The Rhythm of the Rain

Product Information

Nearly all the pages are full page bleeds and to me that is reflective of the scale and power of nature, and as readers we become immersed within it.

Rhythm of the Rain : Baker-Smith, Grahame, Baker-Smith The Rhythm of the Rain : Baker-Smith, Grahame, Baker-Smith

This could act as a springboard from which to learn more about the water cycle through an experiment (the ‘cloud in a jar’ experiment springs to mind). Dark brown is the river…’ Stevenson’s poem reflects onthe path of the river as it flows ‘away down the valley’ connecting children as they play. What initially seems to be an elaborate way of writing about the water cycle, actually turns out to be a story about the sheer magnificence of water and how essential it is for life. I purchased The Rhythm of the Rain after having read a number of reviews and viewing the front cover online.I could stop on each page and ask the students what they think is happening, then try to explain what is actually happening. I would also use the illustrations to introduce the kids to the different ways we use water, from water-powered enery, to farming, and even fun. I’ve often banged on about my love of non-fiction and the importance of good quality interesting factual books, well The Rhythm of the Rain is a step beyond any such non-fiction book I’ve come across before. I think it's a great book for starting a conversation/planting the seed that the world is smaller than we think. This is an incredibly beautiful depiction of the water cycle and its importance to life on this planet.

The Rhythm of the Rain - Teaching Sparks The Rhythm of the Rain - Teaching Sparks

Expansive double page spreads overflowing with rich saturated colours draw the reader into the landscape. Emptying his own jar of water into the pool, he races the stream down the mountainside, then observes how the streams join the river past his home and into a waterfall. The subtle personification of nature that is woven throughout the text really complements the illustrations, it brings nature to life.

Constantly experimenting with different styles of illustration, Grahame likes to challenge the conventional boundaries with his artwork. And then, some of the water and eventually falls back to earth in the form of some type of precipitation. It flows through us, passes out and into the world and continues to flow through others too - be it through the spout of a blue whale or used by a squid to propel itself away from a predator.

The Rhythm of the Rain - Abbey Road Primary School

Grahame Baker-Smith is a huge talent in picture book illustration, and his images of the natural world here are deep, vibrant and painterly, which will absorb slightly older picture book readers in their watery depths. He empties his jar of water into the pool that flows into a stream down the side of the mountain as the rain falls. An absolutely stunning book that I recommend for all ages to inspire awe and wonder, and possibly the most beautiful book to start learning about the water cycle that I can imagine. The story shows how we are all linked by water and provides a more emotional and real approach to the water cycle. Also, since it has been 30°C degrees here (86°F), I have been longing for it to rain, who would have thought I would ever say that?

Grahame Baker-Smith, a self-taught illustrator, was inspired to create this book after his experiences of being a son and now having a son of his own. I was surprised the boy's name was spelt Issac, I have never seen it actually spelt like that apart from ot being a common misspelling of Isaac.

The Rhythm of the Rain - BookMonsters.info The Rhythm of the Rain - BookMonsters.info

The Rhythm of the Rain by Grahame Baker-Smith is a fabulous book to help teach KS2 children about the water cycle, rivers and streams. His first title for Templar Books, Leon and the Place Between, was short-listed for the Kate Greenaway Medal, and FArTHER went on to win in 2011. This book is fantastic, it has beautiful illustrations to inspire art learning and shares the story of the water cycle an i unique way, showing how water can be used and its importance.The Rhythm of the Rain can be read for pleasure and/or linked to subjects across the curriculum from Geography and Science to English and Art. This not only showed the cycle of water, but it also showed how something as small as a jar of water can reach the ocean, another part of the world, and eventually come back to the same spot as rain. On the other side of the world, Cassi welcomes the rain in her dry village, where rivers now run and make their way back to the sea.