Rosette and the Muddy River

Jean Free, a library consultant, is a retired public-school teacher and
librarian in Whitby, Ontario.

Rosette likes wearing pretty dresses and being clean and neat. When her
father invites her on a fishing trip to New Brunswick’s Petitcodiac
River, she insists on wearing her good clothes. As Rosette’s father is
drawing in a cod, the fish hits her and she falls in the mud. Rosette
decides that since she is now filthy she may as well have fun in the
water and dirt. She makes doughnuts and chocolate balls from the mud as
she wanders along the river looking at plants. When the tide comes in,
her father pulls her up a cliff to escape the muddy water. After that,
Rosette and her father often go fishing together.

Léger has written a warm and charming story about a young girl who has
a loving relationship with her father. Girls would empathize with
Rosette’s reactions to familiar family situations. Cambiazo’s
dramatic, colorful illustrations add immensely to the text. The use of a
few French words add to the Canadian tone. Rosette’s cookie recipe,
“Boules de Chocolat (Petitcodiac Mud Balls)” is included at the end
of the book. This is a large-format picture book that reads well aloud
to preschool or early-primary-grade children.