A PLACE FOR RAIN: Such a FUN Way to Take Action

 If you live where the recent spring rains turned gardens and farm fields into soggy swamps, you might also recall that last summer was a scorching drought. Much of the drippy midwest has been warned of likely droughts again in coming months.  The irony of those extremes, the damage of feast or famine in precipitation, provide reliable topics for casual conversations. This has been true in the past and is becoming a pattern across wider regions and with more dire consequences expected. Ask a farmer. 

NORTON KIDS PRESS, 2024

A PLACE FOR RAIN is written by  Michelle Schaub and illustrated by Blanca Gómez. I read about and reserved this delightful picture book while a downpour racketed outside my windows. The many good words I'd read about it also nudged me to take a closer look. 

I'm happy to say I was not disappointed!

The essential story is one of environmental stewardship, as achieved by young kids with some adult guidance and support. It could serve as a how-to book for anyone with the intent to make a personal contribution to improving imbalances and producing a better personal space and communities in need of balance with nature. Or, it's just a truly fun read with an underlying insight. 

In the first few pages we meet a diverse group of kids in their rainy-day school environment. The rhythmic and cleverly rhymed text can read as if describing a single day event, but easily suggests that this is a multi-stepped project taking days to accomplish, one that will serve the environment for years to come.

A raincoated, booted woman with a wheelbarrow enters in images, serving the project throughout, but without a single ext mention. That allows the busy, cartoonish kiddos to take center stage in this problem-solving process. 

And what is the issue? Well, early pages focus on an onomatopoetic engagement with rain, in the moment, unthreatening. Then a few spreads reveal that when rain becomes a downpour, it creates gushing, rushing, sogging flows that flush various detritus from roofs, gutters, asphalt, and more, flooding that debris into our waterways. That raincoat-clad adult and a couple of kids raise and answer this central question: 

"Can we lessen that mess?  Yes!"

Using available space and materials, they roll a barrel under a downspout, note the overflow when full, create a winding, shallow trough to channel that flow to a catchment area. That collection site is planted with water- and drought- tolerant native plants to absorb water and sludge. The bonus benefit of a colorful perennial garden that serves as insect and bird habitat is delightfully portrayed. This diversion from urban sewers and waterways that feed into lakes, rivers and oceans is unmistakable.

Illustrations are vibrant and vital, with  nearly geometric shapes and  soft-edged style that suggest universality among the diversity. The text is a terrific mentor pattern for those attempting to write in rhyme. That's not because it follows the usually mandatory strictness of meter and rhyme scheme. Instead, a rollicking but regular rhythm develops throughout, with lines that celebrate internal rhyme (see that masterful line above), interjections, sudden stops, and perfected pacing to enhance page turns. Granted, this would not be a challenging approach to mmimc, but it does confirm that those who choose to step aside from strict rules need to be VERY sure they can do it well. Schaub does exactly that!

I expected back matter, but there is none. As i considered the target age and intentions of the text, the thoroughness of embedded construction instruction, I could see why backmatter was not necessary. In fact, on the page that shows preparing the collection basin readers find a helpful chart explaining how to easily determine how well your chosen area drains and how to calculate an effective depth. Very clever, indeed!

I hope that many schools, families, day care centers, libraries, and others will find and share this entertaining and inspiring picture book.The language invites repeated readings, and the suggested project can be scaled;ed up or down to allow possible success for any readers. The more who take part, the greater the benefit to Earth, Water, and all of us. 

A Personal Story about HOW TO TIE A SHOE

I began this blog with liltle-to-no understanding of how to do it. But I knew I had something to say and decided to go for it. Some of my most personal and frequently viewed posts were from those early efforts, developed during a steep learning curve. 

That's pretty much me in a nutshell.

I seem to have been born with a determination to NOT be left behind, to learn everything I could, and to prove that I could do things I if I set out to do them. 

Don't confuse that with arrogance or ego.

I know my limits, and they are many. Even so, my youngest memories included an I CAN DO IT mindset that has, over the years, served me well, despite some spectacular face splats along the way.

Penny Candy Books, 2020

Here's a prime example:
As a youngest, then middle child, I was determined to do, to go, to copy everything my older brother and sister were doing. Picture those kid-dense neighborhoods of the fitties, playing outdoors from dawn-to-dusk. 
That's where and how we grew up, running in packs and playing in dirt lots, neighborhood parks, under lawn sprinklers, and pumping bike pedals. 
These were multi-aged kid-packs and the age-range was wide.  Upper-age kids would gradually peel off and younger ones would eventually tag along, keeping the population of the pack fairly stable. 
Even before kindergarten age, I was certain I belonged in that pack and tried to join daily. Depending on the activity, I might manage to chase the ice cream truck, to catch lightning bugs, or otherwise serve an apprenticeship to prove that I could keep up. 
I will never forget the day I sat on the top stoop of our front steps and called out to the gathering pack, "Wait for me, I'm coming." 
Someone older among them looked at the dangling laces on my sneakers and said, "You can't even tie your own shoes. You can't come."
My rage was such that I didn't think to ask for help, I shouted, "I CAN TOO TIE MY SHOES!"
Which I could not.
But I did. 
Right then and there.
And then I jumped up and ran after them, not pausing to wonder at what I had done or to wait for applause. 
I just did it. And I did it every day after that.

Ask any parent or kindergarten or preschool teacher how rare that result was. I credit not my manual dexterity but my determination and blind faith for my success.

Here's a short musical YOUTUBE clip that will remind  adults how tricky the process is, despite the clever and seemingly simple directions. There are also countless books and interactive toys allowing kids to practice the actual mechanism of tying shoes.

HOW TO TIE A SHOE & OTHER BIG ADVENTURES, created by SKIP HILL, takes a different approach. It's a HOW-TO book about building confidence, celebrating past success, and diving into daunting situations with both feet (and hands). The focus is on recognizing one's own agency and the exciting consequences of stepping forward into adventures. 

Interior spread: Penny Candy Books 2020

From the opening spread, it is clear that motivation and confidence can overcome even a massive serving of slippery spaghetti. Each page invites smiles, predictions about the direction of the text, and nods of recognition. 
The realistic black-and-white line drawings of diverse kids in a variety of settings connect young readers with memories of satisfying and successful experiences. 

This is not about the mechanics of tying shoes but about the mentality of making a stab at it. 
This is the first of a series of planned books and I look forward to reading the upcoming releases. 

Kirkus reviews gave it a well-earned star, and provided this quote:
"A quirky picture book that respects the intelligence of children."