Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Sweeney's rhyming poetry highlights the sights and sounds of a "noisy puddle" in this captivating tribute to underappreciated vernal pools and their role in supporting healthy wetland ecosystems. Framed as a series of nature walks that take place over the course of a year, lines urge "LISTEN./ LISTEN." and "LOOK! LOOK!" as a pale-skinned, dark-haired child and caregiver accompany wildlife observations rendered in rhyming verse. Spring brings creaturely identification ("Wood frogs quack./ Ducks clown./ Fairy shrimp swim/ upside down"), but the vernal pool disappears with summer's arrival, replaced by buttonbush and butterflies, then fall rains and autumn leaves, and winter ice until, at last, spring's robins sing "Cheer-up." Cut paper and fabric gives Sato's outdoor scenes a crackling texture that makes pages feel touchable, amplifying the book's eco-embrace of attentive sensory exploration. Back matter includes a note, a list of wildlife pictured, and resources. Ages 4--8. (Mar.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--"Listen. Listen. What do you hear? Peepers peeping. Everywhere!" Sweeney's concise, lyrical picture book invites readers to join a young girl and boy, both with pale skin and dark brown hair, on a damp forest walk to delight the senses. The children discover a vernal pool: "Look! Look! Look over there…a noisy puddle, cold and clear." Turtles, ducks, and other familiar forest wildlife wade in the early spring wetland with more inconspicuous creatures, such as water boatmen and phantom midges. Cutaway views give readers a peek into critter activity below the water and earth's surface, reminiscent of Messner's "Over and Under" series. The children revisit this life-giving wetland throughout the year, observing its transitory cycle. The seasons flow from early spring's earthy browns and pops of yellow-greens into the lush, deep green of summer. Fiery reds, golden yellows, and rust browns of fall fade into the white hush and muted neutrals of winter. Sato's signature mixed-media illustrations enhance the story's rich sensory experience, meshing an assortment of textures to create layered, three-dimensional illustrations. Crinkled brown paper mimics fallen leaves on the forest floor and thin, rumpled plastic imitates reflections on water. Sweeney and Sato effectively capture the cyclical wetland ecosystem of vernal pools while stimulating the senses. Thoroughly researched back matter expounds on the seasonal phases of these pools. VERDICT A sensory experience promising to tickle the curiosity of young naturalists, whether in-classroom or on the scene.--Emily Brush
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Who knew there was so much to see and hear in a puddle? Two Asian-presenting siblings visit a vernal pool in "the deep, damp forest" through the seasons and are awestruck by the natural wonders they discover. What's a vernal pool, you ask? As the author's note explains, it's a wetland habitat that forms "in shallow dips in the land," in places with seasonal climates; such areas shelter a variety of plants and animal species throughout the year. In short, over the course of a year, a vernal pool is a busy, noisy circle of life. The children share their finds in lilting verse, and readers will be delighted at these wondrous explorations. Look at some of what the kids find in and around this astonishing place when they return season after season: frogs and toads, ducks, shrimp, salamanders, turtles, butterflies, foxes, deer--and much more! The gorgeous, textured, naturalistic, collagelike artwork bursts with life and realistic colors, and readers will enjoy closely examining the illustrations as animals and plants are enumerated; a chart at the end of the book helps readers identify the wildlife in this beautifully realized story. Grown-ups may wish to help curious readers investigate whether there are vernal pools near where they live. Nature offers up marvelous surprises at every turn--even via a humble puddle teeming with life. (Informational picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
