Rain

'It was hot. Everything was hot and dry' begins this exciting, heat filled picture book which has the animals of the savanna excitedly passing on the news to each other that the rain is coming. Porcupine can smell it, the zebras can see it, the baboons can hear it and so forth. The text reads aloud beautifully and is illustrated in a bold, free, painterly style with perspectives that daringly crop, for the most part, all but the animals' expressive heads. Stojic maintains suspense and reaches the dramatic climax (the arrival of the rain) via both words and pictures which she seamlessly integrates. Did she, I wonder, also design the book? Whatever, the stylish use of bold lettering on the page with emphases on particular words is felicitous. A most impressive debut.