The Rhythm of the Rain

Product Information

The first time I saw images from picture book The Rhythm of the Rain I was so completely entranced by them that I just had to request this book to review. Baker-Smith explores the global life cycle of water and weather, reminding children that small actions and experiences are always a vital part of the bigger picture; that we all belong to the world, as much as a drop of rain, a blue whale and the ocean itself. However The Rhythm of the Rain, takes this traditional water cycle theory and takes it to another more emotional, more real and more beautiful level.

Rhythm of the Rain | Book reviews | RGfE - Reading Groups The Rhythm of the Rain | Book reviews | RGfE - Reading Groups

Grahame Baker-Smith shows the water cycle in a calm, idyllic way through double page spreads of graceful illustrations. We meet Isaac as he plays by a mountain pool; the rain falls and the water flows out of the pool to become a stream then a river. The river, still containing Isaac’s pot of water, flows through the countryside and the city and into the ocean, where a whale rises and blows a fountain of water into the night, which rains back onto the sea. He throws water from a jam jar into the stream and thus we’re taken on the truyly epic journey of water. Interested in the path the water and rain will take, he drops in a jar (I loved this touch which made more sense than a boat, I think - this isn't just about 'us') and decides to follow it on its journey as far as he can.The story shows how we are all linked by water and provides a more emotional and real approach to the water cycle. Expansive double page spreads overflowing with rich saturated colours draw the reader into the landscape.

The Rhythm of the Rain | BookTrust The Rhythm of the Rain | BookTrust

The Afrikaans translation utilises the Afrikaans idiom and soundscape to suit the nature of the book accurately. A boy, Issac, empties his jar of water into a pool near his home and wonders what happens to this water. It’s like we’re finding out where it goes next so we can report back to Isaac when we see him again. At the same time, this picture book is perfect to teach about the water cycle, both in the classroom or when homeschooling. When he can go no longer, the narrator sweeps us past ice and ocean, up into the air again, past parched villages, back into the sea, the air until we arrive back to the very spot where we left Isaac.

An overview of the importance of water and one small part being part of a large important element to our planet. The main character pours water from a bottle into a stream and we go on a journey with the water from a little stream, to the ocean, to the clouds, to the ground.

Rhythm of the Rain | Centre for Literacy in Primary Education The Rhythm of the Rain | Centre for Literacy in Primary Education

It's hard not to be impressed with the digital images in this picture book by an artist from the United Kingdom. This is a 5/5 star picture book that keeps students interested while following a jar of water throughout the different destinations of the world.This picture book is perfect for the science classroom setting because it is a perfect book to explain not only how all water is connected somehow, but how what we throw in the water can end up on the opposite ends of the Earth, and to be mindful of the environment. Science teachers would do well to add it to their classroom collection as it evokes a sense of majesty and awe on the part of readers.

Rhythm of the Rain : Baker-Smith, Grahame, Baker-Smith The Rhythm of the Rain : Baker-Smith, Grahame, Baker-Smith

The subtle personification of nature that is woven throughout the text really complements the illustrations, it brings nature to life. It teaches about the rhythms of live and the water cycle in a powerfully evocative and meaningful way.

Tijdens het spelen begint het te regenen, hij giet een glazen pot gevuld met een visje en water leeg in de waterplas en probeert de weg van het water te volgen. This is an incredibly beautiful depiction of the water cycle and its importance to life on this planet. In fact I’m sat here now moaning to my other half about how I start writing this blog, because I’m so bursting with love for the book that all my words are pouring out onto the page in an over-excitable babble! The Rhythm of the Rain take non-fiction to another level, by injecting heart and emotion and scale into a very science and nature based theme and it really works so beautifully. The is a beautifully illustrated book that puts the water cycle into an imaginative journey as Isaac follows the course of water.