Mud

by Mary Lyn Ray, Lauren Stringer (Illustrator)

An ode to muddy hands and feet, brown earth, and new grass
Simple text and exuberant illustrations will make children and their grown-up friends want to sink their feet into gooey, gloppy, mucky, magnificent mud.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Nature, Fiction, Poetry, School

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Mary Lyn Ray is a conservationist and author of several picture books for children. She was born in Louisiana in 1946 and grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. Ray has lived in New England since 1964, when she first came east to attend college. She currently lives in a 150-year-old farmhouse in South Danbury, New Hampshire, which she restored herself.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every year it happens. The earth becomes UNFROZEN. Things turn green as winter melts into mud. This book is a joyful ode to spring, and the mud it brings . . . to the bane of dog owners, and the never-ending delight of children.

[Orion Kopf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very mysterious to a baby born in North Carolina who has barely worn pants but is very gorgeous and fun.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very simple text about a subject most kids are very familiar with, Mud. I really like how this book leads you very slowly to the idea of mud as one of the best things about spring. This could be a great book to use for inferencing with students. You would need to cover the front of the book so they don't see the title and then ask throughout the book what they think the author's message might be. Are they surprised when it get to talking about mud? Then read it a second time and see if are there any hints in the illustrations. Would they choose to name it something different? Think about their own writing and that the main idea doesn't have to hit you in the head in the first line with "I'm going to tell you about," but can instead get you there with great word choice.

[The Book Consultant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just okay for me. The text and story were very simple. I guess I tend to like slightly longer and more in depth books, or books that are wordier, rhyming or just more whimsical and engaging overall.

My 4.5 year old son checked this out from his school library. We read it a couple of times, but I never gravitated toward it during reading times, and he never asked for it or showed a particular interest in it.

Overall, this was a cute, simple story, but not a top pick in our house.

[Grace Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for younger readers. It calls on watching nature change around us and using our imaginations to play in it. The words are simple, and easy to read. The illustrations are soft and well done.

[Michelle Farella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spring book, just meh.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book from the first time I saw it! Perfect story for story time in late winter/early spring! Kids love it! The illustrations are just so wonderful! So much oozy mud as the snow melts.

[Mellanie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely poetic language.

[Ammie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My toddler cries everytime I try to read this. She says it's scary. 🤷 She loves mud, but perhaps the pictures are too dark.

[Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting illustrations

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When spring comes, also comes the mud. This story is told in few words and large close-up illustrations of what a child does with mud. Lovely.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but the illustrations were done from angle that made the storyline harder to follow.

[Holly Leendertsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mud is about a little boy watching the changes of the seasons, from winter to spring. The story begins with the ground frozen, and then eventually turns into the mud in correlation with the changing of the seasons. This book was extremely cute, and fun to read. As a kid, I can remember how excited I would get when spring finally arrived, and the flowers began to bloom. This book is a very low reading level, and would be used in the lower grades, like kindergarten. Teachers can use this book in a classroom to teach the seasons. They can teach each season and what it entails, read the story, and then have the kids draw one of their favorite changes during the seasons. For example, the leaves turning from green to brown. This will promote exploration, and be a fun activity for the kids while they are also learning. This book was very cute, and the use of watercolor really made the illustrations pop. I would recommend this to younger students, and to teachers wishing to teach about the seasons.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 3 out of 5]

MUD is one of those books that I look forward to seeing every year. It is like an old friend that greets me from the shelf as the weather starts to warm and our world begins to flow with color and warmth. Mary Lyn Ray's carefully chosen words capture the moment when the winter ends and "Squish Squck Sop Splat Slurp melt into mud." The brief text is perfect for a younger audience, yet she challenges them with delicious language. Lauren Stringer's illustrations capture the delights of squishing your toes into the new mud and then fully immersing yourself with a wonderfully textured acrylic paintings. It will leave even the daintiest looking for a mud puddle to explore.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

I introduce this book in lap time with a tongue in cheek introduction for the parents saying now a book about everyone's favorite thing about spring... Well, I guess it was one child's favorite because a parent begged to check it out. 3/21/12

Used in PJ, had one toddler and mother show up and the next day in Lap Time. 3/19/13

Used again for lap time. 4/1/14

Used again in Lap Time. 3/26/15

Used in PJ and Lap Time (Got giggles in Lap Time)

[Olugbemisola Ogutuga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mud is a book about a child exepiences of the changes in season from winter into spring.The child explores the earth using the senses of sight, smell, and touch.The idea of playing in the mud with colorful illustrations allow children to share in the joy of watching how the earth changes after winter.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are not many mud books available. This one works. The story goes from a white Winter to a green Spring. I was focusing on rainy Spring weather and in the rain you get mud. So it worked. It's a very popular book to checkout from the library, so I decided to give it a go at storytime.

2015 Storytime Theme: Rainy Weather

Reviewed from a library copy.

[Sabrina Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loev the illustrations in this book! They are bright and huge. This book is about spring time and the rain that causes mud. A good book for children to enjoy and reflect on her experineces or use their imagination.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good intro to Spring story times, Mud has grand, sweeping pictures and very simple text, good for toddlers and also for Alzheimer's patients, because the typeface is very large and bold. Add a clay activity, and you're set!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boys LOVE this book. We currently read it every.single.day. It goes along with our Spring theme. Afterwards we always discuss how in the Spring we will play in the mud, squish the mud, dig in the mud, etc. BOYS LOVE MUD! :)

[Sara Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was simple and clear, easy for young readers to grasp and follow. There was some good, poetic language that pulled it up from just a boring kid's book to a solid one, but not one that I would want to read over and over.

[Stan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of this book has kind of an adultish, poetryish feel to it; not something I would expect a little boy to get excited about. The last half is more down to mud. Perhaps this is intended to appeal to mom and child. It didn't really work for me.

[emyrose8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It reminds me of spring in Minnesota. The first few pictures took me a bit to decipher, trying to figure out what they were about. But as the book went on, it was easier for me to understand what was going on. I like all the alliteration and onomatopoeia!

[Jonnathan Ortiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasnt that big of a fan of this book. I know it was talking about mud but i kind of felt confused as the book went on.

I could use this book when talking about the weather and how when water and dirt is mixed it creates mud

[Cana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mommy says: short and sweet with lush drawings of the cold wintry world melting into a muddly spring. Takes all of 2 minutes to read.

[Stephanie Wycihowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book ! nice colorful illustrations.. perfect for a springtime read to young children!

[Ericka Fluellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boys normally love this book. Its about the coming of spring and the mucky mess that spring leaves behing-MUD!

[Hira · Rating 5 out of 5]

observe details

[Janderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and the art! It is a little to lyrical for some kids during story time, but they love talking about playing in mud.

[Carol Royce Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in Vermont, every one of my students could relate to this lovely muddy book.