Rain Fish

February 15, 2016
A short rhyming tale merges nature and debris to create art from remains of rainy days. When the day turns gray and rain starts to fall, "that's when rain fish come out and play." From found materials (fallen leaves and feathers and items clearly plucked from the recycling bucket and waste stream), images of fishes are created and depicted at play in the flowing gutters. Through Ehlert's distinctive collage illustrations and playful text, readers follow the life cycle of rain fishes and are encouraged to wonder where these fishes will go next. The book invites children to look closely at the waste they discard, prompting them to consider how orange peels, ticket stubs, cardboard, bottle caps, cans, and other garbage make their way to the stream--both the waste stream and Ehlert's fanciful rain-fed stream--and the role of humans in their creation. The collage illustrations of found materials are vivid, although they need to be seen from a distance for readers to truly appreciate them and see the rain fishes, making this ideal for storytime or classroom use. A list of images of discards and debris that were used for the illustrations is appended and should be useful for craft activities after a read-aloud of the book. This picture book and its lyrical text will make readers see fishes in unexpected places. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-7)

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Starred review from February 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 3-Found art supplies form suggestions of fish shapes while the text lyrically provides directions on how to make "rain fish" in this imaginative work by the master collage artist. Ehlert describes how the objects "hide in debris/until rain sets them free," thereby explaining how she finds materials. The ephemeral nature of the creations is emphasized by the instruction, "But you better look fast, /because rain fish don't last." The objects are found by chance, and the art made from them is open to interpretation. Children are invited to look beyond the items' original uses and explore what they see in the collage assortments. Vivid colors, varied textures, and expressive language inspire further contemplation. As an exploration of creativity and inventiveness, the book serves as a challenge to readers. What could they find to make their own rain fish? VERDICT An excellent addition to most collections, and especially valuable to libraries with budding found object artists.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 15, 2016
Preschool-G *Starred Review* A day of rain brings strange creatures into Ehlert's world. Formed by wet bits of discarded paper, fall leaves, old socks, feathers, and other debris, they combine in elongated shapes that appear quite fishlike, often with a bottle cap or other round object for the eye. In Ehlert's imagination, these rain fish begin to take on lives of their own. They love to splash in puddles / and dance upon concrete. / They gather in the gutters / and then swish on down the street. The colloquial, rhyming text provides just enough guidance, drawing readers through the book while allowing them to enjoy the details as well as the overall effect of each picture. Ehlert has perfected her style of collage, with bold forms and a skillful, distinctive use of color, texture, and composition. Underscoring the book's usefulness as a springboard to creative activities, an appended double-page spread features some of the found objects that became the illustrations' rain fish and provides brief identifiers of box top, concert ticket, fish bobber, parking ticket, sand dollar, etc. With a smooth, flowing text and fish images that show up beautifully from a distance, this unusual picture book is a great read-aloud choice for a rainy day.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)