cookie, a day is brightened.

Ashman has written this book very simply, just in snatches of dialogue.  Despite the simplicity, the mood of each character is clear in their words.  It is made even more clear by the cut-paper illustrations that display each person’s mood with just a few lines.  Readers will notice that the pages with the older man have others with grumpy faces while the pages with the the child have others with smiles. 

A book that is sure to have readers jumping merrily in puddles and dancing in the rain, this is an inspiration to look on the bright side of things and share your happiness.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.