Sniff-Snuff-Snap! (Picture Puffin)

Children's Literature

Containing all the elements needed for beginning readers, this charming book features a sassy warthog who tries to chase all interlopers from what he thinks is his own personal watering hole. With rhyme, repetition and alliteration, the author has fashioned a counting book with a variety of phonemic challenges for the young reader. The amusing illustrations, minimal text and gathering suspense of the story will make this a favorite at the first grade level. A reading first by an adult, to capture all the phonemic elements, should inspire the most intrepid. Perfect for guided reading. 2000 (orig. 1995), Gareth Stevens Publishing, $21.27. Ages 5 to 7. Reviewer: Meredith Kiger

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-A bossy warthog's aggressive noises only temporarily chase other creatures away from the precious waterhole. The rhymed text provides counting practice, from two weaver birds to eight elephants who drink down to the mud basin. Rain at book's end allows readers to leave warthog with hope. The realistically drawn animals have cartoon-style expressions to convey personality. Unfortunately, the setting offers little opportunity for color variations, so the overall visual effect is drab.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.