SLOP GOES THE SOUP

Edwards and Cole (Warthogs Paint, p. 739, etc.) collaborate on their third story about a pair of wacky warthogs who explored counting and colors in the previous stories in the series. This time the two are preparing soup and pudding for a dinner party, and a sneeze sets off a chain reaction of sloppy, noisy events, ending with another sneeze. Each plot twist follows the text pattern of the title, with the noisy word in creatively positioned, brightly colored type. (“Rattle goes the bucket. Splash goes the water. Swish goes the mop.”) Some of the noise descriptors are a bit of a stretch, as in “Whoosh goes the teddy bear,” but overall the story’s slapstick comedy is fast-paced and humorous. Cole’s pen, colored-pencil, and watercolor illustrations are bold and bright, with an oversized format that will make this a hit in story hours with noise or soup themes. An author’s note on the last page cleverly explains the concept of onomatopoeia. (Picture book. 2-7)