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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Mixed Review, March 4, 2009
This review is from: The Problem with the Puddles (Hardcover)
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I couldn't stand this book. In fact, I could not finish it.
My 8 1/2 year old daughter, however, loved it. She read the whole thing in less than 24 hours.
Thus ... this mixed review.
I found the text to be repetitive and the dialogue downright aggravating. Humor is apparently to be found in saying things over and over again. A typical structure for a chapter goes like this: Every member of the Puddle family makes an exclamation. Then they all make the same exclamation again. Then the dialogue is repeated a third time, with blanks in appropriate places for the reader to fill in. To me, this seems like an author with nothing to say.
In fact, when I realized that the author has published 4 pictures books, I understood what the problem was. The storyline for The Problem with the Puddles would be perfect for a picture book. However, when swollen into a 200 page novel, there just isn't enough content to spread out. Thus, the repetition.
Now, the other side of the story:
My daughter giggled her way through the entire book and (I'm told) read it during class at school. She loved how the chapters detailed alternating points of view -- first the Puddles, and then their dogs. She liked how random characters "fit in" at the end, turning out to be long-lost brothers, and so on. She enjoyed how various characters presented their dilemmas in a math problem format. And apparently, she liked "how things repeated."
So ... A big thumbs up from a third grader. A big thumbs down from her mother. If you're looking for a gift for a juvenile reader, this might be it. If you're looking for some worthy literature to read with your class, I don't think this is it.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, March 11, 2009
This review is from: The Problem with the Puddles (Hardcover)
Stuck in the country because the weather won't cooperate...
Baby's mother is ready to return to the city. And her father would rather stay in the country for a few more days. Growing up, Baby's parents have always agreed to disagree. In fact, her mother wrote a book called Agreeing to Disagree that became an instant success. Their disagreeing goes back to when she was born. Her parents couldn't agree what to call her. One wanted to call her Emily, the other wanted Ferdinanda. A nurse simply wrote "Baby" on her form, and that was that.
So, once the rain finally passes, the Puddles load up the car and head back to the city. A few hours into the eight-hour drive, the family realizes they've left the dogs back in the country! In a flurry of indecision, Mr. Puddles turns the car left, then right, trying to decide if they should go back for the dogs then or return at a later time. In the confusion, the car loses control and winds up off the road.
In the meantime, the dogs are left back in the country and have their own discussion on what they should do. One is a Chihuahua, the other a Great Dane. And as with the rest of the craziness of the Puddle family, both dogs are named Sally. The dogs agree to head to the city to find the Puddles.
While the Puddles are trying to return to the country, and the dogs are trying to get to the city, stories are told and secrets are revealed. One stranger stops to help the Puddles and another stranger stops to help the dogs. In a surprising twist, the author brings to two unlikely groups to a surprising end.
For anyone that likes the quirkiness of Lemony Snicket's sense of humor, THE PROBLEM WITH THE PUDDLES is along the same vein. Fun, amusing, and downright humorous, the Puddles make any family seem normal!
Readers younger than sixth grade will also be able to enjoy the story. There are entertaining illustrations throughout the story, and the chapters are kept to two or three pages for quick reading.
Reviewed by: Jaglvr
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Problem with the Puddles, January 15, 2010
This review is from: The Problem with the Puddles (Hardcover)
THE PROBLEM WITH THE PUDDLES is not a book for adults. Not even adults that read a lot of children's literature and appreciate children's literature. In order for an adult to truly appreciate Kate Feiffer's book, they would have to let go of being an adult, and read it through the eyes of the child inside of them. Some adults can do that easier than others. Some simply can't do that at all. It would be a shame for an adult reader to judge this book on something it's not!
The Puddle family has plenty of problems! Mr. and Mrs. Puddle, were never able to agree on a name for their youngest daughter Baby and have long since "agreed to disagree". What Mrs. Puddle wants, Mr. Puddle doesn't. What Mr. Puddle wants, Mrs. Puddle doesn't. So naturally, when Mrs. Puddle wants the rainy weather to clear up so the family can return to their home in the city, Mr. Puddle becomes overjoyed when the bad weather forces them to remain in their country home a little longer than planned. When the rain clouds depart and the Puddles leave their city home in a hurried rush, left behind are the two family pets: Big Sally and Little Sally. Missing their owners and worried they may never return, the two dogs set off in the direction of the city, hoping to reunite with their chaotic owners.
This quite frankly, may be the strangest children's book I've ever read. From the zany characters and the ridiculous things they say and do, to the author's incessant play on words, to the alternating chapters that switch from the Puddles' point of view to their dogs' point of view, this book is anything but normal. Rarely does the plot go where the reader expects it to as the Puddles' trip and the dogs' dilemma gets further and further off track. New characters are introduced along the way and they're just as wild and crazy as the arguing, repetitious Puddles. It doesn't surprise me that many adults find this book annoying. Remember though, Kate Feiffer didn't write this book for adults!
I'll admit, at times, the Puddles wore on my nerves. Especially Mr. and Mrs. Puddle and Frankolin, the man who offers the family help when their car stalls. I felt sorry for Tom and Baby Puddle for having to endure the constant arguing and rambling of the adults and couldn't blame Baby for making a run for it at one point in the story. I was tempted to make a run for it as well! But to fixate on the annoying adults in this book would be a mistake. Actually, I'm afraid that focusing too much on the adults in this book, would cause a reader to overlook (or miss altogether) the story's real charm: Big Sally and Little Sally.
I found myself hurrying through the chapters from the Puddles' point of view just so I could get back to the dogs' story. I loved the friendship between the dogs and the conversations they had with each other to pass the time ("Which came first, the country or the city?"). I think children would be able to relate very easily to Little Sally's frustration with being small and even to Big Sally's frustration with being too big ("Small dogs have small problems."). One particular scene involving Little Sally facing her fears and swimming across a river, stands out as one of the novel's more poignant moments. There's something about these two that is charming and sweet and their scenes balance the absurdity of the Puddles' scenes rather nicely.
THE PROBLEM WITH THE PUDDLES is not a book for everyone (adults). It is however, most certainly a book for someone (kids)! Kate Feiffer's voice is fun and unique and should be enjoyed among middle aged readers. If you can imagine Roald Dahl writing his version of HOMEWARD BOUND: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY, you have a pretty good idea of this story's style. The plot does take it's fair share of detours, and some will be more difficult to stay with than others (particularly the introduction of a "Secret Catcher"). But in the end, THE PROBLEM WITH THE PUDDLES is a book that will not easily be forgotten by those that read it. If anything, for being totally different than anything else you've ever read!
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