Sailing the Puddles

Dabnis is a fourth grader who walks home from school. Normally, his walk is short, but when it rains, his imagination takes over. This is the story, told from his point of view, of his walk home on a rainy day. Along the way, he fights dragons, sees wild animals, clashes with pirates, finds hidden treasure, and even meets Christopher Columbus! It is quite the adventure.

This is a cute story; however, the writing lacks the charm and rhythm characteristic of most children’s books. This makes sense considering the narrator is a child. While it might be less fun for adults to read aloud than other books out there, I think that having it sound like something that a kid would write will appeal to the children listening to it and reading it themselves. The book’s ending inspires kids to write their own books, and Kisko’s writing in Sailing the Puddles might help them believe it possible. To that end, I think the writing works wonderfully.

The images do an excellent job of bringing Dabnis’s varying adventures to life. They are colorful and fun, and they are sure to spark the imaginations of the kids who see them. I can picture someone reading this book with his or her child and stopping every few pages to act out the scenes that Dabnis describes. I think that would make for a delightful afternoon.

There is also an educational aspect to the story. While Kisko doesn’t go too in depth with the information, he mentions a lot of things that might draw questions from naturally curious kids. Among other things, he talks about all of the major oceans, a few interesting animals, ice fishing, and Long John Silver.

Overall, this is a delightful book that will surely fire up imaginations and possibly even inspire kids to try some writing on their own. It doesn’t read quite as smoothly as more polished children’s stories, but there is a lot of fun to be had in reading Sailing the Puddles.