earth, air, water, and other elements

SPLIT! SPLAT! by Amy Gibson with illustrations by Steve Bjorkman (Scholastic, 2012) is about something that was a rarity this past fall: rain. Lovely pattering text mimics the drops of rain and the excitement of a little girl who goes outside to play among the splits and splats. <634>



Thousands of years ago, a young boy named Kali practiced shooting his bow. One night he discovered a secret in the bow. If he held it to his lips, he could make beautiful music. KALI'S SONG by Jeanette Winter (Schwartz & Wade, 2012) celebrates the artist, the one who makes something beautiful from something that has the potential to do much harm. <635>



Oh, to be THE CLOUD SPINNER, a boy who can spin golden cloth from the clouds in the sky. THE CLOUD SPINNER by Michael Catchpool with illustrations by Alison Jay ((Knopf, 2012) fairly glows off the page as the boy's wondrous scarf catches the attention of a greedy king. Shades of Rumpelstiltskin will reverberate while reading, but this is a unique take on an oft written tale about the consequences of being greedy. <636>




Audrey Wood gives beginning readers (and some older ones, too) a lovely view of all manner of skies in BLUE SKY (Blue Sky Press, 2012). Blue sky gives way to sunset sky and dark sky and dream sky as the day progresses. Chalk illustrations provide bright colors by day and deeper colors by night. <637>