Mud [Paperback]

Mary Lyn Ray (Author), Lauren Stringer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years

An ode to muddy hands and feet, brown earth, and new grass
Simple text and exuberant illustrations will make children and their grown-up friends want to sink their feet into gooey, gloppy, mucky, magnificent mud.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The eye-catching cover of this cheerful homage to the coming of spring features a splendid close-up of chubby toddler feet happily stuck in "gooey, gloppy, mucky,/ magnificent mud." "One night it happens," Ray (Pumpkins; Shaker Boy) begins mysteriously. "...Someone opening/ a door will notice:/ earth comes unfrozen." Stringer, in her auspicious picture book debut, portrays a solitary child viewing the brown leaves that "loosen/ from their frozen drifts and run/ rattling in the flapping wind," then playing in a gigantic mud puddle ("Stir it. Stick it./ Dig it. Dance it"). The reader sees the child's yellow boots and red socks give way to muddy toes and a single, full-length portrait of the child almost flying through the inviting springtime air. The bold acrylic paintings burst from their full-bleed spreads like tulips, with skewed perspectives and scalloped, abstract designs representing the grass and clouds. If not in the same league as e.e. cummings's famous "mudluscious" tribute to spring, Ray's brief poem nevertheless captures the joy of seeing winter "Squish Squck Sop Splat Slurp/ melt in mud./ Happy mud." Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2?What happens in the spring? Before the fruit blossoms, before the daffodils, even before the grass? Why, mud, of course. The earth secretly thaws, and one morning a child looks out the door and sees winter receding down a rutted muddy road. The leaves once trapped in old snow escape and fly away. Little puddles of water appear and the youngster takes off her shoes. Mud takes over the world. Feet in mud are happy feet. Hands in mud hold all the promise of green spring, soon to come. The free-verse poem evokes sounds ("squish, squk") and images ("hills remember their colors") and relates the action ("dig it! dance it!"). The first line, "One night it happens," may be the model for many students' future poems. Stringer's acrylic paintings give large scale to objects such as oak leaves that require nearly a full page to be expressed. The artist makes a pair of grimy feet jump for joy and feel good to be alive. A lyrical celebration of the cycle of the seasons.?Ruth Semrau, formerly at Lovejoy School, Allen, TX
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper; Reprint edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152024611
• ISBN-13: 978-0152024611
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9.8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent Mud January 20, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

For everyone who can't wait for winter to recede; for everyone who loves the smell of rain on warm dirt; for everyone who relishes squishing mud between their toes comes this eye level view of mud emerging with the spring thaw. Preschoolers delight in the dirty feet splashing through the mud. This is a great addition to a collection about the seasons. The illustrations lend themselves to describing what happens with the warmer weather. It also includes fun, descriptive words that young children will enjoy using. Any read just wouldn't be complete without mixing a batch of mud...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mudluscious! August 29, 2009

By BEN

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a wonderful book. The text is simple and poetic. The illustrations are incredible. They make youw ant to go and play in the mud! This is perfect book for two through five year olds. I can't wait to us eit in my pr0k class room.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a new favorite November 30, 2008

By M. MacBeath

Format:Paperback

This is a wonderful book! No, there is no structured "story" told as one review pointed out. The story is told in the pictures and the well-chosen vocabulary. Stories come in all forms not just an expected formula - kids can, and should, learn from all forms of written language. The point is to have the reader experience the discovery of spring through the enjoyment of mud, and it works. We used this as part of a discussion about using great words & phrases to describe a situation and the kids really took to it. It fits very nicely into a 6+1 traits framework for vocabulary, fluency, or ideas. We also loved it as an example of a great beginning... "one night it happens"... they all wanted to know "what happens"?! Great children's literature should make kids want to keep reading. This one did. They created their own writings based on this book and came up with some beautifully descriptive and creative pieces. This is definitely a new favorite for us.