This fun children’s picture book is a little bit older than the ones I usually review, published in 1989 which by book standards is pretty ancient. But the rich woodsy colors and nature feel drew me in and well, a good book is a good book, regardless of its age. Plus, it’s also a Reading Rainbow book, and we all know what that means. (That it’s really good.)
Our setting is a quiet cove with a red barn nearby, the waters green and still, the rushes nestled up to the banks. It’s late afternoon and the ducks are relaxing and the hummingbirds are hovering near the cattails. It’s time for the muskrats to come out into the waters from their house half-submerged in the pond. They like to swim around in the water and eat the weeds that grow there, watching the dragonflies buzz and swarm. After their swim, they climb on top of their house and dry off their fur.
But it doesn’t stay dry for long as they dive beneath again, to look at the fish and to swim between the lily pads. They play with the butterflies in the setting sun, feeling the warmth of the light on the water, and they watch as the moon comes up and turns everything to silver. Then they do everything all over again in the moonlight, splashing and playing until the dawn arrives the next day.
The illustrations for this simple story are done in a watercolor look which adds to the softness of the language and shows us the beauty of these creatures. We get a feel for a habitat that may be different for our own and we are shown how to appreciate the water and the reeds and the butterflies as well as the stars of the show, the muskrats. This is a gentle read-aloud book that’s perfect for a bedtime story.
(This book was published in 1989 by Mulberry Books with a paperback version in 1991, and was illustrated by the author.)
Related Blogs:
The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash
Encouraging Your Children to Read