Crashing and Splashing

Why don't more books have active titles?  No part of speech inspires us quite the way a well-timed verb does, in my opinion. Let's see how the rest of this book measures up.         

THREE PROS

*Teaches kids the effect plural nouns and -ing verbs have on the present tense of "to be" (is vs. are)

*The borders are lined with tiny images relevant to the primary panel on each page

*Can never get enough reinforcement of positive everyday family interactions

THREE CONS 

*I like that the book doesn't end in typical fashion (with a bedtime scene); still the story is nothing more than a collection of things that two kids did

*Unless dad made some quick repairs after pool time was over, there appear to be some inconsistencies in the varying images of the fence

*While it's funny to see a kid eating sand (mainly because we've all been there with our little ones), I'm not sure it's a good idea to have young readers see that without an admonishment

ONE DAD'S OPINION

Alison Lester appears to be an author who has her act together.  If you asked me to explain what I expect a normal children's book to be, I could very easily turn around and hand you a copy of Crashing and Splashing.  But notice the phrasing I used there..."normal children's book".  I did not make mention of it being a great one.  It does what is expected and offers a tiny bit more than other items in your collection, but in no way is it memorable.  Thus...    

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