Summer Rain
Reviewed By Grasshopper2 July 8, 2015
Author Ros Moriarty, illustrated by Balarinji
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ISBN: 9781760112110
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Release Date:
Website: http://www.allenandunwin.com
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Summer Rain is a beautifully written and illustrated children’s picture book. It conveys an enormous wealth of meaning, understanding and joyfulness throughout.
The Aboriginal appearance and art work is delightful, while the feeling of the steamy tropics is wonderfully conveyed.
The story is retold at the back of the book in the Yanyuwa language which is spoken by Aboriginal families in Borroloola in the Northern Territory.
Ros Moriarty founded “Indi Kindi” Early Literacy Education, and this book will undoubtedly be used in that programme. She is the creative and managing director of Balarinji , an Indigenous design studio, hence the superb art work and the authenticity of this book.
The artists of Summer Rain show X-ray art techniques for the animals and leaves on trees. The sun is also represented by dots. Each double page has graduated colour, deep ochre, purple, brown and green, at the bottom of the page, with colours softening as they move up the page. Insects, grasses and animals are bright colours, as are the wattles and berries.
The language used heightens awareness of the illustrations adding another layer of meaning to the story. “Turtles crawl and lizards creep,” almost appearing to tiptoe over the dry land. Rain comes and the colours change to cooler greens and even the grass stands straight and tall.
As the light fades and sunset arrives, “geckos stretch “. The evening changes to a moonlit night and the colours reflect the blue of the night and the silver of the moon.
The art carries the words along into the night. The simplicity of this book would appeal to all children, and miming and acting games would lead from reading this together. Beautiful work! Hopefully there will be many more books to come.
Ros has a background in journalism and is married to a man of Aboriginal decent.