It Rained on the Desert Today
Book Review:
It Rained on the Desert Today is a delightful, poetic treatment
of the anticipation of, and the joy in, the summer rains to a parched
desert region. The book is written from the perspective of a small desert-dwelling
girl who can see, smell, hear and sense the coming deluge to her desert
home. We see her joyous reaction and that of other desert dwellers to
the coming rain. The sights, sounds, musical contour, and rhythm of
the storm are described with poetic imagery. Humanity and all desert
dwellers rejoice together in the storm, and we see the uniting power
of nature as the storm satisfies the needs of all. The book concludes
with the sun setting as humanity, insects and wildlife savor the storm
and its life-giving powers. Children are lulled to sleep with the sights,
sounds and smells of a sated desert. The water-color illustrations of
Libba Tracy are lush, colorful and descriptive, showing the anticipation
and joy in desert flora and fauna and the people who abide there. Children
will particularly love the pictures of the "mud babies," as we see the
smaller children frolic in the mud puddles left by the wonderful storm.
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