LILA AND THE SECRET OF RAIN

For weeks, the sun has beaten down on Lila’s Kenyan village. To survive, all the people need is rain. One day, Lila’s grandfather tells her an old story about a man who knew how to call the rain: “You must climb the highest mountain and tell the sky the saddest thing you know.” The following morning, Lila sets out for the mountaintop, where she describes the saddest things she can, until finally she cries out that she doesn’t know what to do. The well is dry, and how can the village live without water? The sky rumbles, and Lila runs home to find her village celebrating the falling rain. Daly’s fine, precise acrylics present readers with an implacable yellow sun lowering over a sere landscape; Lila’s slim, stylized form conveys a wealth of emotion. An author’s note on the culture and on drought would have added considerably, but still, this is a beautifully illustrated tale that will easily serve as an introduction to the importance of water and a catalyst for discussion of water shortages in Africa. (Picture book. 6-9)