The Rain Stomper

by Addie Boswell, Eric Velasquez (Illustrator)

Overview

Today is the day of the big neighborhood parade. Baton twirler Jazmin is ready to lead the way for the dogs and kids, music and fun. But then the clouds crowd in. The sky darkens. Thunder roars. And the rain begins. SLAP clatter clatter SLAP SLAP! Is Jazmin’s parade ruined? Or can she use her spirit, her fearless energy, and her mighty baton to save the day? Award-winning illustrator Eric Velasquez’s artwork in oil paint on watercolor paper is a perfect complement to debut author Addie Boswell’s lyrical, rhythmic words.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761453932
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	01/05/2012
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD440L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Addie Boswell is an artist and writer living in Portland, Oregon, where she frequently gets to play in the rain. According to her mother, she used to stomp a great deal in order to get her way. Now, she recognizes the same raw creative instinct in the children she teaches and is constantly inspired by their reckless joy. This is her first picture book. Visit her online at www.addieboswell.com.

Eric Velasquez was born in Spanish Harlem and grew up in Harlem. He attended the High School of Art and Design and earned his BFA from the School of Visual Arts. He was awarded the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent for his first picture book, The Piano Man by Debbi Chocolate. He has illustrated many books since then, including Houdini: The World’s Greatest Mystery Man and Escape King by Kathleen Krull and Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive by Carole Boston Weatherford. He wrote and illustrated Grandma’s Records, based on his own childhood. He has also created more than 300 book jackets and interior illustrations, including the cover of the Coretta Scott King Award winner Jazmin’s Notebook by Nikki Grimes. He lives and works in Hartsdale, New York. Visit him online at www.ericvelasquez.com.

Editorial Reviews

A delightful read-aloud that deals with making the best of a disappointing situation.” —School Library Journal

“The exhilaration of the storm is at the center of Boswell’s debut picture book, and illustrator Velasquez is at his best in the dynamic unframed spreads that show the African American kid in warm shades of brown on her city street, leaping and shaking her arms at the gray stormy skies.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

Jazmin, an energetic young baton-twirler, doesn't let a rainstorm stop her community's parade from going forward. Boswell's onomatopoeic text begs to be read aloud ("clatter clatter SLAP!' "splish splish WHACK!"). Velasquez's illustrations of Jazmin with braids flying and legs leaping high show the girl's determination to bring a little sunshine to her neighborhood.

Horn Book Guide

It's the first day of spring, and Jazmin can't wait for the big parade. Donning her new uniform, the young majorette twirls her baton, but as she steps outside, the wind whistles, thunder rumbles and rain begins to pour. The storm sends a disheartened Jazmin back inside to mope and wait. But the rain begins to reveal a rhythm: "TAP / tippity / TAP / TAP." Boswell intersperses a series of onomatopoeic words throughout the narrative to turn the falling drops into the percussive beat of a marching drum: "BOOM / walla / BOOM BOOM." Jazmin, feeling the rain's euphonious call, stomps and splashes her way into the street until she's spinning and skipping to the falling rain. Velasquez stretches his photographic reference to create hyperrealistic perspectives, effectively capturing Jazmin's defiant dance. Words slap against the city sidewalk, as text flows into images and the artwork's lines stream across the page. While there may be too many "TAT / rattle / rattle / TAT"-type sequences, Boswell nevertheless shows how the spirit can overcome a rained-on parade. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews