Puddle Jump
Puddle Jump
by ReadRead · 5 min readDrip, drip, then it pours! Mei and Ducky jump in every puddle, then help a little snail get home across the biggest one.
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Mei has new red boots for jumping in puddles, but the sun is out and the street is dry. Then grey clouds come. Drip! A drop lands on her nose. Soon the rain pours, and Mei and Ducky the duck jump in every puddle. But Shelly the snail is stuck by a big puddle and cannot get home.
The new words in this book
When water falls one little drop at a time. It comes up 8 times, and every time a single drop falls: from a cloud onto Mei’s nose, from her umbrella, from wet leaves.
When a lot of water comes down fast, all at once. It comes up 8 times: the rain on the roofs, the drainpipe, a bucket and a watering can.
The text repeats on purpose (“Jump, splash, jump!” comes back three times), so a child can say it along. There is one small problem to solve: how can a tiny snail get over a big puddle? Every other word is a common word, like rain, boots, street, leaf and home.
Questions to ask while you read
Pause after each spread and ask one question. There are no right answers; the point is to get your child talking.
- 1Why is Mei sad? What does she want?
- 2What falls on Mei’s nose?
- 3Where does the rain pour? Can you find the pipe?
- 4Which puddle would you jump in first?
- 5Who is by the big puddle? What is her problem?
- 6How does Mei help Shelly stay dry?
- 7How do they get Shelly across the puddle?
- 8The rain stops. What can still drip?
- 9Tap and see: what drips and what pours?
- 10What do you like to do on a rainy day?
How hard is this book?
About 250 words, sentences of 6–8 words, dialogue.
- Dialogue × 8“Thank you, Mei!”
- Questions × 1But how can Shelly go over the big puddle?
- Commands × 3Tap them and see!
- Not / no × 3Now the rain can not pour on her.
- Because / when / if × 2“Quack! I love it when it pours!”
All 112 words, most used first
the 27 · and 12 · drip 8 · jump 8 · rain 8 · a 7 · it 7 · big 6 · on 6 · street 6 · is 5 · over 5 · go 4 · in 4 · out 4 · pour 4 · pours 4 · red 4 · splash 4 · comes 3 · her 3 · i 3 · little 3 · now 3 · puddles 3 · quack 3 · sun 3 · then 3 · to 3 · boots 2 · but 2 · can 2 · come 2 · down 2 · drops 2 · dry 2 · fall 2 · for 2 · here 2 · home 2 · leaf 2 · mei's 2 · no 2 · oh 2 · rides 2 · roofs 2 · thank 2 · too 2 · umbrella 2 · wet 2 · you 2 · across · after · all · am · are · begins · boat · boot · by · clouds · days · drop · duck · every · finds · friends · from · gets · goes · green · grey · happy · hard · has · he · holds · hooray · how · jumping · lands · last · leaves · like · likes · look · love · new · nose · not · only · pipe · pushes · rainbow · rainy · runs · sad · see · sees · she · snail · so · stops · tap · them · there · things · want · wants · we · what · when
Names don’t count: the picture shows who it is.
Tips for parents
- First time: use Read to me and let your child just listen and watch.
- Show the difference with your hands: one finger tapping for “drip”, both hands falling fast for “pour”.
- Before page seven, stop and ask: “How can Shelly get over the big puddle?” Let your child think of a plan.
- At bath time or in the garden, drip water from a sponge and pour it from a cup. “Is it a drip or a pour?”