Swamp Song - Hardcover

Helen Ketteman lives in Sanibel Island, Florida.

PreSchool-Grade 2—Old Man Gator begins this story in rhyme by tapping his toes "down in the swamp where the cypress grows." He is soon joined by Ibis, who flaps her wings at the water's edge. Moorhen calls to her chicks, and Wood Stork is "clackin' her bill/and puffin' her chest" as she leaves her nest. Added to these distinctive sounds are Dragonfly's whirring wings, Wild Boar's grunts, and Bullfrog's croaks. Black Bear sharpens his claws on a cypress tree, while Pygmy Rattler shakes his rattles. Red Fox warns Gator away from her kits with a "yip, yip, yippity-yip,/YIP, YIP, YIP." The sunny illustrations are done with colored ink lines and acrylic wash paint against mostly white backgrounds. Each animal musician wears just enough clothing to establish an attitude—like Woodpecker's black leather vest and chain necklace or Squirrel's cowboy hat and fringed vest. Children will be tapping their toes with Old Man Gator and creating their own cacophony of swamp sounds as they learn about the inhabitants of this habitat.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN
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