Mud Puddle, story by Robert Munsch and art by Dusan Perticic. Annick Press, 2015. $6.95 ages 2 and up

"Mommy, Mommy!
A mud puddle
jumped on me,"
yelled Jule Ann.
Her mother dropped
Jule Ann into the tub.
She washed out her
ears and her eyes.
She even washed out
her mouth."

In the past few weeks I have been talking about some of the books that we loved reading in our family when the kids were young. After having read The Paper Bag Princess until I was worried that it might fall apart and require repurchase, we snagged a copy of Mud Puddle. It was published in 1979. By that time, both of our kids were revelling in nighttime (and daytime) reading. We had sure favorites ... many with a bit of zany humor. This suited us perfectly.

It makes me wonder still if kids actually do give life to the inanimate in their quirky and imaginative minds. I know, as an adult, I had never imagined a mud puddle jumping on top of me. The old adage in response to a parent's question about how we managed to get so dirty might clearly be that the mud puddle did it. In this case, it would be entirely true!

Jule Ann is just minding her business while enjoying nature in her backyard. She notes the clouds, watches birds flying by - then, POW! A mud puddle jumps right out of the tree and lands on her head. You can imagine what her clean clothes resemble at this point, and it's not pretty!

Jule Ann is covered in mud. Her mom is not concerned; after all, that is why children take baths. Am I right? So, Jule Ann has her bath, and heads out to the sandbox. That mud puddle seems to be in the most unlikely places, but it's aim is true. Once again, Jule Ann is in need of a bath. With each new scrubbing, her mother finds more of her body to clean:

"She washed
out her ears,
her eyes,
her mouth,
and her nose.
She even washed out her belly button."

It's up to Jule Ann to send that mud puddle on its way!

You know how much I love Dusan Petricic's illustrations. He never disappoints. His characters are so appealing, the responses by both Jule Ann and her mother are spot on, and the final confrontation is great fun. I am adding this to Sicily's board book stash in my cupboard - right there, and ready to be shared upon her return!