The Little Faucet That Never Stopped Dripping
Readers will have fun making the sounds of animals as they discover a lonely and forgotten outdoor faucet.
Although beautiful flowers surround him in a quiet spot in the woods, a forgotten slow-dripping faucet is alone and lonely. One day he’s discovered by a frog that enjoys splashing in the puddle he’s created and who asks if he can invite another friend. Ultimately thirteen different animals and insects join the fun, each bringing with them a specific identifying sound.
While the brief tale speaks to friendship and the differences that abound in the world, the heart of this read-aloud story lies in the variety of sounds the reader will make while acting out the parts. For instance, the faucet goes by “Drip Drop,” Mr. Frog is “Rrribet,” and Mrs. Rabbit is “Twinkle Twinkle.” These sounds follow whenever the character is introduced.
This was one of the stories Jackson wrote to entertain and help a young girl dealing with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and blindness. The young girl enjoys hearing different sounds—the funnier the better, according to the author/illustrator—as they’re read to her, which is how this book evolved.
Eight pages of illustrations accompany the same number of pages of fairly full text. The drawings are done in colored pencil with a childlike feel. The faucet is personified by having an eye located above his spigot-mouth, and attention is paid to even the tiniest of details, including the butterfly (“Wee Wee”) and dragonfly (“Tee Tee”) that ride on Mrs. Rabbit’s ears.
The climax of the story occurs when the faucet turns his handle a bit too much and gets a “WOOSSHHH” instead of his normal slow pace. With the help of one of his new friends, the water is decreased to a more reasonable flow. A side effect is the puddle is now connected to a larger nearby pond, providing enough room for all his new friends to splash around.
A formatting inconsistency occurs when two of the regularly italicized “sounds” are not actually italicized as the others. Better editing of punctuation might also help eliminate a couple of run-on sentences. The animal and insect friends arrive in a specific order and are listed that way throughout, except on one occasion when two are switched. Alert child listeners might catch this.
The front cover is wonderfully illustrated with all thirteen of the faucet’s new friends; however, the final three don’t make an appearance on the last drawing of the story, but are mentioned in the text. Curious listeners may wonder why as they view the final drawing.
This is a lovely story made all the better by the subjective sounds the creative reader makes as it’s read aloud.
Reviewed by
Robin Farrell Edmunds
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
