Mud Puddle, by Robert Munsch (illustrated by Dušan Petricic)

Mud Puddle

Author: Robert Munsch

Illustrator: Dušan Petricic

Publisher: Annick Press

Publication Date: September 1, 2012

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This has always been one of my favourite Robert Munsch books. It's so fun to read this one aloud, especially with a group of children. They love shouting the "Hey Mud Puddle!" part. But I must say, I'm partial to the original version with illustrations by the immensely talented Sami Suomalainen (if you don't know Suomalainen's work, I cannot recommend his illustrations in Curtis Parkinson's Mr. Reez's Sneezes highly enough!). This newly illustrated version with pictures by Dušan Petricic is...well, it's just not the same. It's odd, but in a way the new illustrations are more dated than the ones from nearly twenty years ago. In the original, the colours are rich, the images approximate (not that they're crudely drawn, just that they are playful and leave a lot to the imagination, which I love) and the rich mud practically oozes off the page. Petricic's illustrations, on the other hand, are relatively detailed but lack the, well, ooziness of the original. It's like the Mud Puddle has already been scrubbed. Fantastic story but my preference is definitely for the original illustrations.

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Disclaimer: I received a digital galley of this book free from the publisher from NetGalley. I was not obliged to write a favourable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.