Puddles!!!

Toddler-PreS-Monster is busy playing in the woods with his friends, the bunnies. They watch a storm build and the rain start. Then Monster has fun playing in the puddles and mud (much to the dismay of the bunnies), and they are eventually driven to a cave to wait out the inevitable thunder and lightning. The wait seems long, but the reward is a beautiful rainbow. Atteberry aptly tells this story using only 13 words. The characters are adorably expressive and show fear, sadness, and exuberance with equal aplomb. VERDICT Recommended for all libraries; sure to be a hit at preschool storytime.-Melisa Bailey, Harford County Library System, MD © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

That lovable, gleeful monster from Bunnies!!! (2015) is excited once again. Thank goodness, the bunnies and monster are still the best of friends. And Atteberry's horned, blue, oblong protagonist still loves to greet everything with gusto: "Hello, sun. // Hello, clouds." Uh-oh. Wait. Clouds? That could only mean one thing. "Rain! Rain! Rain!" As fat drops splatter from the sky, the monster happily prances around (the bunnies, not so much). However, when the monster spots a certain byproduct of the rain, total, unbridled joy bursts forth: PUDDLES!!! Then, even better than puddles, there is MUD!!! The waterlogged bunnies, with soggy, drooping ears, have a decidedly different reaction. However, a bright bolt of lightning and scary boom of thunder unite the pals again. With four full double-page spreads dedicated to the storm, each one growing darker, with increasing terror creeping across the monster's and bunnies' faces, the story takes a turn from the carefree puddle-jumping cover. Luckily, a dazzling sight at the end ensures all concludes on a happy note. Filled with frenzied exclamations perfect for shouting (though the dynamics do not vary muchit is full force most of the time), the book will delight at storytimes. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.