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Summary
Summary
From the sheeting downpour of a city rainstorm to the soft drops that filter through a forest's canopy, this is an exploration of all that is beautiful about the rain. A man on his way home from work watches the streaks run their way across the train window. Children playing in the woods search for baby fish in the falling drops they catch in their hands. A woman wakes from an afternoon snooze and is inspired by the wet flowers and by the water bouncing off the sidewalk to open her long-dry box of watercolors. Michael Laser's mild text and Jeffrey Greene's detail-rich pastels masterfully evoke the easy, contented sense of a damp afternoon.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3When a gentle autumn rain simultaneously falls in the city, the town, and the forest, it touches the lives of two men, a woman, and two children. Upon seeing an elderly gent celebrating the rain, a commuter forgets his rush and rediscovers a forgotten childhood memory. In town, the woman is inspired to paint a picture of a neighbor's house. All the while, the young boy and his sister play in a wood. When these characters come together, the man shares his reminiscence with his family, his wife shows everyone her painting, and the children tell about their afternoon. Meanwhile, the old man sits over a lonely bowl of soup and ponders the beauty of the storm. Laser's low-key look at one of the gifts of nature is the perfect antidote to the weather-hysteria of local TV news. Each character finds pleasure and a moment of time in which to enjoy it. Greene's fine pastel illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to the poetic text. A warm palette of earth tones emphasizes the season and reflects the quiet tone of the story. With unique overhead perspectives, the artist reveals the expansiveness of nature and the smallness of human encroachment upon it. The book's meditative ambiance makes it a good choice for one-on-one sharing, but it may be a bit slow for group readings.Jeanne Clancy Watkins, Upper Merion Township Library, King of Prussia, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
With a style almost as peaceful and steadily rhythmic as the autumn shower he lauds, Laser (Children's Rules for Parents) conveys an infectious exultation in a sudden rainfall. "The rain fell on the city, the town, and the forest," he begins, and introduces various characters who are rained upon: a commuter in a green raincoat, a teacher grading homework, two children playing in the woods and an old man who "smile[s] up into the falling raindrops," reveling in the sensation. One by one, each character adopts the old man's celebratory mood, and in a surprise conclusion, all but the old man are revealed to be members of the same family. Greene's (Shadow Play) crisply lined and detailed pastels convey a sense of tranquil freshness in both the crowded city and the New England countryside. Their unpretentious realism provides a strong counterpoint to the misty topic, and the reverent calm of his rain-soaked subjects underscores Laser's message that pleasure can be found in the most ordinary occurrences. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Autumn rain falls on a man on his city commute; it inspires a woman in a nearby town to paint; it offers a playful forest romp for a curious brother and sister. The characters, who are actually a family, finally convene at home. The understated text uses sensory imagery; rich pastels, with interesting perspectives, capture the look of a rainy world. From HORN BOOK 1997, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Ages 5^-8. The universality and wonder of a rainfall is captured in this poetic book about an ordinary event. Five people experience the rain. An elderly man takes off his glasses and discovers how different everything looks in the rain. A man on the train remembers getting caught in a rainstorm as a child, while a woman at home gets out her watercolors. Two children walking through a forest throw pinecones and watch raindrops on a pond. Four of the five people are a family and gather in one of the last illustrations, drenched and laughing about the rain. The elderly man, seen from his apartment window, thinks, "No matter what happens . . . rain still makes a beautiful sound." Evocatively and handsomely illustrated, this is a book that is not only unusual in its omniscient point of view and alternating perspective but also joyful in its appreciation of nature. --Shelley Townsend-Hudson
