Rain School by James Rumford
It is the first day of school in Chad, Africa. Children are filling the road.
"Will they give us a notebook?" Thomas asks. "Will they give us a pencil? Will I learn to read?"
But when he and the other children arrive at the schoolyard, they find no classroom, no desks. Just a teacher. "We will build our school," she says. "This is our first lesson."
James Rumford, who lived in Chad as a Peace Corps volunteer, fills these pages with vibrant ink-and-pastel colors of Africa and the spare words of a poet to show how important learning is in a country where only a few children are able to go to school.
"While serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, Rumford was a teacher in Chad, and the authentic details illuminate the spare text and beautiful artworkOn double-page spreads, the colored-pencil, ink, and pastel images echo the words' elemental rhythms as they contrast golden-hued portraits of the children happily learning with dark, rain-drenched scenes of the school disappearing. The building eventually vanishes, but "it doesn't matter. The letters have been learned and taken away by the children."...Without a heavy message, this spare and moving offering will leave kids thinking about the daily lives of other young people around the world." (Booklist, starred review)"
James Rumford, a resident of Manoa, is an award-winning children's book author and illustrator. His books, published nationally as well as internationally, deal with a variety of topics--from stories of Hawaii to tales from distant lands. Many of his books deal with Africa, where he was a Peace Corps volunteer and a Fulbright lecturer. Among these books are: CALABASH CAT, RAIN SCHOOL, and BRIGHT STAR. James Rumford has been writing and illustrating books for children since 1996. With a score of titles to his name, translated into the world's major languages, his books are recognized here and abroad for their integrity as well as their appeal to children. He has received several awards for his writing and illustrating such as two Zolotow Awards, a Siebert Honor Award, two Jane Addams Peace Awards, and the Sugarman Award for American Biography. James Rumford is also a book artist, running Manoa Press [founded in 1986], where he makes limited-edition handmade books on an antique iron press. For more on the author and his private press, visit jamesrumford.com and manoapress.com.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780547243078 |
| ISBN 10 | 0547243073 |
| Title | Rain School |
| Author | James Rumford |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company |
| Year published | 2010-10-25 |
| Number of pages | 32 |
| Prizes | Commended for Parents Choice Awards (Fall) (2008-Up) (Picture Book) 2010, Short-listed for Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Grades K-2) 2012, Short-listed for Volunteer State Book Awards (Primary) 2012, Short-listed for Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award 2013 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |