THE PUDDLE

From McPhail (Edward and the Pirates, 1997, etc.), a tale that demonstrates that rainy days provide lots of interesting possibilities, at least for the boy who lives in a world where alligators visit puddles, and elephants drain them dry. ``It was a rainy day. I asked my mom if I could go out and sail my boat in the puddles,'' says the young narrator. She agrees, cautioning him to stay out of the puddles. He finds a nice specimen and launches his sailboat. A frog commandeers the craft and sails to the middle of the puddle. Vexed, but knowing he mustn't wade through the water, the boy glowers from the shore. An alligator offers help and manages to cripple the boat during the rescue. A pig then splashes the boy, an elephant comes for a drink and the next thing readers know the sun is coming out. Everyone leaves, including the boy, who heads home to a less public venue for sailing his boat: the bathtub. In watercolor illustrations that make plain how real the boy's imaginings are to him, McPhail nimbly weds the simple pleasure of being out in the rain with a light adventure. (Picture book. 2-5)