LITTLE LOON AND PAPA
by Toni Buzzeo & illustrated by Margaret Spengler
Like many a human youngster, Little Loon resists his father’s efforts to teach him how to dive—until scary encounters with a moose eating weeds, a bear eating a fish, and a beaver gnawing down a tree send him swimming and diving away from the dangers just like his Papa taught. The simple story is handsomely illustrated with intense blues that belie the connotation associated with pastels. Bold images and face-on perspectives that bleed off the page smartly convey Little Loon’s panic. Words in large type emphasize actions, motions, and sounds; e.g. SQUEEZE the air out, TUCK his feathers tight, WIGGLE his feet, and WAGGLE his wings, which, after a third reading, lap-sitters will enjoy repeating. (Picture book. 3-5)