On My Walk. Kari-Lynn Winters. Illustrated by Christina Leist. Vancouver, BC: Tradewind Books, 2009. 32 pp., hardcover, $16.95. ISBN 978-1-896580-61-6. Subject Heading: Walking-Juvenile poetry. Preschool-kindergarten /Ages 2-5. Review by Linda Ludke. ***½/4

excerpt:

On my walk,
my summer walk,
I hear a horse, clippity-clop, clippity-clop,
and a frog, frippity-frop, frippity-frop

A young boy, his mother and their dog enjoy a leisurely summer stroll through a neighbourhood park. Along the way, they hear a horse “clippity-clop” and a frog “frippity-frop.” They stop to watch a cricket “hippity-hop” and a fish “flippity-flop” Their adventures are cut short when storm clouds appear and the “drippity-drop[s]” turn into a downpour. Running all the way home, they revisit the sights and sounds they passed earlier in the day.

     The very simple text, with onomatopoeic words, is great for reading aloud. Toddlers won’t need much encouragement to join in the chorus of “slippity-slop[s]” and “clippity-clop[s].”


     Christiana Leist’s fetching mixed media illustrations complement and extend the story. The spotted dog shares the child’s discoveries (and also surreptitiously shares an ice cream cone). The scenes are presented from the eye-level of the child so you often only see the mother’s hands in the background. Earthy brown and green hues and use of stencils give a lushness and freshness to the pages.


     Share this book at storytimes, or pack it in your knapsack when you go on a neighborhood literacy walk.

Highly Recommended.

Linda Ludke is a librarian in London, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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