When rain comes to the parched African savanna, the animals use all their senses to track the storm. The porcupine smells rain in the air. The zebras see lightning. The baboons hear thunder. The rhino feels the first drops. And the lion tastes the cool water. For a time, the grasslands abound with new green leaves, juicy fruits, and fresh pools of water. But soon the hot sun dries out the land, and the animals must again wait for the next big rain.
Manya Stojic's picture book debut is as satisfying and refreshing as the rain she describes. With paintings that are exuberant and saturated with color and a simple text that rolls off the tongue with pleasure and ease, here is a book parents and teachers will enjoy sharing again and again.
When rain comes to the parched African savanna, the animals use all their senses to track the storm. The porcupine smells rain in the air. The zebras see lightning. The baboons hear thunder. The rhino feels the first drops. And the lion tastes the cool water. For a time, the grasslands abound with new green leaves, juicy fruits, and fresh pools of water. But soon the hot sun dries out the land, and the animals must again wait for the next big rain.
Manya Stojic's picture book debut is as satisfying and refreshing as the rain she describes. With paintings that are exuberant and saturated with color and a simple text that rolls off the tongue with pleasure and ease, here is a book parents and teachers will enjoy sharing again and again.
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Children's Literature - Children's Literature
Brief, simple, repetitive phrases printed in a large, bold, sans serif black typeface proclaim the importance of rain to the animals of the African plains. The word spreads as the porcupine smells the coming rain, the zebras see it, the baboons hear it, the rhino feels it, and the lion tastes it as it arrives. Each animal takes its own pleasure in the aftermath of the rain, until the soil is dry and the wait for rain begins again. The double pages are flooded with color, intense colors that contrast a blue sky with flaring yellows springing from glowing red-orange. Parts of the animals are rendered almost crudely with swishy brush strokes left unblended. The intent is to stir raw emotion, to get the reader to empathize with the animals' craving for rain and their joy in its arrival. 2000, Crown Publishers Inc./Random House, Ages 3 to 8, $17.99 and $15.95. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia MarantzChildren's Literature
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2-In this impressive debut, Stojic's exquisite blend of word and picture transports readers to the African savanna before, during, and after a soaking rain. The soil is hot, dry, and cracked, but the animals sense rain is coming. The porcupine SMELLS it. The zebras SEE the lightning flash. The baboons HEAR the thunder. The rhino FEELS the first drops. And the lion TASTES the life-giving liquid. Each animal passes on its prediction of rain, and along with the gathering signs of its much-longed-for arrival, the words, too, gather in a delightfully cumulative text. Heat seems to radiate from the page via Stojic's bold splashes of bright yellow and red-orange paint. When the relieving rain falls, the text, superimposed on a spread of various shades of blue with brush strokes going in every direction, increases in size with the increase of water, until "every river gushed and gurgled-every water hole was full." The rain brings forth lush vegetation, and readers are treated to close-up views of the animals enjoying leafy shade, "squelchy mud," "juicy fruit," and "a refreshing drink." And while the animals are certain the rain will come again "when it's time," the story comes full circle as the sun once more beats down on the parched earth, drying it out and cracking it. The brilliant double-page spreads, the play on the five senses, and a text that invites participation make this one trip to Africa you can't afford to miss!-Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
Kirkus Reviews
An evocative depiction of the rain cycle in the African savannah marks Stojic's debut as writer and illustrator. Each page is filled with color, movement, and an impressionistic view of the African landscape. Brush strokes seem to leap off the page, and the representation of thunder, lightening, heat, and sunshine are visually exciting. Closeup drawings of the lion's large head, the porcupine's spiky bristles, and the zebra's black and white face contrasted with its pink tongue, fill the pages along with giant lettering. The story begins as the dry season is ending. Each animal reacts to a sensory perception of the coming rainy season and tells another in cumulative style. Animals hear and see and taste and feel the rain. After it comes, they can't feel and taste and hear it, but they can enjoy the benefits it brings. Then the cycle repeats. Stojic emphasizes action verbs, enlarged within the already oversized text. Water gushes and gurgles; mud is "cool, soft and squelchy." The largesize text and colorful illustrations make this a good title for readaloud and its predictive, repetitive text lends itself to group participation and discussion. A delightful title from a talented newcomer. (Picture book. 36)
From the Publisher
"...[an] impressive debut...The brillant double-page spreads, the play on the five senses, and a text that invites participation make this one trip to Africa youcan't afford to miss!"
-School Library Journal, starred review"A delightful title from a talented newcomer."
-Kirkus Reviews
"Stojic brings a deliciously heightened sensuality to her interpretation of savannah life."
-Publishers Weekly
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