  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 08/01/2014 *Starred Review* Readers can be forgiven if they think that this lovely picture book and the 2009 Caldecott Medal winner, The House in the Night, by Susan Marie Swanson, share the same author. Of course that’s because illustrator Krommes’ artwork is so intricately powerful that it tends to dominate each title. And as fine as the art is (and it’s very fine), that’s too bad, because both texts are outstanding. Here the story is about sun and rain and the effect it has on one family’s day. The story opens with a mother hanging laundry on a line while the children play: “Cotton clouds. Morning light. / Blue on blue. White on white.” But as the farm animals look on, the sky darkens, and soon the rain is falling. The storm makes the daughter hide under her covers, pigs look on warily as streams of water rush through their pens, and the baby’s cries meld with the torrent. Then everything slows—enough so that the girl can go outside with her umbrella; enough so rain rivers turn to mud. And then, finally, there’s sun once more. The lines of text are evocative and brief, giving children the opportunity to savor the words. The scratchboard-and-watercolor pictures expand the text with their country vistas and bring the intensity of storms close to home in the family scenes, offering more to see on each reading. A joyous, pelting, dripping celebration. - Copyright 2014 Booklist. School Library Journal - 08/01/2014 PreS—A beautiful sunny day darkens as clouds gather and rain arrives. From morning till bedtime, the story follows a young family on their farm. Rhyming, spare text augments the striking scratchboard and watercolor illustrations. Round shapes and subtle warm colors create a sense of love and safety despite the storm. Rich illustrations invite close study with details such as the farmer's hat blowing off as "Clouds swell./Winds blow bolder." During the height of the storm, both child and dog huddle under the covers while the dad leads spooked horses into the barn. Only the goldfish remain unbothered as "Thunder!/Lightning!/Raging, roaring./Rain on rain on rain is pouring." Careful pacing stands out, especially as the storm slowly ends and the family and animals return outside to play in the mud and finish their day with outdoor baths for the dogs and an indoor one for the child. The combination of limited, strong text; rich illustrations; and child-centric perspective make this a strong choice for storytimes and one-on-one sharing.—Suzanne Myers Harold, formerly at Multnomah County Library System, Portland, OR - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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