Drip, Drop (I Can Read Book 1)

Sarah Weeks is the singer, songwriter, and author of the best-selling picture books with tapes Crocodile Smile and Follow the Moon. Guy Wire is the fourth novel in the highly successful middle-grade series that includes Regular Guy, Guy Time, and My Guy, which is in development to be a feature film. Sarah Weeks lives in New York City with her two sons.

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Poor Pip Squeak, a long-nosed, beady-eyed mouse, can't sleep because his roof is leaking. As he lies in bed, first a drip hits him on his head, then his foot, and then his chin until his bed is covered with pots and pans. As the leaks multiply, the water fills all of his containers from tub to shoe, from hat to glass, until finally the weary rodent's home is nearly submerged. Just as he hangs his head in defeat, the sun comes out and the drips stop as suddenly as they started. While his friends now want to jump in puddles, Pip just wants to jump back in bed. Rhyming text and the repetition of a couple of key phrases ("Drip! Drop!/Plip! Plop!") make this title effective as a beginning reader. Short, simple sentences keep the action moving along while a single problem focuses readers' attention. The snappy narrative is coupled with expressive, silly illustrations. With a smooth wash of color, these bright and flowing cartoons create a sense of growing disorder. Pip, with his orange-and-yellow striped pajamas, loose sagging bathrobe, and enormous mousy ears, is an endearing character who gamely battles the growing tide with "Cat in the Hat" ingenuity. It is thus surprising that he gives up the fight and even more puzzling that he chooses to jump back in bed (where did all the water go?). Yet, as he contentedly dreams of cheese, readers can't help but smile at his well-earned sleep.
Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI
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