Customer Reviews

Bringing The Rain to Kapiti Plain

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I really love the book "Bringing The Rain to Kapiti Plain," by Verna Aardema. I have enjoyed it so much that I am planning to give it as a gift to my sister who has two young children, ages 4 and 7. This is a simple story about a cattle herdsman and his wish for rain on the African plain. The narrative structure of the story is based on a sequence of events that builds suspense and interest in children until the end of the story. This is a memorable story; it is very simple to understand and has a powerful musical quality that, as a young adult, I enjoy reading aloud. The rhymes and rhythms are so strong that all young children will be wide eyed with suspense and interest until the very end of the story. I particularly enjoyed one line where the author rhymes "fat" and "Ki-pat": "So the grass grew green/ And the cattle fat!/ And Ki-pat got a wife/ And a little Ki-pat-." This story is suitable for young children because its tone is happy. It deals with the relationship of humans with water, plants and animals. Scientifically, it is unconceivable, but 4- to 8-year-old children do not have to understand the facts of science. From this book, however, they will learn about the connection between humans and nature by enjoying the colored pictures. The pictures are so vibrant that it is easy to imagine the world of Ki-pat. As an adult, I enjoy this book because it describes the cycle of life in a very interesting way. Readers of all ages will see that human life is totally dependent upon nature, and the existence of human beings without nature is nearly impossible. Readers will also learn how the lives of humans and animals are dependent on rain; people and animals need each other and every part of nature for their perfect existence. I highly recommend Verna Aardema's "Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain" to anyone who has young children and is looking for a book that illustrates the relationship between nature and human beings. The colorful, detailed pictures will keep the children interested while they are learning about the connection between nature and human beings.

The PBS show "Reading Rainbow" featured this book; James Earl Jones read it; I fell in love with it and have been giving it as a gift to friends ever since. The gentle story unfolds line by line, with a tender rhythm that entrances: "These are the cows, all hungry and dry, Who mooed for the rain to fall from the sky..." Ultimately Ki-pat, who's watching his herd, brings rain to Kapiti Plain by launching an arrow into the sky. But the charm is in the telling. My 11-year-old still obliges me and lets me read it to him every once in a while.

I bought this book after having it recommended while taking a graduate level children's literature class. I was not disappointed! I grabbed this book to read aloud if I had extra time while substitute teaching for a kindergarten class. I thought the children would be more attracted to the rhyme and pattern of the words so imagine my surprise when the book sparked a lengthy discussion between 5 year olds about drought, Africa, animals, and culture! It prompted questions that I didn't even know they were capable of asking and had them making connections to weather in our own backyard and stories they heard on the news. This book is a reading, social studies, and science lesson in one!

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain reinforces a skill so important in Reading-sequencing of events. Sequencing of events aids in comprehension, another important skill in Reading. This story is the most fun when you buy the tape with narration by James Earl Jones.

I was just looking for it today (unsuccessfully), even though I'm thirteen. I love looking back on all those picture/rhyme books, and this has to be one of my favorites. It's one of those books that is meant to be read aloud! The words roll off your tounge. The pictures are rather amusing, too.

This memorable story has a strong, musical quality that children and adults will enjoy hearing read out loud. The rhymes and rhythm are strong enough that the listener can anticipate the words and be a "reader" simply by listening to the music of this story. It also touches on the relationship between water, plants, animals and humans without being self-conciously scientific. This is a beautiful book that I've read out loud to a classoom of four year olds and a classoom of eight year olds - it engaged them all.

A very nicely illustrated retelling of a traditional Kenyan folktale, altered to fit the British style of cumulative nursery rhymes, reminiscent of "The House that Jack Built." The illustrations are evocative of African artwork, and unlike many children's books that tell folktales, this one omits the near-obligatory animism and spiritism that permeates tribal cultures. However, it also doesn't have the literary form of most traditional tales. The tale of a shepherd shooting a hole in the clouds to water his herd is lighthearted in its delivery, but it also conveys on a child's level the trouble that dry seasons can bring to a subsistence agrarian community. This is good for children who grew up in a wealthy industrialized society where clean water is available at the turn of the tap. Stories like this one may begin to open their understanding to the fact that other people do not have access to the resources they take for granted.

This book in flowing poetry describes the cycle of life in an unusual way. It captures the attention of children of all ages and holds it until the very end. People of all ages will learn how the rain keeps the cycles of life gowing and how we depend on it for more than we know. The colorful illistrations depict the story beautifully and in great detail. Extremely reasonably priced for a book of such continued enjoyment

One day at the library, my wife came across this book and my 2-year-old loved it so much, he wanted her to read it to him every night. She had to check it out often, though. It was probably because "Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain" was so interesting and kept him busy looking at the pictures of this book. My son is now 11 years old and he still enjoys his mom reading it to him. Now my son read it to his 5 year old brother and he also enjoys it a lot. I highly recommend this book to any age. I hope you enjoy the book "Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain".

The beautiful illustrations and repetitive, rhythmic language alone make this one a great read aloud in any classroom. At times, classes of mine have started to clap along with the story's cadence. The book tells the story of a cattle herdsman hoping for rain on the African Plain. In doing so, it speaks to life cycles and the interdependency of all living things. I have used this book to introduce not only life cycle lessons, but also to open up discussions on global warming and the consequences of drought. We've also discussed animal habitats. I've used this book in Social Studies as well. We've used the book to discuss the differences in cultures around the world as well as natural resources. It's a great read in the classroom and home!

Chris Bowen
Author of, "Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom"
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