Splash!

by Ann Jonas, Ann Jonas (Illustrator)

Overview

Splash goes the cat! Splash goes the dog! Who's jumping in the pond? Falling in and crawling out, how many animals can you count?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780688152840
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/24/1997
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	86,272
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.00(d)
Lexile:	BR (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Ann Jonas has written and illustrated many popular books for children, including Color Dance, Reflections, and Round Trip, which was an ALA Notable Book and a "New York Times" Best Illustrated Book. She is a graduate of Cooper Union and has worked as a graphic designer for many years with her husband, Donald Crews. They live in upstate New York.

Ann Jonas has written and illustrated many popular books for children, including Color Dance, Reflections, and Round Trip, which was an ALA Notable Book and a "New York Times" Best Illustrated Book. She is a graduate of Cooper Union and has worked as a graphic designer for many years with her husband, Donald Crews. They live in upstate New York.

Editorial Reviews

"I have a pond in my backyard. I have one turtle, two catfish, three frogs and four goldfish," announces the young narrator of this cheerful counting tale. She also has a dog and cat which, though far less enamored of swimming than the other creatures, also end up in the pond. The setting remains constant as Jonas's (Where Can It Be?; When You Were a Baby) art and text follow the numerous ins and outs of the pondside animals ("My dog and cat climb out. A dragonfly falls in. One frog hops out"). After noting each change, the child repeats the question, "How many are in my pond?" The real freshness here lies in Jonas's luminous illustrations, rendered in acrylic paints on clear acetate, which show playful action and humorous shifts in perspective as tiny and larger animals-and eventually the girl herself-slip into the water-each making a "SPLASH" of proportionate size. Ages 3-up. (May)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 2From the title page to the end, Jonas creates a book that keeps asking ``How many are in my pond?,'' but in which counting is not the centerpieceit's the splash that really counts. As in many of her books, the text is not confined to one part of the page, but changes color, size, and shape to work as part of and reinforce the illustrations. The blues of sky and water, soothing green of the lawn, and straight lines dominate the serene first page, but the mood abruptly changes as the turtle, then the frogs, the dog, cat, and even the young narrator jump into and then climb out of the water. White foam sprays up, the word ``splash'' floats above the spray, ripples appear on the water's surface, and the question waves at the bottom of the water. Each time, the response will be different as the number of creatures in the pond changes. On the last page, calm is restored, and the young African American narrator feeds her fish. This is an inventive picture book more than a concept book, since no numerals appear on any of the pages. Enjoy it as a beautifully illustrated, lively story about a girl, her pets, and lots of water.Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY

School Library Journal