Children's Book Review: Rayne Shines by Bonnie Ferrante


Summary:
Rayne is bored with life, until a new family moves in next door. Why do they look so happy? Rayne wants to know their secret. Rayne Shines is a humorous and thought-provoking picture book for ages 5-7.
 
Release Date: March 6, 2014
Age Group: Ages 5-7
Source: Review copy from author
Reviewed By: Kelli & Kaitlyn
 
Review:
Rayne Shines is such a cute book.  I loved the cadence of the text, the colorful yet simple illustrations, and the book's message. 
 
Ferrante uses just the right amount of words on each page to keep the pace perfect.  The text doesn't rhyme, but because of the cadence to it, it doesn't need to rhyme to be engaging.  I love it when children's book authors draw their own illustrations, and Ferrante's illustrations are perfect for the story.
 
Rayne is, of course, a frog.  I liked that she and her family did "froggy" things, such as eat bugs for dinner.  I appreciate it when animals in children's stories are not anthropomorphized.
 
The message was one of how your view on things, whether positive or negative affects everything in your life.  I loved that there is character growth in this short book---something that's rare in children's literature.
 
Kaitlyn (age 3) enjoyed Rayne Shines too.  She was very engaged in the story and when we finished reading the book, she told me how much she liked it.  
 
Rayne Shines is a cute, fun book perfect for ages 3 and up.  Kaitlyn and I both enjoyed this book and would definitely read Bonnie Ferrante again.
 
    
 

1 comment:

  1. I can't help it... I am judging this book by its cover!

    ReplyDelete

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