From Publishers Weekly
Faltering rhythm and a strained rhyme scheme trip up Burke's debut book, set in a timeless, western town in the midst of a summer drought. "It hadn't been raining for one hundred days,/ People were sweltering in the sun's rays./ The trees looked so tired; the flowers seemed sad,/ They all needed water, and needed it bad." Two friends meet up with Kathryn Claire, who shows the girls her lightning bug in a jar. When her "pet" lights up after sunset, the girls decide that something is missing: "I think we can teach him so he'll understand/ That thunder and lightning should go hand-in-hand.' " The trio begins to jump, whoop and holler; they seem more concerned with creating thunder for the bug's benefit than with attracting rain for the town, yet the much-needed rain arrives. Adding substance to the slight verse, McGraw's (Love You Forever) full-spread paintings move from the realistic to the surrealistic, as the bug's light gives these sleepy, eerily deserted sidewalks?and the girls' faces?a luminous, golden glow and oversized raindrops fall from the sky. Her pictures of a town to rival Pleasantville begin with an aerial view, then plunge readers into the heat with a Hopper-esque view of a man hanging out of a corner hotel window to catch even a hint of a breeze. Unfortunately, McGraw's evocative images can't make up for a text with little spark. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-In this rhyming picture book, three girls and a lightning bug end a drought in a small town. "Molly Elizabeth and Zoey Ray,/(Girls who were best friends in every which way)" meet Kathryn Claire, who shows them a jar with an insect inside. After darkness falls, the lightning bug does its thing and the girls decide to teach it about thunder. They jump around on the road, making their own thunder, while the bug responds with its own "lightning," glowing brightly enough to light up the town. These activities magically bring on a real rainstorm that lasts for days. Strong rhythm keeps the couplets lively, though occasional lines are awkward: "Then Zoey said, 'Molly, you see what I see?/That lightning bug there don't know what thunder be!'" The idea that a tiny lightning bug could bring on a rainstorm is intriguing, and young listeners may enjoy the magical ending. However, the narrative lacks resonance and immediacy in part because of the rigid rhyme scheme. The events are interesting enough, but not especially memorable or exciting. The illustrations feature neat contrasts, as bright tan daytime tones gradually give way to the deeper blues of evening. They lend some liveliness, but not enough to make this more than a mildly pleasing tale.
Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library,
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library,
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
