Hello, Puddle! Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review

Ani­ta Sanchez, illus. by Luisa Uribe. Clar­i­on, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 9780358381440

A poet­ic text delves into the intri­ca­cies of a puddle’s ecosys­tem in this buoy­ant pic­ture book by Sanchez, which intro­duces a child who watch­es a local pud­dle over the sea­sons, observ­ing its vis­i­tors, which include bats, birds, insects, mam­mals, plant life, and toads and tadpoles. 

In-depth facts append each lyri­cal line: Swal­lows loop the loop,” reads one spread, por­tray­ing four swal­lows sweep­ing around the pud­dle, which is sur­round­ed by ver­dant plants. Small­er text beneath reads, Barn swal­lows grab a beakful of mud. They’ll raise their babies in a dried-mud cra­dle.” Intri­cate, thin-lined spreads by Uribe clear­ly mark the chang­ing sea­sons and weath­er in har­mo­nious col­or palettes stud­ded with sweet­ly styl­ized crea­tures. A curios­i­ty-stok­ing explo­ration of the way even the small­est bod­ies of water sus­tain life. 

Back mat­ter includes an author’s note and sug­ges­tions on mak­ing one’s own pud­dles. Ages 4 – 7. (Mar.).


Spring 2022

Volume 40 , Number 1

Share this

The Latest from Landis

Mar 14, 2023

Picturing Landis through the year

Scenic Landis Arboretum just begs to be captured by photographers, professionals and amateurs alike. Enjoy... read more

Mar 14, 2023

2022 Annual Report

View or Download read more

Mar 14, 2023 | Nolan Marciniec

Re-thinking Garden Pests

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything... read more

Mar 14, 2023 | Fred Lape, founder of the George Landis Arboretum

Barn Swallows

In this poem, Arboretum founder Fred Lape calls our attention to the “commonplace” miracle of... read more

Mar 14, 2023 | Anita Sanchez

Things Are Looking Up

Tree canopy -- Anita Sanchez Long ago I worked at a nature center, leading walks... read more

Mar 14, 2023 | Laurie Freeman

S-L-O-W Birding: A Primer for Beginners

Are you considering birding? Perhaps you’ve heard that birding is a great way to enjoy... read more

News Archive