A Promise To The Sun

A tiny bat brings rain and fruitfulness to the parched African forest, in a Maasai story that explains why bats only venture out at night and why the sun pauses for an instant each evening before sinking below the horizon.

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- A story from Africa that tells why the bat hides in a cave all day, only venturing out at night. During a drought, Bat, the birds' distant cousin, is chosen by lot to find rain. She visits the moon, the stars, the clouds, and finally the fierce sun with her chanting plea: ``Earth has no rain, Earth has no food, Earth asks for rain.'' The sun agrees to bring rain in exchange for a promise that the birds will build him a nest, but when the rain comes, they are too busy celebrating to bother with their promise. It is only Bat who feels guilty, and she hides from the sun. The story has the power to move even the most phobic to sympathy for the bat as she listens wistfully to rain while perching in her cave. Mollel's skillful storytelling with its economical yet vivid descriptions will be enjoyed by readers, listeners and storytellers alike. In a style reminiscent of Nancy Van Laan's Rainbow Crow (Knopf, 1989), Vidal's vibrant watercolors portray a striking array of African birds, each with its own personality. The wide, full-page illustrations capture the breath and scale of the African landscape, and are large enough to use with a group. --Susan Giffard, Englewood Public Library, NJ
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Mollel ( Orphan Boy ) links two natural phenomena in one intriguing, if slightly disjointed, tale. Alarmed at the drought that afflicts their land, the birds send the Bat on a quest for rain. His petitions take him from moon to stars to clouds to wind and finally to the sun, who agrees to begin the rain cycle if the birds will build him a nest on the highest mountain. When the chattering creatures do not live up to their end of the bargain, the Bat retreats shamefully to a cave, ever after venturing out only at night. For its part, the sun lingers hopefully each night at the mountaintop before dipping below the horizon. Though some may feel that Mollel's story lacks consistency (the sun, for example, never questions the birds' failure to fulfill their agreement), he deftly depicts nature's many interconnections--and imbues his unaffected yarn with a modicum of drama. Vidal's ( The Legend of El Dorado ; Rainbow Crow ) watercolors, rendered in her typically dynamic palette, feature a brightly colored array of geographically appropriate flora and fauna. Her avian rainbow, in particular, stands in brilliant contrast to the barren savannah. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

An African-born Canadian who made a splendid debut with his retelling of a Maasai tale (The Orphan Boy, 1991, ALA Notable Book) creates an appealing, apparently original pourquoi story: When drought withers the land, a bat joins the birds in seeking relief and is chosen as emissary. She flies to the moon, stars, wind, and clouds; the sun finally agrees to draw up water into rainclouds if the birds will later make it a nest. But once the rains have fallen, the birds are too busy with their own concerns to honor their part of the bargain; ashamed and afraid, the bat hides from the sun, coming out only at night. Mollel's narrative is lively and lucid, seamlessly incorporating appropriate bits of natural lore; Vidal's lightly stylized, mixed-media illustrations are pleasingly decorative and vibrant with the colors of earth, sky, and the African birds, including a truly splendid peacock. A fine choice for group sharing. (Picture book. 5-9) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.