Raindrops Roll

Starred review from February 2, 2015
“Raindrop spangles/ mark angles./ They cling to curves/ and cover cocoons.” In playful rhymes and breathtaking nature photography, Sayre offers a dramatic examination of a rain shower as droplets soak birds, roll down pumpkins, dot the backs of insects, and muddy the forest floor. Sayre’s close-up photographs are startling in their intimacy—a bead of water seems to defy gravity as it pools precariously on a green leaf, while dozens of tiny drops illuminate a spider’s feather-light web. These images alone are enough to make the book a treasure; an informative closing section exploring water’s forms, behavior, and characteristics is icing on the cake. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from November 1, 2014
With lyrical words and striking images, a poet, photographer and veteran natural history writer celebrates rain."Rain plops. / It drops. // It patters. / It spatters." From the beginning of a storm to the return of the sun, this splendid presentation reveals the wonder of water in the form of rain. Short, rhythmic lines, often only two words but rhyming or alliterative, are set one to a page against a full-bleed photograph. Sayre's close observations, many in an ordinary garden, will lead readers and listeners to look more closely, too, both at her photographs and at the world around them. There are insects hiding from a shower; drops cling to flowers, leaves and insect legs. There are even tiny reflections in the globules. Raindrops bend down grasses, highlight shapes and band together. Some of the pictures harbor extra secrets. (A fly is barely visible on the front cover photograph.) These carefully chosen images have been thoughtfully arranged and beautifully reproduced. Preschoolers can appreciate the poem and pictures, but middle graders will want the facts in the concluding "Splash of Science," which provides some background and explanation for the short statements and goes on to describe "Raindrops Inside You," connecting the reader to the water cycle. Wonder-full in every way. (further resources) (Informational picture book. 3-8)

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Starred review from November 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-This first-rate book highlights the beauty and wonder of rain-a seemingly commonplace occurrence-and shows its effects upon the rest of the natural world. In general but lyrical terms, the work explains what raindrops do ("Raindrops settle. They slip. They dot."). The text is accompanied by scenes from a forest rainforest (drops clinging to flowers or spider webs, insects and birds dealing with the downpour). Sayre has created a poetic atmosphere, using rhyming words ("Raindrop spangles/mark angles."), and her vibrant, close-up photographs, which effectively complement the narrative and will engage children and adults alike. The last two spread, titled "A Splash of Science," offer information on the three forms of water (ice, liquid water, and water vapor) and their characteristics. This attractive work is also ideal for read-alouds and an easy entry for students delving into nonfiction reading, especially in poetry or science units. This excellent title will transform how readers think about rain.-Tracey Wong, P.S. 54/Fordham Bedford Academy, Bronx, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2014
Preschool-G Raindrops get a close-up treatment in this quietly informative picture book. In gorgeous, page-filling, full-color photos of raindrops on lush greenery, Sayre shows typical water behavior. It patters appears on a body of water dimpled by rain. It fills accompanies a waxy leaf tenuously cupping a large droplet. They magnify pairs with a raindrop distorting the spots on a lily petal. Raindrops slowly dry accompanies a picture of a rain-spattered leaf in the sun. Each clearly rendered photo focuses on drops of water as they pool, glob, drip, and slip down leaves and flowers, on beetles and lacy spiderwebs. The spare words altogether are loosely rhythmic, and the simplicity of the motion-based vocabulary is mostly effective at demonstrating what's happening in the photo. It's the rich visuals, however, that steal the show. Not only do the photos beautifully capture water in action but they zoom in on things most kids could see in their own backyards or neighborhoodsan especially useful approach for visual or hands-on learners. An author's note explains the water cycle in more detail.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)