This story had me laughing while I was reading it! Four forest friends encounter a tail along a fallen log in the swamp. They want to cross, so they decide to do something about the suspicious tail. One by one, they each try unsuccessfully, the tail swats them into the water. The final critter, a mouse, notices that the tail is stuck in some rope. So, he chews through, and the tail is set free. Turns out it was an Alligator who had been stuck for a long time. He offers to help the mouse cross the water...and his friends? Well, they became a snack!
The illustrations are comical, too!

This was a funny and quick read about assumptions. I loved that it's very comic strip styled. I also love that each of the characters had their own unique solution to their predicament.

This lovely little tale reminds me of the gruffalo. The earthy tones of the illustrations are stunning, they would look lovely as wall art in any room. Lots of discussion points (friendship, helping others, food chains/webs). Definitely a firm favourite!

I enjoyed this children story with all of the characters. Four animals are looking to cross a river but every time that one tries to cross it get smack into the river. There is something  green on the log that the four animals are trying to find out what it is.

This was a fun story to read. My children enjoyed reading it. They like the green thing. The illustrations went well with the story.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinions.

This is a cute book about wanting to cross the river and trying to figure out if it's safe or not. I really enjoyed it and the illustrations are really great!

I legitimately laughed out loud to the ending of this illustrated children’s book. It’s so clever and sets up two really important morals or lessons with minimal words and cute little animals.
Warning to folks who don’t like children’s books with death… animals do not make it in this little story. It’s both alarming and funny in the way it’s done. The children I have seen react for the first time to it all just gaped open mouths in shock. One little girl said “what?!?” and then giggled because she agreed with me that it’s kind of funny.

Somewhere in the Bayou teaches two key lessons:
1) be kind and helpful to others; and they may return the kindness
2) be careful around strangers… but don’t hesitate to be nice to them

Without giving the whole climax away let’s just say that the alligator in the bayou is a gentlemen; although it’s probably good he was already full by the end of the story.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

This book gave me all kinds of mixed feelings. I loved the end where the last little critter decided to try to solve the problem instead of going in with assumptions and strong feelings. I feel this could be used in a storytime, but I wish there was more to it. The simplified illustrations added to the simplified text. My biggest feeling is that there are other stories that can do the same thing, however the silliness and simpleness to this story may be popular for some. I really recommend getting a chance to read a copy before making a decision because I feel this book works better for some than others.

Somewhere in the Bayou is a picturebook written and illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey. When four swamp creatures looking to cross a river come upon a log that would allow for precisely that, they can’t believe their luck. But a questionable tail adjacent to that log gives them second thoughts. Opossum believes it’s a sneaky tail and that they must pass it quietly. Squirrel thinks it’s a scary tail that can be cowed by intimidation. Rabbit decides it’s a mean tail that deserves a taste of its own medicine. As the critters exhaust approaches one by one, Mouse, the smallest of the lot, observes their folly and adjusts accordingly. But is it the mouse or the tail that will defy expectations?

Somewhere in the Bayou is a stylistic picturebook about assumptions and how acting on those assumptions can end badly. The group of animals each make assumptions about the tail they see, and act on those assumptions without taking a moment to verify and problem solve together. I thought the art style fit the story very well and that the simple, solid artwork let readers focus even more on the expressive faces of the animals and overall story. I also liked that the final solution involved a kindness even though there is a bit of a dark twist in the end.

This was a cute story, with adorable illustrations. Somewhere in the Bayou will delight and intrigue young readers, with lots of opportunity to explore their deductive skills.

This was a fun story and fun illustrations. I liked the color palette and that each character's text matched the color of the animal.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley. The illustrations are welcoming and the book would be great for teaching students about predictions and inferences. However, the lead up to the conclusion could leave some more sensitive students in a difficult emotional spot..

Four rodents looking to cross a stream encounter what looks to be a tail of a much larger creature. While investigating, the friends are hit with a surprising answer to the origin of the tail.

I love the woodblock-like illustrations and the limited use of colours in this book.

The tale (yes, that’s intentional!) is quietly funny, and a little mysterious, and a wee bit chilling, but then funny all over again, and brought a grin to my face by the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and to W. W. Norton & Company for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This is a cute, funny tale about 4 animals trying to cross a stream. They find a convenient-looking log, but there's a mysterious tail lurking close by. Each animal makes their assumption about the tail as they try to move past, but mouse demonstrates the value of looking a little closer and trying to find out more.

The woodcut-style illustrations are lovely and the book is full of expressive language to engage young readers. The style is very playful, however, while the ending made me laugh as an adult, young children might be more upset. Proceed with caution, or maybe skip the "punchline" for younger or more sensitive kids.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

The illustrations were fun, this book was like a mix between Chicken Little and The Gingerbread Man. The ending made me chortle, Mouse's face was priceless. I love that Mouse was the only one of the four friends willing to try and figure out what was actually happening before trying to cross.

Join a group of friends as they try to navigate their way across the bayou.

Teaches children that what may seem like an obstacle, might just be a way to help someone out, and in turn help themselves too.

The story is cute and fun, but the ending was a bit dark. As an adult I found it kind of humorous, not sure how a child might react to it.

The art of the Pumphrey brothers is great as usual, but I can't say I loved the story. Each character had distinct personality traits that help bring the story to life. For me, though, there wasn't enough difference (too repetitive), and there wasn't enough perspective for the story's main point to hold for me.

What a delightful book this was!

Four friends have found the perfect place to cross the river, though they're a bit perplexed about the big green tail that's in the water. Is it scary, mean, or sneaky? How should they proceed?

This is a clever, well told tale with a very funny ending.

And, I LOVE the artwork with its limited color palette, and crisp edges with no outlines - woodcut prints, maybe?

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

On this particular book, I won't share to Goodreads or retailer sites, because I do not want to negatively impact the rating, as this ebook seems to have some sort of technical difficulty.

The pages had empty thought bubbles above the characters. It was hard to determine where the actual story started as everything was jumbled together. I really had no idea where the book truly began.

The text was literally all over the place, so it was a little bit hard to read this to my 6 year old. So I ended up just making up the parts of the story that we hard to figure out.

I would be happy to review another copy of the book, should the ebook glitch be worked out.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I loved this funny book about animals trying to cross the water.

Favorite quote: "I ate some strangers earlier."
The basic message is that things are not always what they seem. Except for kindness.
Wonderful small book for everyone. Especially ESL. The illustrations are simple and in muted colors suited to the bayou. Love it! My local library needs a copy, too.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from W. W. Norton & Company/Norton Young Readers via NetGalley. Thank you!