Over The Steamy Swams

by Paul Geraghty

One steamy afternoon in Africa, a lone mosquito flew over a swamp. Just behind her hovered a greedy dragonfly . . . . and behind the dragonfly sat a famished frog . . . .

Gloriously vibrant illustrations and a hilarious repeating text combine to make a wonderful ecological tale with a surprise ending that small children will love.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 1988

Reviews

[Simac]

It's so boring! Keeps repeating and repeating 1000 times, the same words.

[Shawn Deal]

My students loved this book.

[Kate Carter]

Great illustrations for all ages. The repetition and alliterative adjectives are great for my young reader. Fun food chain example too.

[Barbara Radisavljevic]

Just how much havoc can one mosquito flying over a swamp cause? It depends upon who wants to eat that mosquito . This particular mosquito is being watched by a greedy dragonfly, who is too interested to notice that he, in turn, is being watched by a famished frog, and so on up the food chain to the peckish fish, the heron, the starving snake, the craving crocodile, the hostile hunter, and the ravenous lion. Paul Geraghty's text is simple and reminiscent o "The House that Jack Built" in its repetitive style. But it's his pictures that make the book so funny. These animals have facial expressions you won't ever forget -- especially when the book reaches its climax. After the lion's great, big, ravenous nose is bitten by the mosquito, to say he is surprised and upset is an understatement. And suddenly, everyone in the food chain hears the lion's yowl and looks backwards and sees what's been about to eat him. This book should be in every young reader's hands. Not only is the art work bold and expressive, but the text will teach some great adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. And, of course, it can also be used to illustrate what a food chain is

Besides showing the food chain in action, this book will make both parents and children laugh with its humorous illustrations of the animals as they discover who has been lurking behind them, ready to eat them, even as they have been drooling over their own anticipated lunch. Not to worry, though. No one gets eaten in the end, but the lion gets a very sore nose and the hungry mosquito who starts everything in motion is finally satisfied

[Dylan & Belle at LearnPlayFun]

This story was about a mosquito and a dragonfly and a frog and a fish and a h-e-r-o-n and a snake and a crocodile and a hunter and a lion. It's so funny that you'll have to see yourself how it goes.
The end.

I don't have a favourite part cause I liked it all.

Rated and reviewed by Dylan, age 8.