This second marshy collaboration for Buzzeo and Spengler (Dawdle Duckling
) allows readers to observe Papa Loon as he gives Little Loon diving lessons. Guiding his progeny through each step, "Papa dips Little Loon's head down. And Papa tips Little Loon's tail up." When that fails, Papa teaches by example. "Little Loon watches Papa squeeze
air out, tuck
his feathers tight, and—zip!
—disappear from sight." But as Papa ducks into the water's pristine depths, Little Loon wanders off on his own, suddenly confronted by the "Splash, drip, hrrooooo!
" of a cloven-hoofed, antlered creature standing at the shore. Now seeking Papa, Little Loon also finds "a great, shaggy face and a wide brown snout with a trout hanging out" (a bear) and a creature with "a great, broad tail" whose "wide front teeth" cause a birch tree to fall in Little Loon's path. Hearing his father's cry, the gawky young waterfowl makes a determined first dive, plunging below the obstructing log to return to his proud father's waiting wings. Spengler's warm pastels capture the cheeky loon's every emotion: his initial reluctance to dive, his brief frights by the noisy (but non-threatening) creatures he encounters and his triumphant reunion with his father. Ages 2-up. (May)
