THE PEDDLER OF PUDDLES

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.