Illustrated by Dusan Petricic
I received this book for review from Annick Press.
Summary: Matt has moved three times with his family, and this is the worst place yet. With nothing around but a gray soggy field, and no other kids in sight, Matt picks up a stick and draws a squiggly line in the mud: Snake River. Soon a puddle becomes Turtle Lake, some rocks form the Dog Tooth Mountains, and Mattland is born.
When a little girl shows up bringing sticks for fence rails and colorful bits of tile, Mattland continues to grow piece by piece – until a rainstorm threatens to wash all their hard work away. That’s when help arrives in a most welcome way.
What an adorable book! What a great idea, I wish I had this book as a child, creating towns in the mud sounds like JUST the thing I would have done for hours and hours.
This book is designed for ages 4-7 and I think it’s a wonderful addition to children’s literature. It’s not just the fun idea that makes this a great book. I couldn’t say it better than this sentence on the press release:
“With its imaginative illustrations and poignant text, this story captures the loneliness of childhood, magically transforming it into an inspiring ode to a child’s imagination and the joy of cooperative play.”
The illustrations are amazing too. Highly Recommended.
About Kathleen
