Elsina's Clouds

Publishers Weekly

Winter's small-format book about the Basotho women of southern Africa who paint their houses to bring rain has an intriguing premise, but generally lacks the warmth and passion of her My Name Is Georgia or her artwork for Day of the Dead. Elsina, the child narrator, begins somberly: "Blue. Only blue and the sun.... Mama's field has died. Papa's goats starve. Where are the rain clouds to cover the sun?" Often divided into multiple images on panels and squares, the illustrations depict Elsina dreaming of "big black clouds full of rain." Busy borders in high-contrast colors and complicated geometric patterns tend to distract from or overwhelm the interior paintings, which are also dotted with dialogue balloons and thought bubbles. Rendered in a na ve style, the compositions are somewhat flat, and all the panels, patterns and text compete for readers' attention. Rain arrives only after Elsina paints the room addition her father makes for a new baby, and her mother announces that in the future Elsina must paint the whole house because "The ancestors hear you, Elsina." A closing image features a sorghum field above which floats a rainbow, clouds and four people with the words, "The ancestors listen." Young American readers may be mystified by why the mother's paintings don't work and Elsina's do. Ironically, it's the pictures of the welcome rainstorms that look scary, and the scenes of the oppressive heat that look most appealing. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

This culturally inspiring book is a tribute to the Basotho women in southern Africa who have decorated the walls of their houses as prayers for rain. Not having seen rain for so long, a young girl dreams of rain and clouds. She does so because she wants to paint their house as her mother did, beckoning their ancestors. It does not rain but Papa adds a room for the new baby coming, so Elsina can paint the pictures in her head. All day she passionately paints images in her mind, including sun and mountains, moon and stars. Days go by without the hope of rain until, finally, dark clouds cover the sun. Rain fills the fields and the paint washes away. Day after day raindrops continue until one the sun comes out again. The sorghum field blossoms and the animals grow fat and all winter the sky is blue. Elsina paints her designs with the entire house as her canvas. The ancestors listen and the cycle of life continues. 2004, Frances Foster Books, Ages 7 to 10.
—Michele Wilbur

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3-An author's note explains that the Basotho women of southern Africa decorate the outside of their homes with designs that serve as prayers to their ancestors for rain. As this story begins, the weather has been dry for so long that young Elsina cannot even remember clouds. "Mama's field has died" and "Papa's goats starve." The girl asks when she can try painting, and her mother tells her, "When the rains come and wash away my designs, Elsina. Then you can paint the walls." Then Papa builds an addition onto the house for the new baby Mama is expecting, and Elsina is allowed to decorate the new walls. Finally, the ancestors hear their prayers and it begins to rain, washing away all of the designs. When the rain stops, the girl once again adorns the addition with pictures. With its universal theme of waiting and its bright colors and geometric patterns, this heartwarming book is reminiscent of Winter's My Baby (Farrar, 2001). The artwork is simple and sweet. Each illustration is contained within a square and bordered by a typical African geometric design. The text is placed within colorful dialogue bubbles and rectangles. Pair this offering with similar titles that provide glimpses into different cultures and climates, including Uma Krishnaswami's Monsoon (Farrar, 2003), Katrina Germein's Big Rain Coming (Clarion, 2000), and Karen Hesse's Come on, Rain! (Scholastic, 1999).-Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A small, intense, original tale that links art, faith, and natural cycles. The women of South Africa's rural Besotho people paint bright designs on their houses in silent prayer to their ancestors for rain. In the midst of a long drought, young Elsina's plea to be allowed to paint over her mothers patterns is gently rejected, as rain is supposed to wash the house clean first. Then a new baby, and a new room added to the house, gives Elsina her chance. In Winter's small, controlled illustrations, Elsina's careful scenes of clouds and crops differ from, but harmonize beautifully with, her mother's abstract geometrical designs. And, in time, the rains return, earning Elsina permission to paint-and repaint, as seasons pass-the entire dwelling. "We live in plenty," she concludes. "The ancestors listen." Like the child in Catherine Stock's Gugu's House (2001), or Patricia Markun's Little Painter of Saba-a Grande (1993), Elsina is both allowed to express her artistic talent, and respected by her elders for it-wisdom in any society. (Picture book. 7-9)