The Deep, Deep Puddle

PreS-Gr 1—This circular counting story about a bottomless puddle brings city life delightfully to the fore. In a plot reminiscent of Judy Sierra's Preschool to the Rescue! (Harcourt, 2001), it rains all night until a "deep, deep puddle…stretches across the city street." One dog gets too close to its edge and "Glub…Glub… Glub…he sinks out of sight." Next come two cats, three squirrels, four pigeons, five children, six tourists, etc., until ten police officers cordon off the area and bring in eleven tanker trucks and twelve workers to drain the puddle. Everyone moves on, in descending numerical order, until the dog shakes his wet fur to create a new puddle. The counting aspect is secondary to the story and would be effective only for small groups or one-on-one readings. The refrain works well and encourages participation, although it does not appear uniformly after each number set, diluting its effectiveness. Nevertheless, the depiction of the lively city, the descriptive language ("nine robbers, coats crammed with stolen treasures, prowl…"), and the busy, visually stimulating pictures all create an appealing package. Zemke makes good use of page turns and the height of the book while representing the depth of the puddle containing its many victims. The gouache illustrations, which use a variety of points of view and are full of interesting details, angular people, and vibrant motion, are a delight to pore over.—Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT