From Publishers Weekly
The text and art of this striking picture book seem at odds, but only at first glance. Martin and Archambault's rhythmical and onomatopoetic language playfully describes the sound of rainfrom the beginning "slow soft sprinkle, / the drip-drop tinkle" to the "dripping dripping dropping / the slowly slowly stopping / the fresh / wet / silent / after-time / of rain." The paintings, on the other hand, do not offer verisimilitude but contain instead a series of arresting, stylized images. The "thunder-crashing / sounding pounding roaring rain," for example, is illustrated by a forked curve of lightning with a single claw and feather against a storm-pink sky. The juxtaposition of melody and delicate, almost abstract designs offers children new ways of listening and seeing. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2 Martin and Archambault have teamed up to create another lyrical bookthis time a rhyming story about rain. The book is brief, yet each page is so much fun to read that children won't feel shortchanged. Endicott's double-page watercolors in hues of blue and red capture both the quiet and the angry moods of a rain. His portrayal of ``the lightning-flashing/ thunder-crashing/ sounding pounding roaring rain'' is elegant in its simplicitya thunderbolt, a falling leaf, and a large claw are drawn against a pink-hued wash. Creative children will love these illustrations. Although the artwork is a perfect complement to the text, the authors' lyrical words can stand alone and probably will be memorized by many children who will be fascinated by the sounds and inner rhyme scheme. The words literally roll off the tongue: ``Listen to the quietude,/ the silence and the solitude/ of after-rain,/ the dripping dripping dropping/ the slowly slowly stopping/ the fresh/ wet/ silent/ after-time/ of rain.'' A book that parents, teachers, and children will read again and again and again. Barbara S. McGinn, Oak Hill Elementary School, Severna Park, Md
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
