Official Review: Why Does It Rain Thunder And Lightning?

[Annelore Trujillo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Why Does It Rain Thunder And Lightning?" by Christopher Woodard.]

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1 out of 4 stars

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Why Does It Rain, Thunder and Lightning? by Christopher Woodward is a children’s picture book. This is a common question that many children might ask. This book tells a story about an alternative explanation for why these natural events might occur. It all comes down to a giant named Too-Tall and his moose named Moose. How do these two create thunder, lightning, and rain? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

I liked the story. I thought that it provided a very unique way to explain thunder, lightning, and rain. I found myself laughing a little as I imagined each of the events, and I think children would definitely get a kick out of it. However, the writing style could use a little work. It wasn’t terrible, but the flow of the writing was a little bit off. I would have enjoyed the story more if the writing flowed better.

I also wasn’t a fan of the pictures in this book. While I appreciate that the author drew them himself, I don’t think they really depicted the book as well as they could have. The pictures mostly seemed to be made up of clouds with small glimpses of the characters. I would have really liked to see the characters in the middle of the actions that caused each of the events of a thunderstorm. These pictures, while commendable, were a bit disappointing as they didn’t really tell the story.

The book also did not seem to be edited, which was probably the biggest disappointment for me. There were several errors throughout the book that were distracting, and I wouldn’t want children to come across these errors as they read. I am definitely a firm believer in the importance of proper grammar in children’s books because reading is one way that they learn. This book was definitely lacking in the editing department. There were missing spaces, misspelled words, and incorrect contractions.

I give this book 1 out of 4 stars. If I could give half-star ratings, I would probably give it 1.5 stars because I did like the story. However, I just can’t see giving it more because I can’t recommend it to others. It seemed more like a draft of a book than a book that was ready to be published. While I enjoyed the explanation of thunder, rain, and lightning, I wouldn’t want children to read this book in its current form. I would love to see a revised version of this book in the future because I think it has a lot of potential!

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Why Does It Rain Thunder And Lightning?
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Like anneloretrujillo's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Anon_Reviewer]

I completely agree with you. Good grammar and spelling are very important in children's books. I can attest to this because English is my second language and I learned it most through reading as a child. Authors cannot be allowed to slack in that department. Great review!

[MsTri]

This sounds like such a charming story. Too bad it's ruined by the bad grammar and less-than-illustrative pictures. I hope they come out with a revised edition because I'd love to read this Aesop-like tale of a giant and his moose causing the rain and thunder & lightning.

[gen_g]

I completely agree with you. Good grammar and spelling are very important in children's books. I can attest to this because English is my second language and I learned it most through reading as a child. Authors cannot be allowed to slack in that department. Great review!

I wholeheartedly agree!!!! I would even go so far as to say that being free of grammatical errors is much more important in children's books, as it is the period in which they are learning the language. Thank you for the lovely review!

[Kristy Khem]

This children's story sounds fun. I also agree with your rating especially since the pictures could have been better and the grammar was not consistently correct. These are two vital components of children's books.

[Samantha Simoneau]

Lack of editing, especially in a book for children, simply kills what could have been a wonderful book. Great review, though!

[Manang Muyang]

Too-Tall and Moose deserve a second chance. I hope the author gets a good editor and illustrator and republishes. Walt Disney is listed as one of the world's greatest failures. Look who's laughing now!

[LaurenHaupt]

Well thank you for the honest review. I liked the author's idea behind it. Wish he just improved on the pictures and the literature.

[KitabuKizuri]

I think it's important to have a book intended for learning minds to be as accurate as possible to guard the children from picking up the mistakes. Informative review.

[Amanda Deck]

About the illustrations, sometimes in children's books, the pictures aren't exactly meant to tell the story. They do this in books for children to learn to get the information from the written word.

I admit, though, that that whole idea drove me crazy when my children learned to read. I have no idea if the author intended any such thing, just wanted to mention this.

[Annelore Trujillo]

About the illustrations, sometimes in children's books, the pictures aren't exactly meant to tell the story. They do this in books for children to learn to get the information from the written word.

I admit, though, that that whole idea drove me crazy when my children learned to read. I have no idea if the author intended any such thing, just wanted to mention this.

I agree! I don't think they intended it with this book, however. The pictures took up a lot of the book; there was even an entire page that was just a picture with no text. Because they were emphasized so much, I think they were supposed to be a major part of the story.

[Ana-Maria-Diana]

No really my kind of book but thank you the review. I apreciate the author's interest in drawing the pictures

[kfwilson6]

What a disappointment. Although the author seems to need a jumpstart to his creativity. A moose named Moose? Illustrations have to do more than go with the story, they need to help tell it. It doesn't seem like that happened well in this case.