Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
Raindrops set off a chain reaction of temper tantrums, but a sudden break in the clouds makes the bad moods melt. A series of isolated vignettes begins with a noisy, muddy dog that aggravates its owner, so "the man yelled at the dog and woke up the baby.... The dog barked louder. And still, the rain came down." Outside, a taxi driver beeps at a stopped truck, and in the next frame, the truck driver argues back. One by one, shop owners collide with pedestrians as tension accumulates, all to the refrain, "And still, the rain came down." After this series of intense close-ups, Shannon (No, David!) gives a bird's-eye view of the whole scene: small-town storefronts, bumper-to-bumper traffic and irritable people. But in the next spread, he swings down to street level and captures the moment that "the rain stopped! And so did the noise." The sunshine changes everything, and a second sequence of highly detailed paintings revisits each of the now-cooperative characters. Shannon expertly uses vertiginous angles as he builds suspense, then calms things down with a set of subdued portraits and a view of a quiet afternoon picnic. However, unlike Charlotte Zolotow's similarly conceived The Quarreling Book, which took a child's point of view, here the action is primarily among adults and may not hold readers' attention for repeated readings. Ages 3-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
The vibrant illustrations make memorable characters come to life in this charming picture book by Caldecott Honor artist, David Shannon. Children will be delighted with the story that begins when a drop of rain falls on the chicken and ruins his day. Soon, grumpiness becomes contagious all across the town, from the taxi driver to the painter to the barber to the policeman, and the town is in an uproar. Traffic jams, falling fruit, honking horns and barking dogs set the stage for the next predictable event. The rain stops and along with it the noise and the bickering town folk. The sunshine brings sweetness and fresh air and a rainbow back to the town, and puts smiles back on the peoples' faces. 2000, Blue Sky Press, $15.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Sue Reichard
From The Critics
When the rain begins to fall on a Saturday morning, a rather commonplace chain of events evolves into an oversized traffic jam encompassing many cranky, angry, even furious folks. From the squawking chickens, yowling cat, barking dog and crying baby through the bickering shop-owners, truck and taxi drivers, the gloom of the rain spreads its discontent. But when it stops, the sunshine brings, along with a rainbow, a return to the normal, pleasant cooperation among all those who were upset, and a delicious happiness to the family where the story's focus began. Realistic though the frictions may be, artist David Shannon makes sure that we can't take them too seriously. From the cover scene of near panic among some awestruck hens as the rain begins, to the fractious family and the puzzled policeman blocking traffic, the pictures depict each upset with humor. Shannon not only provides all the local details of a neighborhood but he adds such touches as a TV baseball game being rained out and, perhaps in homage to Make Way for Ducklings, a family of ducks using the clogged traffic to cross the street in safety. The single and double page paintings crowd the borders with sculpturesque people and equally solid vehicles in theatrical settings. In the contrast between the beginning, when the rain keeps coming down and all is frenetic, and the calm that descends when the rain ends, the diagonals of anger become the static horizontals and verticals of neighborly peace. 2000, Blue Sky Press/Scholastic, $15.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz — The Five Owls, September/October 2000 (Vol. 15 No. 1)
School Library Journal
K-Gr 3-This deceptively simple story showcases Shannon's quirky humor and offbeat illustrations. A summer storm provokes a series of unpleasant interactions. From the chickens, cat, and dog whose squabbling results in a man yelling and waking the baby to an altercation between shopkeepers and an eventual traffic tie-up, the rain sets off a chain reaction of misunderstandings, mishaps, and messes. Yet when the rain suddenly stops and a rainbow appears, folks find ways to mend fences and make the best of things. Engaging details and intersecting events make this story work. Shannon's writing flows well, creating a sense of inevitability as the action snowballs. The accompanying paintings have a vaguely retro look, with characters clothed in `50s-style apparel. Each character, however briefly introduced or described, has a distinct personality, although none have names. Teachers and parents could use this book to discuss sequencing, weather, manners, or even community helpers, but kids will just enjoy it as a fun story cheerfully told and amusingly illustrated.-Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The squabbles caused by a brief shower on a busy street turn to smiles under the ensuing rainbow in this picture-book mini-drama from the author of No, David! (1998). Plunked by the first few drops, some chickens squawk, exciting a cat whose yowls make a dog bark, which makes a man yell, which wakes up a baby . . . and so on, until traffic is jammed, horns are honking, store owners are out on the sidewalk bickering, and an awkward shopper knocks over a fruit stand. Then the rain stops, the sun comes out, bringing a rainbow, and just like that everyone's annoyance melts away and life is sweeter. Using a bright palette and making small details and facial expressions stand out, Shannon creates a gleaming, rain-washed neighborhood of gently caricatured residents, all of whom fall into conventional gender roles but convey the episode's moods, changeable as the weather, with theatrical flair. Broader, perhaps, but less refreshing in the end than Karen Hesse's lyrical Come On, Rain! (1999). Save it for a rainy day. (Picture book. 5-7)
