Archive for the ‘When the Rain Comes’ Category

“…Alma Fullerton tells to tale in free verse. She successfully conjures up the sights and especially the sounds of a day in Sri Lanka—the song of the bullock-cart driver, the clop of the ox, the pounding of rain and the cracking of thunder. Kim La Fave’s illustrations magically transform a bedsheet into a flock of […]

“Rating: (1-5, 5 is an excellent or starred review)  5… What did you like about the book? This is a story of a young girl who lives in Sri Lanka….The illustrations and the text both give the sense of gravity and danger to the situation. The blustery wind and the driving wind, along with the cries […]

“A much anticipated sound awakens Malini! The ox cart driver is finally here with his very important load of rice seedlings. The rice is ready to plant; Malini is ready to help with that planting. The driver asks the young girl to ‘keep an eye’ on his ox while he takes a needed break. Malini is a bit frightened by its […]

“The dramatic sights and sounds of a Sri Lankan monsoon surround Malini and her formidable ox as they struggle to higher ground, in Alma Fullerton’s When The Rain Comes. A fascinating slice of Southeast Asian life…Creative lines and saturated coloring from Kim La Fave’s paints and pencils capture the exotic riot and relentless rains of […]

“…I liked When the Rain Comes even more. The illustrations and text in this book work really well together to highlight Malini’s feelings and show the importance of rice to her village and the dangers of a monsoon. The back of the book tells a little bit more about Sri Lanka and how reliant the […]

“An oxcart arrives in Malini’s small Sri Lanka village, loaded with rice seedlings, enough to sustain her community for a year….but a sudden storm floods the road, threatening Malini, the ox, and the precious cargo. The storm’s violence is conveyed by onomatopoeic language…Words that may be unfamiliar to American readers, such as bullock driver and […]

“Malini, a young Sri Lankan girl, is tasked with protecting a bullock cart carrying a load of rice seedlings that will feed her entire village for a year. Malini is eager to accept this responsibility, but when it starts to pour rain, she must make a difficult decision: protect the rice crops or save herself. This moving […]

Pajama Press is thrilled that Elizabeth Bird has selected both My Beautiful Birds by Suzanne Del Rizzo, and When the Rain Comes by Alma Fullerton and illustrated by Kim La Fave as books on her list “2017 Picture Books I’m Really Looking Forward To”. Click here to read the full book list

“I love books that expose children to another culture, especially when it is in the form of an exciting story with a heroine character. When the Rain Comes is such a book, set in Sri Lanka in a small agricultural village where rice is the main income and food source…. My son and I really liked this […]

“Although set in faraway Sri Lanka, Fullerton’s rhythmic tale holds a universal message: that even the smallest and youngest among us can summon up the courage to face, and overcome, the most gargantuan challenges….Fullerton’s free verse dances across the page, urging readers forward through the narrative. ‘Her heart pounds / as loud as the rain […]