________________ CM . . . . Volume XXI Number 33 . . . . May 1, 2015

cover

Puddles or Lunch?

Anna Makonin.
n.p., Nutnay Press (PuddlesOrLunch@makonin.com), 2014.
38 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $19.70 (hc.).
ISBN 978-1-500272562 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-993818813 (hc.).

Subject Headings:
Dinosaurs-Juvenile fiction.
Mud-Juvenile fiction.
Problem solving-Juvenile fiction.

Preschool-kindergarten / Ages 3-5.

Review by Kate Hachborn.

*** /4

   

excerpt:

Stomping in all the puddles was hard work. It made her hungry. RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! So, she went home for lunch.

Just as she stepped inside the door, Mom said, "NO! NO! NO! Clean your muddy feet first, then you may come in for lunch!"

The little dinosaur went off to clean her feet.


After a morning of jumping in puddles, Little Dinosaur is called in for lunch, but her feet are all dirty. Mother sends Little Dinosaur on her way, and she begins searching for the thing that will help her clean her feet instead of making them dirtier. As she tries to clean herself, Little Dinosaur gets more and more frustrated until she falls upon, and literally into, the solution.

internal art      Children will enjoy the sound effects as Little Dinosaur steps in different materials in an effort to clean her feet. Many of the phrases and sounds are repetitive and cumulative, encouraging young readers to recall what has come previously and interact with the text. The little dinosaur reacts in a dramatic, yet realistic, manner when she has tried many different ways to clean her feet with no success, jumping to the conclusion that she "will never clean [her] feet and will never get [her] lunch." Though the little dinosaur has descended into despair, she does not stomp back to her mother to complain that she will never be clean. Instead, she finishes sulking and solves the problem herself, leading to a delicious lunch and a happy conclusion.

internal art      The illustrations are colourful and relate appropriately to the text. Little Dinosaur has a dragonfly companion that appears in each spread, and readers will enjoy searching on each page.

      Puddles or Lunch? is Anna Makonin's first self-published book and features both her words and artwork.

Recommended.

Kate Hachborn is a library technician at the W. Ross Macdonald School in Brantford, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

Next Review | Table of Contents for This Issue - May 1, 2015.

CM Home
| Back Issues | Search | CM Archive | Profiles Archive