The Puddle [Paperback]

David McPhail (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

By the author/illustrator of the bestseller Edward and the Pirates

What better thing to do on a rainy day than sail a toy boat in puddles? The boy in this story gets permission from his mother to do just that, with the condition that only the boat gets to go in the puddles. After he finds a perfect spot for sailing, the boy is joined by a frog who wants a ride on his boat. Then a turtle floats by, followed by a helpful crocodile, a pig in a swimsuit, and a very thirsty elephant. Brought to life in rich watercolor illustrations, this cheerful assortment of visitors could make a rainy day a happy adventure for any child.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A boy and some imaginary animal playmates have fun despite the weather. "This delectable rainy-day adventure showcases McPhail's singular ability to blend fantasy and reality," said PW in a starred review. Ages 2-5. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K?A puddle and a few imaginary friends create a rainy-day adventure for a little boy. While attempting to sail his toy boat across the puddle, the young narrator encounters an unruly frog who hijacks the boat and recklessly crashes it into a turtle floating on his back and drinking tea. The protagonist is unable to retrieve his boat since his mother told him to stay out of the puddle. A giant alligator kindly offers to rescue it, but crushes it in his powerful jaws. An elephant drinks up the water and sprays it all over the other animals. The sun comes out, the puddle dries up, and everyone departs. Back at home, the child's mother has a hot bath waiting for him, and he happily sails his boat in peace. McPhail's sweet, watercolor illustrations are presented as vignettes against white backgrounds. The text is evenly distributed under each picture, so readers can easily follow along. A good choice for snuggling or quiet time.?Susan Garland, Maynard Public Library, MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (April 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374460302
• ISBN-13: 978-0374460303
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,096,816 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful book, December 19, 1999

By 

lara goodwin - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Puddle (Hardcover)

My two year old loves this book, simple concept that is well developed, one of the few books I originally took out from the library and then felt compelled to go on and buy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars puddle pleaser, March 19, 2007

By 

C. Killmer "biblio nana" (Kansas City, Missouri United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Puddle (Paperback)

Lovely story with charming illustrations. Contains just the right amount of the "silly" factor to entertain, but not so much as to annoy the adult reading this story.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good story for a wet day, November 11, 2003

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Puddle (Hardcover)

This book tells the story of a small boy who goes out to play in a puddle on a rainy day. He follows his mother's instructions carefully, about not stepping in the puddle. But the animals who come to visit have no such limitations and their antics are quite entertaining.

Although the story is fairly innocuous, small children who become anxious over breaking things may become uncomfortable when reading this story- -an alligator rescues the boy's boat from the puddle, and in the process cracks it with his mouth. In the final scene of the book, the boat is shown in the boy's bathtub, and several small readers lamented that the crack was still there. The book is quite short, with only about 200 words.