Rain School

Thomas and the other children head eagerly to school in this picture-book from author/illustrator James Rumford. When they arrive they find a teacher, but no building, as the annual rainy season in their part of Chad washes away the mud schoolhouse each year. First they must help their teacher to build a new school, and then the learning can begin. Although the building will disappear with the next rainy season, the knowledge the children gain will stay with them...

Based upon Rumford's time teaching in Chad, when he was in the Peace Corps, Rain School offers an inspiring glimpse of how deeply committed some children are to getting an education in one of the poorest countries in the world. He also captures some of the difficulties they show more face in doing so, helping perhaps to partially explain why Chad has one of the lowest literacy rates in Africa. The artwork here is colorful and expressive, capturing the deep russet and golden hues of the area. As always, books like this help to remind us here in more affluent parts of the world how very fortunate we are, in terms of the educational resources available to us. Recommended to picture-book readers seeking stories that emphasize the importance of education, or stories set in Chad. show less

I really enjoyed this book because it gave me insight into how other countries go to school. It makes me really appreciate what I have. I am able to go to school in a building that I did not have to build and then it gets destroyed due to weather. I am privileged

This book is a story about a boy who is getting ready for his first year of school. Where he comes from he has to walk miles to get to his school. But when he arrives, there is no school. The first task/lesson for the students from his culture is to build there own school. They then can learn from there. This book talks a lot about culture and makes students think about privilege and the differences in our schools as cultures. This books shows hardship but the characters show happiness and hope. This offers a lesson to be taught about being appreciative and working hard.

A story about a group of students in Chad who come together for the school year. They start by building their school by hand. My daughter was sad to see it all wash away in the end with the rainy season washing it away. But it made for a great conversation starter.

In my opinion, “Rain School” is a fantastic book. The book gives the reader a glimpse into education in another country. The story takes place in the country of Chad. I enjoyed the plot of the story. A young boy named Thomas is excited about the first day of school. When he arrives, he sees that there isn’t a building or desks. There may not have been a school building, but there was a smiling teacher standing there. “‘We will build our school,’ she says. ‘This is the first lesson.’” The children all worked together to build a school. Once inside the school, all the children are excited and eager to learn. “This is the moment they have been waiting for.” After nine months of learning, the school year is over. The show more rainy season comes and washes the school away. The children don’t seem to mind. “It doesn’t matter. The letters have been learned and the knowledge taken away by the children.” This book pushes the reader to think about just how much we take for granted. I cannot imagine having to build my school, I just expect the school to be there. I expect there to be desks, chairs and pencils waiting for me. I also like the illustrations in the book. They are bright and vibrant. It almost looks like they were done in crayon. The children in the story are beautiful, with big smiling faces. The big idea of this book is that material things aren’t important, but the things you learn are. It didn’t matter that the school was washed away, the children learned and grew there while it lasted. They were ready and exciting about building a new school in September. show less

At the beginning of the school year, children in Africa must build their school before they can begin learning. Emphasizes the gift and privilege of education, as well as the cooperative and co-creative aspects of learning. At the end of the school year, the rains will destroy the school and they still start again next year.

This was one of the first books on our Engage New York ELA curriculum list. This book is wonderful! The text is rather short, but the illustrations are beautiful, and they add so much to the story. We see how Kenyan children build their school each year before the rainy season begins. They build their school step by step, and they are so excited to attend and learn. The children in the story work hard to build their desks and the description of their books at the end of the school period is priceless. This is another text that shows the hunger for knowledge and the obstacles children in other countries must overcome just to do what many American children take for granted every day.