Puddle

Praise for Puddle

“Complex and thoughtful. . . .Masterful watercolor and gouache illustrations. . .are enhanced by an effective book design and creative use of fonts. Vibrant, unusual, and beautiful, this deep Puddle ‘is, indeed, a sight to see.’” — ALA Booklist (starred review)

“A self-conscious puddle. . .finds purpose as she interacts with her environment and reflects the world’s beauty while finding her own. . . .Expressionistic paintings, done in watercolor with gouache, play like music. . . .Luminous and lovely, with colors to fill the soul.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“In quirky verse with splashes of wordplay, Jackson gives voice to the emotional life of a sensitive puddle. . . .Raschka paints life at puddle level, observing its surface splashed by raindrops, disturbed by pedestrians, and illuminated by what’s above it. . . .Jackson finds a new way to say that anxiety isn’t fixed by worrying; instead, sometimes it changes into joy all on its own.” — Publishers Weekly

“The playfully lyrical text is enjoyably quirky with its hints of rhyme and musical repetitions. . . .Raschka’s watercolor and gouache art suffuses the pages with soft, blurred color that contrasts with the more solid figures of animals and kids.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Jackson’s lively and poetic text and Raschka’s humor-filled paintings help children grasp the idea of empathy and perspective: even a puddle can have its own point of view.” — The Horn Book

“Raschka’s signature nearly abstract gouache and watercolor illustrations transition from gray-blue to a slowly brightening wash of colors as the puddle transforms from despondent to elated, matching the tone of Jackson’s jaunty rhyming text. A winsome and uplifting tale of an unusual protagonist.” — School Library Journal