A rain storm in summer. Krommes' illustrations are vibrant as always. The text features a lot of rhyming, alliteration, and onomatopoeias to evoke the experience of a summer rain storm rather than a narrative.

A young girl and her family experience the thrills of a summer thunderstorm at their seaside farm. Concise rhyming verse and detailed watercolor illustrations capture the energy of the storm and the warmth of family.

Sweet poem about a rainy day, with wonderful artwork. ( )

This book depicts the approach, duration, and resolution of a summer storm. The phenomenal and striking illustrations are rendered in scratchboard and watercolor. This book has very striking details, a simple story line, and uses basic language and rhyme in order to draw in the attention and focus of young readers. The plot spans for one day, also teaching young readers about the passage of time, from morning until night. The book ends, "Moon rises. Golden glow. Glitter stars, twinkling light. Black on gold...on silver night." Very nice lyrical writing.

This beautifully illustrated picture book portrays an ordinary stormy, rainy day in the country that looks wonderfully extraordinary. The scratchboard illustrations with added watercolor paint by 2009 Caldecott Medal winner, Beth Krommes, are the real stars here. With repetitive, spare, dreamy words and illustrations we see a day unfolding--wash being hung on the line, fields being plowed, pigs rolling in the mud, loud thunder, drips dripping, umbrellas up, rain suddenly stopping and finally the sunshine. The two-page visual spreads are breath-taking, especially the final spread of a breaching whale “on a silver night.” This is a magnificent picture book for sharing one-on-one with your preschooler or budding young artist.

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

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