Mud Puddle

This is a revised edition of a 1979 publication. Munsch’s story for preschoolers is about a little girl who gets dirty every time she goes out the door. Parents will recognise the type. As the little girl sees it, each time she goes out to play in clean clothes a mud puddle jumps on her.

This edition retains the nice conceit on which the story is based, and the witty and colourful illustrations by Sami Suomalainen, but the tale is now told with much more panache. The rhythm of the storytelling is much more expertly paced, and repetitive devices, which preschoolers respond to so delightedly, have been added. For example, in the original edition each time the child comes in dirty, mother scrubs her in the bath. In the revised version the business of washing is emphasised by repetition as the mother cumulatively scrubs ears, eyes, and nose, then ears, eyes, nose and mouth, and finally ears, eyes, nose, mouth and bellybutton. The description is better paced, too, so that the adult storyteller can supplement the words with appropriate gestures and facial expressions. As in the original edition, the story ends with the child scaring the mud puddle right out of her yard by flinging bars of soap at it. This version should go over even better than the first edition at preschool storytelling time.