Review by Booklist Review
A disgruntled rain puddle has trouble appreciating her own value. Calling herself Puddle the Pudge, she admires her sweet, smaller brothers and sisters. In a series of interactions, a seagull takes a sip, children run through, and a wet poodle relieves itself. When the sun comes out, however, the little puddles quickly dry up, and Puddle is left alone. As a group of children head back inside their school after recess, they notice something amazing about the puddle: a rainbow reflecting in the water. One girl with dark skin and hair gives the puddle a hug of sorts, reaching her arms around it in appreciation. Though it appears simple, the book is quite complex and thoughtful. As young readers sympathize with the puddle's unhappiness, they may articulate their own feelings of disappointment or joy. The text takes the point of view of the puddle with rich vocabulary that creates images such as rain dimpling and the dog piddling the puddles. Masterful watercolor and gouache illustrations, artfully conveying what is reflected in the puddle, are enhanced by an effective book design and creative use of fonts. Vibrant, unusual, and beautiful, this deep Puddle is, indeed, a sight to see. --Lucinda Whitehurst Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In quirky verse with splashes of wordplay, Jackson (A Kiss for Akaraka) gives voice to the emotional life of a sensitive puddle. It's deeper than the puddles around it ("It's no fun/ being the deep one"), and, as the thoughtful often are, it's self-conscious. A seagull lands in it, a sneaker stomps through it, and-worst of all-a poodle makes a pit stop. "''No piddle,' Puddle cries. 'No, NO!''" But it's too late. "Did they see,/ all the others?" it agonizes. Then something most unexpected happens, a miraculous something that makes schoolchildren on their way home stop and gaze with amazement at the puddle's surface-one even offers the puddle a gesture of love. With bold, free strokes of watercolor and gouache, Raschka (New Shoes) paints life at puddle level, observing its surface splashed by raindrops, disturbed by pedestrians, and illuminated by what's above it. Some objects are really in the water, while others are just reflections. Stories about worried children amid daily ordeals abound. Jackson finds a new way to say that anxiety isn't fixed by worrying; instead, sometimes it changes into joy all on its own Ages 4-8. Illustrator's agent: Brenda Bowen, Greenburger Assoc. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-A discontented playground puddle bemoans being too deep, comparing herself to other more shallow puddles. She forgets all her woes when after the rain ends, the sun appears, and her fellow puddles dry up. Surrounded by school children, she reflects a rainbow and gets a virtual hug from a young girl. Raschka's signature nearly abstract gouache and watercolor illustrations transition from gray-blue to a slowly brightening wash of colors as the puddle transforms from despondent to elated, matching the tone of Jackson's jaunty rhyming text. VERDICT A winsome and uplifting tale of an unusual protagonist for most picture book shelves.-Yelena Voysey, formerly at Pickering Educational Library, Boston University © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A large puddle is already complaining about the rain as the story begins: Enough, Puddle mutters. She dubs herself Puddle the Pudge and worries that she will become a pond if it keeps raining, comparing herself unfavorably to her smaller siblings: Its no fun being the deep one. Raschkas appropriately watery illustrations set the scene, showing a pleasant-looking and brightly colored neighborhood, where blue and white raindrops are falling and beginning to pool in the street. Puddle is depicted with just a hint of a face in her splashes. A visit from a swooping seagull, a basketball, and a childs sneaker do nothing to improve Puddles mood, and the piddle from a wet poodle stains her yellow. As the other puddles dry up in the sunshine, Raschka begins showing reflections in the puddle, and the children released from school notice the orange yellow green blue violet sky colors she is now reflecting. A brown-skinned girl reaches out to the rainbow-colored puddle and attempts to embrace her, enabling Puddle to let go of her bad experiences and focus on the reachthat is everything! Jacksons lively and poetic text and Raschkas humor-filled paintings help children grasp the idea of empathy and perspective: even a puddle can have its own point of view. susan dove lempke March/April 2019 p 60(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A self-conscious puddle experiences growth, is used and fouled, and finds purpose as she interacts with her environment and reflects the world's beauty while finding her own. As rain pools on the ground, a personified puddle worries she's becoming a "pudge" compared to her siblings. Blue-grays mingle to create a melancholy mood until a sea gull descends to play in her waters. Soon sneakers, a ball, andto Puddle's alarma poodle and its piddle disgrace the poor puddle. But sudden sunshine dries up the shallow pools that are her siblings, and golden hues softly glow around and from the solitary puddle. A bell rings and children stop, dazzled by the sky, the puddle, and the rainbow reflected in each. The reach of a child toward that radiance makes all the humiliations of the day melt away; to the puddle the reach is everything. Expressionistic paintings, done in watercolor with gouache, play like music. Propelled by Jackson's rhythmic read-aloud text, the abstract artwork reveals the changing inner and outer workings of the puddle, moving from dark to light and doubt to love. With his willingness to experiment and the earnestness with which he applies each stroke of his brush, Raschka perfectly captures a child's wonder and excitement in the world. Luminous and lovely, with colors to fill the soul. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
