Boom Snot Twitty
PreS-Gr 1—Liwska's illustrations are immediately enticing. Fine pencil work depicts characters and scenery that have an appealing fuzzy and fluffy quality, while the computer-added colors are mellow and nicely varied. Cronin introduces three friends: a bear, a robin, and a snail. Boom, the bear, is the active one, always the first to move, climb, jump. Twitty, the robin, likes to relax in her nest and crochet. Snot, a pigtailed snail, is an enlightened creature, willing to wait and adapt to circumstances as necessary. When a thunderstorm threatens, Boom jumps from the treetop and runs away while Twitty hides miserably on a branch, using her nest as a raincoat. Snot, however, welcomes both rain and wind, making a leaf raft to ride on, basking in the ensuing hot sun as the others recuperate from their struggles with the weather. When night approaches, it is Snot who asks what to do while her two friends come up with excellent answers. Though the underlying message seems a bit unclear, the illustrations and characters will attract a fair number of fans.—Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY