The snow is melting, leaving behind water and more water. It’s the perfect time of year for three new books from Minneapolis children’s author Laura Purdie Salas, all connected by water. They are: “Zap! Clap! Boom!,” “Finding Family: The Duckling Raised by Loons,” and a board book, “Puddle Song!”

Purdie Salas, who’s written more than 130 books for the kiddos, will launch her new trio at a spring storytime at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 1, at Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Ave., St. Paul. She promises “singing, storming, moving and reading.” After the program, she will sign books. Here’s a peek inside their covers.

“Zap! Clap! Boom!” >> This dynamic introduction to weather focuses on the life cycle of a thunderstorm that begins “no rain yet. It’s just a threat -/ a rising cloud, a towering plume, then… ” The text follows as the weather changes from a blue-sky day to a brewing storm, a dazzling downpour and the moment when the sky emits a Zap! Clap! Boom!. Critics are loving this book, with Kirkus calling it “a crashnig success.” Booklist’s starred review praised its “fluid, rhyming text.” The Horn Book and School Library Journal applauded the text as perfect for reading aloud.

“Finding Family: The Duckling Raised by Loons” >> On a lake in northern Wisconsin in 2019, loon researchers were surprised to discover a mother and father loon caring for a mallard duckling. Normally, loons and mallards live very different lives and don’t get along. This pair’s behavior inspired Purdie Salas’ story about how the orphaned duckling grows and displays a mix of both loon and mallard behaviors.

“Puddle Song” >> A board book celebration of play and puddles, an invitation to spring water, a joyous call answered by various kids and creatures. School Library Journal’s starred review calls the book a “…divine glimpse of children” and an “…ode to childhood’s passion of viewing a silky surface and destroying it.”

A former teacher, Purdie Salas believes reading small picture books and poems can have a huge impact on a child’s life. Among her books are “Atter BookSpeak!: Poems About Books,” winner of a Minnesota Book Award, as well as “Lion of the Sky,” (Kirkus Best Books and Parents Magazine Best Books of the year), and “In the Middle of the Night.”

Registration is not required for the Red Balloon program, but the store invites attendees to register so they can estimate the size of the audience. Registration is open until 8:30 a.m. April 1. For information go to redballoonbookshop.com/event/laura-purdie-salas-spring-storytime.