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Summary
Summary
It is the first day of school in Chad, Africa. Children are filling the road.
"Will they give us a notebook?" Thomas asks. "Will they give us a pencil? Will I learn to read?"
But when he and the other children arrive at the schoolyard, they find no classroom, no desks. Just a teacher. "We will build our school," she says. "This is our first lesson."
James Rumford, who lived in Chad as a Peace Corps volunteer, fills these pages with vibrant ink-and-pastel colors of Africa and the spare words of a poet to show how important learning is in a country where only a few children are able to go to school.
Author Notes
Award-winning author and illustrator James Rumford taught school with his wife, Carol, in Chad. One day, in the middle of the rainy season, they came upon the mud ruins of the town's primary school. Many years later, the memory of that school and the desire of Chadians to get an education no matter the obstacles gave birth to Rain School.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-"In the country of Chad, it is the first day of school. The dry dirt road is filling up with children. Big brothers and sisters are leading the way." Thomas and the other younger children follow behind their older siblings, bombarding them with eager questions. "Will they give us a notebook? Will they give us a pencil? Will I learn to read like you?" When the children arrive at the schoolyard, they find only their teacher. Working under her direction, they build a school, using a wood frame, a few bricks, and a thatch roof and walls. With that completed, they have their classes. Nine months go by and rain clouds begin to gather. School is over until next year. Along with the rain comes the wind, and over time, the building disappears-washed away. Come September, the process will begin again. The final illustration features a smiling confident Thomas at the forefront, with eager, younger children following behind. The yellow, brown, and burnt orange shades dominate each of the spreads, both as background color and as part the dry, sandy, and hot landscape. The message of the story is clear-while the school structure may be temporary, education is permanent. This book also gives young children a glimpse into the school life of children in another part of the world.-Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
In a small village in Chad, students and their teacher build their classroom from mud, grass, and saplings. After the school year is over, seasonal rains wash the classroom away, but the children will be ready to build again next year. Rumford's energetic art, with its vibrant textured surfaces and deft black line, helps convey his characters' enthusiasm for learning. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
It takes a village to make a school. In Chad, big brothers and sisters lead the way for younger children on the first day of school. Little Thomas is full of questions. When he and the other children arrive, there are no classrooms and no desks. But the teacher's there, holding a trowel. "We will build our school," she declares. Everyone sets to work, making mud bricks that dry in the sun and a roof out of grass and saplings. Thomas loves his lessons; every day he learns something new. At the end of the school year, the minds of the students "are fat with knowledge." And just in time: The rainy season arrives and makes short work of the schoolhouse. Come September, they'll start all over. Rumford's illustrations make great use of color, dark brown skin and bright shirts, shorts and dresses against golden backgrounds, the hues applied in smudgy layers that infuse each scene with warmthuntil the gray rains arrive. It's a nifty social-studies lesson tucked into a warm tale of community. (Picture book. 4-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Like Vanita Oelschlager's Bonyo Bonyo (2010), this stirring picture book tells the story of a child in rural Africa who struggles to get to school. In a village in Chad, Thomas can't wait to start school, and he is thrilled when he follows the older students down a dirt road on their first day of class. But when the children get to the schoolyard, there are no classrooms or desks, not even a roof. We will build our school, says their teacher, and with her instruction, Thomas' first lessons are in making mud bricks and building walls, desks, and a thatched roof. At last, the class work begins, and Thomas learns something new and exciting every day of the school year's nine months. Then the heavy rains come, and the storms gradually wash the school away. While serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, Rumford was a teacher in Chad, and the authentic details illuminate the spare text and beautiful artwork. On double-page spreads, the colored-pencil, ink, and pastel images echo the words' elemental rhythms as they contrast golden-hued portraits of the children happily learning with dark, rain-drenched scenes of the school disappearing. The building eventually vanishes, but it doesn't matter. The letters have been learned and taken away by the children. And come September, the students will build their school again. On the last page, Thomas points to his country on a map of the continent. Without a heavy message, this spare and moving offering will leave kids thinking about the daily lives of other young people around the world.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2010 Booklist
