The Peddler of puddles

Tackling a significant life transition, prior collaborators Ferry and Lichtenheld (A Moving Story) imagine a much-beloved turtle entrepreneur--the peddler of puddles--in a jaunty straw hat and red rain boots, pushing a ramshackle cart harnessed to a plump white cloud. Landscape-forward pencil, colored pencil, and watercolor sketches show how a "tiny tug" on the cloud creates a "drip, drop, drip." And a cutaway image depicts water moving "down the tubes, through the pipes" to create customized puddles of various sizes, right for an insect gondolier taking a paddle as well as a young human desiring to float a boat. One day, after enjoying a few hours with a child splashing in the ocean--the biggest puddle of them all--the peddler realizes that he's tired of the itinerant life but not sure where to go. His fan club provides the answer: they've dug a hole in a forest clearing so the turtle can create an idyllic pond and turn the cart into a sweet little cottage, perfect for kicking back with friends. New life stages needn't be insurmountable after all, this hopeful work's creators suggest--the turtle's retirement offers an expansive puddle of possibility. Ages 4--8. Author's agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Heirloom Literary & Media. Illustrator's agent: Amy Rennert, Amy Rennert Agency. (Apr.)

A turtle peddler slowly moves through the countryside with his ingenious apparatus full of all the bells and whistles needed to make puddles for a variety of creatures and children, too. A tiny tug on the turtle's balloonlike rain cloud produces just the right size puddle for a thirsty hummingbird. With a twist and a turn, funnels, pipes, and levers generate a puddle for a child to splash in. No money changes hands; the kind and generous peddler gets satisfaction out of creating just the right puddle for all. He makes "hundreds of frogs euphoric," and often a carrot or even a smile is payment enough. The spare yet ebullient text works harmoniously with the charming, light-infused cartoon-style art. The book is filled with details to pore over, like the "Puddle Menu," and the language has an enticing cadence--"dawdling ducks." The tempo of art and storytelling is perfectly matched with the many dramatic page turns; for example, when cresting a rise, the astonished turtle experiences the largest puddle of all--the ocean. When his cart gets stuck in the sand, it is his animal friends who rescue him. Once back on dry land, in modern "maker" fashion, he produces one last puddle and then dismantles his cart to construct a cozy home. Sure to win over gadget enthusiasts, this enchanting tale also offers an understated message of kindness reciprocated.(Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.