Review by Booklist Review
An oxcart arrives in Malini's small Sri Lanka village, loaded with rice seedlings, enough to sustain her community for a year. Malini, excited to be helping plant the crop for the first time, runs to meet the driver. Tired after the trip, the driver asks Malini to watch the cart, but a sudden storm floods the road, threatening Malini, the ox, and the precious cargo. The storm's violence is conveyed by onomatopoeic language such as boom boom booming and crack crack cracking, presented in large type for emphasis. Words that may be unfamiliar to American readers, such as bullock driver and spurfowls, further provide a sense of the setting. Large-scale illustrations highlight the sudden change from sunshine to rain, with first vertical and then diagonal streaks through the colors demonstrating the rain's ferocity. Malini's anxiety about helping with the planting and the sense of accomplishment she feels in saving the rice come through clearly in her facial expressions. An author's note includes helpful background about Sri Lanka and family life there.--Whitehurst, Lucinda Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Fullerton's (In a Cloud of Dust) tale starts out as a thoughtful account of a child's daily life in Sri Lanka: "[Malini] watches the load of rice seedlings swish back and forth on the cart as it bumps over the road toward her. Today she will learn to plant those seedlings.... But what if she does it wrong?" The story takes a dramatic turn as a sudden squall floods the road and cuts Malini and the oxcart off from the adults. LaFave's (Ben Says Goodbye) spreads, too, switch from quiet landscapes to urgent action, dashing lines tracing sheets of rain. Malini must lead the ox and cart into the barn to get the rice seedlings under cover. She overcomes paralyzing fear and tugs ox and cart inside, but her troubles aren't over: the ox is agitated. Bold lines emphasize the animal's intimidating bulk, but Malina screws up her courage: "She leans close to him, stroking whispering calming. They wait slowly, breathing together." It's a gratifying portrait of a child discovering her own strength: Malini, so nervous about learning to plant rice, is capable of far greater feats. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A little girl overcomes her fear and bravely saves her family's rice crop from destruction in a sudden downpour. Malini is both excited and nervous about her first day of work helping to plant rice seedlings, but when the driver of the oxcart that delivers the plants asks her to take over the reins for a moment, she becomes an unexpected heroine. As the author explains in an endnote, monsoon season in Sri Lanka can bring about flash floods; in this case, rushing waters separate Malini from adults, forcing her to act alone. Knowing how much depends upon saving the rice, she leads the ox and cart into the safety of a barn, soothing the animal until the skies clear. La Fave's richly colored illustrations dramatically and effectively convey the contrast between the calm, sunny day and the intensity of the storm. Fullerton's writing is simple and straightforward, making use of onomatopoeia and poetic repetition, but the plot is rather slight and lacking in tension. VERDICT For more compelling stories of children behaving with courage, turn to Linda Sue Park's The Firekeeper's Son and Rukhsana Khan's Ruler of the Courtyard.-Laura Simeon, Open Window School, Bellevue, WA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A perilous flash flood threatens a young Sri Lankan girls life and her villages livelihood in this compelling picture book. Fullertons spare and lyrical text opens with Malini waking up, excited to learn how to plant rice seedlings and contribute to her communitys well-being. She ventures outside to see the ox-cart filled with seedlings coming down the road; the accompanying illustrations are brightly colored and expressive, with ample open space. But soon afterward the driver leaves her to watch the cart while he ducks into the cafe for a break after his long ride. Sudden winds and pouring rain descend, and a flash flood leaves her stranded with the ox and cart with its precious cargo. Malinis family frantically calls for her to lead the ox to higher ground for the girls own safety and to save the seedlings. At this point, the palette changes drastically and pages are filled with watery blues and diagonal lines indicating the downpour. Though initially terrified, Malini makes it to the barn where she and the ox wait until the storm passes, the villages future rice harvest saved. Endnotes explain the realities of child labor, poverty, and a dependence on rice as a staple crop in Sri Lanka, and the book as a whole offers a powerful portrait of a childs bravery and perseverance. megan dowd lambert (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
