A Bucket of Blessings

February 10, 2014
Tsong (Up in the Hawaiian Sky) illustrates this modest folktale with crisp artwork, assembling colored and patterned shapes to depict a mountainside in rural India. A drought has parched the land, and Monkey, who has lilac fur and a nearly human face, hopes the peacock at the top of the mountain can break the drought by dancing. “Oh, Monkey, I need water to make it rain,” the peacock tells him. On the way down, Monkey takes refuge in a cave. In a striking spread, a single shaft of light makes a secret spring gleam; nothing could better convey the water’s preciousness. Monkey fills his bucket, but it’s leaky, and it drips steadily as Monkey again climbs the mountain. In despair, he looks behind him to discover a trail of flowers, leaves, and birds. The water has brought them miraculously to life and allowed the peacock to dance and bring rain, too. Kabir Sehgal and his mother, Surishtha, tell the story in the simplest prose; the wealth water represents is conveyed through Tsong’s artwork. Some of the book’s proceeds will benefit a water charity. Ages 4–8.

March 1, 2014
Deep in the jungle, the animals are experiencing a drought. Monkey remembers the story his mother had told him about how "peacocks can make it rain by dancing," so he climbs the mountain to find the bird. Peacock claims he needs water to make it rain; conveniently, Monkey now finds some inside a cave. Unbeknownst to him, the bucket he fetches to carry the water has a hole, and it leaks all the way back to Peacock. Not only do those drops change the landscape from brown to Technicolor, but when Peacock dances in response to the remaining drips, "buckets of rain" begin to fall. The illustrations are a combination of block printing and digital manipulation. While the monkey is awkwardly rendered, the textures of the landscape are pleasing, and some double-page spreads--in particular, the storm and the peacock's dance--are striking. These do not compensate, however, for a contrived plot and lackluster writing; there is little to recommend this story despite the well-meaning provision to funnel a portion of profits to a clean-water charity. Books born to carry a message are burdened by that baggage; this is no exception. (authors' note) (Picture book. 3-5)

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June 1, 2014

K-Gr 3-Near a beautiful mountain, in a jungle where mango trees grow, lives Monkey. It has not rained for weeks, and both the well and pond are dry. Monkey and his animal neighbors look and look, but there is no water to be found. Eventually, he remembers a story his mother once told about how dancing peacocks can bring rain. So he sets out to climb the mountain to see if Peacock can help bring water to the village. Peacock, however, says he needs water to help make it rain. "Can you find me some?" asks Peacock, and Monkey agrees to try. Lucky Monkey finds a hidden cave with a spring, gets his bucket, and heads back up the mountain. Passing all the animals along the way, he thinks things are beginning to look up, until he discovers that his bucket has a hole. There are only a few drops of water left. Nevertheless, the water spilled along the way is enough to make the land magically bloom. He pours the last few drops onto Peacock's head, who spreads his beautifully colored tail feathers and dances. The rains return. Based on an Indian myth, the story is one of perseverance and hope in the midst of trouble. The colorful illustrations have been rendered with block prints in combination with digital enhancements. A nice addition to folklore collections.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2014
Preschool-G This is a story about the power of beliefand water. When the animals worry about the lack of rain in the jungle, Monkey remembers a tale relating how Peacock's dancing can bring rain. He finds Peacock (an important bird in Indian mythology) only to be told that he needs water to make rain. Resourceful Monkey finds some, but his leaky bucket is almost empty when he returns. However, the tiny drops have made places in the jungle bloom, and after seeing the evidence of the power of those few splashes, Peacock creates a downpour. The many circular patterns in Tsong's illustrations, created in traditional block printing with digital rendering, add movement to the story. Peacock radiates life, with bright colors and fanciful designs in his extraordinary tail. His persona juxtaposes well against Tsong's blue monkey. His childlike face adds to the book's imaginative and appealing nature.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)