It's Raining!

It's Raining! 
By Gail Gibbons
New York : Holiday House, 2014, Ages 7-11


This story is all about the water cycle. First, the story begins by talking about the different states of water and provides examples of what each state looks like. Secondly, the story talks about the different kinds of clouds and what type of clouds indicate what type of weather is coming. Finally, the author discusses the different destruction that can occur from the different types of storms. Also discussed is the different ways that people can help to clean up after the destruction.

The author's writing style is easy to understand and follow. What grabbed my attention the most is the way the book flowed and was set up. The book talks about each step in the process of creating storms, types of storms, and what happens after damages occur from storms. I think my favorite line of the book is at the end where it says, "Sometimes while it's raining or just after it's rained there is a RAINBOW!" I think that this shows children that there can be a happy ending to a storm and that storms do not always cause destruction.

The primary medium is watercolor. She uses a variety of colors to be able to show depth in her pictures. This gives her pictures a sense of being real.

I really liked the book. I thought that this would be a good book to use in grades 3-5 because that is when we talk about the water cycle. This book would be a great engagement for students to learn about the water cycle. But, it would also give students an idea of how they can help out in their community if their community was ever hit with a bad storm.


Review by Stephanie Siegel