Early Book Review: Mud Puddle by Robert Munsch and Dusan Petricic

Mud Puddle, written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Sami Suomalainen, is a picturebook scheduled for release on September 1 2012.  In this fun read, Jule Ann loves to play outside. However, everytime she does a sneaky mud puddle attacks. it comes at her from the roof, trees, and a variety of unexpected directions. each time Jule Ann ends up in the bath, getting dressed again, and making another attempt to play out doors. Our young hero tries to outsmart the puddle, and is creative and resourceful in her defeat of the messy glob of mud.

Mud Puddle is a picturebook that made me think of my daughter, who seems to attract dirt like Jule Ann attracts mud. I am fully expecting to hear excuses about attacking mud puddles in my near future. The combination of Jule Ann's imagination and propensity to get dirty is paired with bright full color illustrations makes this a delight to share with young readers. I really like that while Jule Ann's mother helped her get cleaned up, Jule Ann was the one to develop and execute the plan that defeated the muddy puddle.

I highly recommend Mud Puddle for home and library collections. It opens lines of communication, and encourages children to use their imagination and problem solving skills.