David A. Johnson (1) (1951–)

This is a great picture book if a little kid was trying to learn what an onomatopoeia is. The pictures tie in very well to the pictures. The pictures just add to the atmosphere of the book. The fact that this book has such little words in it, is very impressive. Overall, it is a great book to learn how onomatopoeia is.

This is story is told almost exclusively using onomatopoeia and for that reason alone it is impressive. But the illustrations add to it creating a general cold, murky atmosphere for every blast of sound to shatter. Nicely done. I wish the child hadn't shouted for the bus to wait and shatter the perfect text, but things happen I suppose.

The illustrations feel old fashioned, suiting the time period of the poem, and the colors are muted to the point of feeling faded. This version follows the original poem exactly, so the humor is a bit dead pan: "She went to the baker's to buy him some bread, but when she came back, the poor dog was dead!"

Spare poetry and elegant watercolor paintings cleverly bring to life this unique story of snow removal and the fun onomatopoeic sounds accompanying it.