Raining Cats and Dogs: A Collection of Irresistible Idioms and Illustrations to Tickle the Funny Bones of Young People
Grade 1–5—In this highly appropriate pairing of folk art and sayings, Moses explains many common idioms. A colorful definition (e.g., "Kick the bucket means: A sassy way of saying someone died"), a sample sentence, and one of Moses's old-fashioned Americana-style oil paintings accompany each phrase. The lesson is kept lighthearted through examples that play upon the literal meanings of each phrase, often to comedic effect. Cats and dogs literally rain down from the sky upon rosy-cheeked ladies with parasols and opera gloves. A brass-buttoned captain and his crew are left "high and dry" when a whale lifts their boat out of the water, and a toad marries his mate, "warts and all." One somewhat thorny image is the depiction of a shirtless African American surrounded by clothed white people. The delicate details of the illustrations will be best appreciated by independent readers. Old-timey souls, folk-art students, and new Americans seeking to understand our many interesting phrases will appreciate Moses's contribution to the collective American heritage.—Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.