A young crocodile named Ernst and his big brother Sol set off for the beach to collect things. While Sol collects shells, rocks and feathers, Ernst would rather collect puffy clouds and colorful puddles. Sol laughs at him, but Ernst finds a way.

liked the way Sol thinks outside the box ( )

The little blue crocodile whose story began in the eponymous Ernst (and continues in the subsequent A Carousel Tale), returns in this second delightful picture-book adventure from Elisa Kleven. Dreamy Ernst, always looking at things from a different perspective, accompanies his older brother Sol to the beach in The Puddle Pail, and, prompted by his sibling's insistence that he should collect something, begins scooping all the beautiful puddles he comes across into his pail. You can't collect puddles (or clouds and stars, for that matter) protests Sol, but Ernst has other ideas...

An endearing tale of a little boy (sorry - crocodile!) who has his own way of looking at the world, The Puddle Pail, like A Carousel Tale after it, features an amusing, but essentially goodhearted sibling dynamic, a satisfyingly creative solution to the issue being raised (what does it mean, to 'collect' something?), and gorgeous illustrations. The artwork here, with its lovely palette and multitude of appealing little details - the alternation between full-page paintings, and rows of objects (starfish, feathers, etc.), interspersed with text, is very effective in furthering the story - is up to Kleven's usual high standard, and only confirms my growing appreciation for her as an artist. Recommended to any young reader who has enjoyed other Ernst stories, who likes animals tales, or who is a fan of Elisa Kleven's books. ( )