Discover the joys of a wild rainstorm in this poetic picture book, illustrated by a Caldecott Medalist.
Join a farming family as they experience the full range of a thrilling seaside thunderstorm--from the wild wind and the very first drops; to the pouring, pouring rain; to the wonderful messy mud after the sun returns!
With gentle, rhyming text and vivid artwork from a Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator, this sublime depiction of nature's patterns turns a storm into a celebration.
White clouds freckle the blue sky. Darkness and showers move in. Carried away by the wind, the storm passes and reveals the sunset. Night begins with the soft moonlight. The sky is at peace. In her expression of love for rainstorms, White effortlessly captures an ordinary day with a few, carefully-selected words. The wonder of a nature is illuminated by velvety alliteration and rhyme, leaving readers young and old longing to hear the simplicity of a cloudburst captured on paper once again. Readers will be in awe of the detail residing in Krommes' rainbow of scratchboard and watercolor illustrations. Her stunning and meticulous visuals fully complement the text. Jump inside the pages, take a good look around, and visit the family, farm, and animals which dwell within. This book is a composition of lyrics and art best read aloud. --Library Media Connection
Centered on a whitewashed New England farmhouse and the fields and ocean that surround it, Krommes's nostalgic scratchboard and watercolor spreads bring newcomer White's clipped verse to life. The morning is fine, and the farmer's daughter jumps rope while her mother hangs the wash. But a thunderstorm is coming: huge black clouds pile up as wind gusts drive leaves airborne: "Thunder! Lightning!/ Raging, roaring./ Rain on rain on rain is pouring." Caldecott Medalist Krommes (The House in the Night) shows the girl and her dog hiding under the bedclothes; the girl's mother puts her baking aside to comfort the baby. When the worst is over ("Winds shift. Drops drip"), the girl plays in the mud, then helps her father bathe the family dogs as the sun sets. "Glitter stars, twinkling light" views the house from down low, the surrounding wildflowers appearing to dance amid the stars. White's graceful pacing spreads the energy of the storm across the arc of the story, while Krommes's primitive folk art gives a sense of the rhythms of life and nature that recur from season to season, year to year. Ages 5-8. --Publishers Weekly, *STARRED REVIEW
Dianne White lives in Gilbert, Arizona, with her family. She is the author of Who Eats Orange?, Blue on Blue, Green on Green, Dark on Light, and It's Your Time to Shine.
Beth Krommes received the Caldecott Medal for The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson. She lives with her family in Peterborough, New Hampshire.
Target Age 5-8
Beach Lane Books
Pub Date: December 09, 2014
0.4" H x 11.8" L x 8.9" W
48 pages
hardcover