A BUCKET OF BLESSINGS

Deep in the jungle, the animals are experiencing a drought.

Monkey remembers the story his mother had told him about how “peacocks can make it rain by dancing,” so he climbs the mountain to find the bird. Peacock claims he needs water to make it rain; conveniently, Monkey now finds some inside a cave. Unbeknownst to him, the bucket he fetches to carry the water has a hole, and it leaks all the way back to Peacock. Not only do those drops change the landscape from brown to Technicolor, but when Peacock dances in response to the remaining drips, “buckets of rain” begin to fall. The illustrations are a combination of block printing and digital manipulation. While the monkey is awkwardly rendered, the textures of the landscape are pleasing, and some double-page spreads—in particular, the storm and the peacock’s dance—are striking. These do not compensate, however, for a contrived plot and lackluster writing; there is little to recommend this story despite the well-meaning provision to funnel a portion of profits to a clean-water charity.

Books born to carry a message are burdened by that baggage; this is no exception.