Splash, Splash

As a variety of familiar creatures topples into the water, one right after another, each one makes its own characteristic sound, in a playful rhyme that makes a fun-filled guessing game for young children. Children's BOMC. Jr Lib Guild.

PreSchool-One by one, a different animal falls in the water and make its own distinctive sound. The rhyming text has a pleasing and predictable rhythm to it and lends itself to group participation. Children will love making the sounds themselves-buzz, squeak, oink, ruff, moo, ribbit, etc., alternating with "splash." Panek's cut-paper, double-spread illustrations are colorful and detailed, depicting friendly, appealing creatures. Sure to be a big hit in story hours.
Christine A. Moesch, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The attractive design of this picture book almost makes up for its wishy-washy rhyming text. Cut-paper illustrations show a number of animals as each takes an unanticipated jump in the lake: "A dog fell in the water. / You know what he did then? / He liked it soooo much / that he fell in again!" To the right of each pictured splashdown is a column of three smaller pictures of the animal in mid-paddle, along with captions to contribute the sound effects (e.g., "Dog says: ruff, splash, ruff, splash, ruff"). Panek ( A Rhinoceros Wakes Me Up in the Morning ) provides the focal point here: tidy compositions of cut papers which have been hand-colored and then assembled in such a fashion as to suggest the textures of fur, water, hide. Ages 2-5.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

``A bee fell in the water,/he went buzz, splash, buzz./When a bee falls in the water,/That's what a bee does'': Jaunty verse that preschoolers will be chanting after a hearing or two is paired with stylized illustrations of animals with wide button eyes in crisp, clean collages of subtly textured paper. The several animals' responses to being dunked are true to species (and to their stereotypes--the pig is dreaming of eating cake when he falls in) and also to children's differing responses to water: The dog loves it and hops in again, ``Cows like to wade,/but cows don't like to swim,'' the cat ``wasn't pleased at all,'' but to the frog (``ribbit, splash,/ribbit, splash,/ribbit'') water is ``oh, so very sweet.'' A merry, deftly crafted book, perfect for toddler group or lap-sitter. (Picture book. 1-5) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 3-6. Each animal that falls in the pond--from the small bee to the large cow--makes its own sound, and Sheppard's strongly rhythmic text tells us whether or not the animal likes the water and what its sound is. The double-page-spread collage illustrations, in a style reminiscent of Eric Carle's, are topped by a large-print text, and the sounds are depicted in three-picture panels located at the right-hand side of selected illustrations. The rhymes and rhythms of the story, as well as the sometimes unexpected choice of animals, make this a sprightly, humorous read-aloud. Mary Harris Veeder