From School Library Journal
PreS—As a child watches her mother collect daffodils on a windy spring day, she nervously plies her with questions about the impending rainstorm. Mother's reassuring, rhymed replies identify the "wind in the treetops"…[that] "calls the raindrops to come out and play," the "rumble of thunder," then lightning. She responds to her child's concern for the safety of turtles, ducks, chipmunks, and birds that live outside. Finally, mother and daughter, now safe in their house, crawl into a comfy chair near a window and cuddle up together: "But for now, let's just watch./It's a wonder to see./I am so glad I have you to share it with me." The child's questions are printed in large roman type; the mother's responses appear beneath in smaller italics. There is a softness to Gaber's acrylic paintings, and visible brushstrokes of color upon color create a textured wood floor, gauzy sheer curtains over window frames, and white sheets of falling rain. This mother's responses—both verbal and physical—provide soothing comfort during a natural phenomenon that is feared by many little ones, much as Grandma in Patricia Polacco's
Thunder Cake (Philomel, 1990) assuages her granddaughter's fear by involving her in an activity that requires both concentration and bravery.—
Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
*Starred Review* Out on a hillside as a storm moves in, a young girl and her mother observe the raindrops falling, the thunder rumbling, and the lightning flashing. As they approach their house, the girl asks where the turtles, chipmunks, and birds go during a storm and her mother explains. Indoors, they settle down in a chair together to watch the rain fall. The text creates a natural-sounding rhythm and flow of dialogue, from childlike questions and fears to grown-up answers and reassurances. Providing a light narrative framework and a breezily conversational, yet poetic exchange, the verse likens the girl and her mother to the animals sheltering, safe and snug, from the storm. Gaber’s captivating artwork, combining watercolor, pencil, and charcoal with digital renderings, is simultaneously strong and delicate. From the impressionistic pictures of clouds and rain to the cutaway view showing the chipmunks underground to the cozy indoor scenes, the range of subjects and approaches is broad, but they are unified by style, palette, and a lyrical sense of flowing lines and forms. Lovely to look at and pleasing to listen to, this is just right for reading aloud on a rainy day. Preschool-Grade 2. --Carolyn Phelan
