FIRST REVIEWS!!!!
School Library Journal, September 2008
K-Gr 3-It's the first day of spring and Jazmin, dressed in red and twirling her baton, is all set to lead the neighborhood parade. She flings the door open and encounters a big problem: the weather. Wind and thunder are followed by rain: "Slap! Rain poured down in buckets." Thus begins Jazmin's tale of disappointment and frustration as she waits for the storm to stop. "Mud Puddler, Cloud Crasher, Parade Wrecker," she complains as the rain roars, crashes, and bellows. Mounting frustration leads Jazmin to step outside and shake her fists at the rain and stomp her feet. But frustration gives way to fun as she kicks and chases the rain down the sidewalk: "I am Jazmin, the Rain Stomper!" Other youngsters come outside to watch; they urge her on, laughing and clapping. By the time Jazmin has finished, the sun has come out and the cheering children end up having their parade after all. "And so it was that Jazmin, the Rain Stomper, outstomped the rain." Velasquez's large oils impart a sense of the girl's disappointment as well as the feel of a driving rain and eventual pleasure. Large letters in white, black, or red and in different sizes emphasize the sounds and rhythm of the rain and thunder ("BOOM walla BOOM BOOM!"; "clink, clink WHOOSH!"). A delightful read-aloud that deals with making the best of a disappointing situation.
-Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
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Booklist, Sept 1, 2008
When a heavy rainstorm ruins the parade in Jazmin's neighborhood, she is furious at the pouring skies. 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. When Jazmin tries to stomp on the storm, her wild activity gets the neighborhood kids out to join her, and they all splash, leap, bang, bash, and clatter on the sidewalk. The wordplay is part of the joyful uproar; Jazmin's stomping makes the kids "pour out" of the houses and "flood" the streets. Together, the words and pictures nicely express Jazmin's anger and energy, and her splashing action will have young preschoolers shouting along. - Hazel Rochman
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To BUY:
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The Rain Stomper is now in bookstores, libraries, and major online retailers around the country! You can also order AUTOGRAPHED COPIES directly from me via the store on my website. Stay tuned for Holiday Sales on the web and around town.
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