Outstanding in the Rain

Outstanding in the Rain

By Frank Viva

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Curriculum Subject: Language Development and Reading: Concepts/Words

Grades: PreK – 1st

Educator Guide

Step right up! Step right up to the amusing amusement park!

It’s a whole story, and the pages have holes!

Watch the holes transform pictures!

Turn an umbrella into a cake and balloons into ice cream!

See the holes transform words!

Turn an ice man into a nice man and see fork handles turn into four candles!

Outstanding in the Rain will turn any gray day into one that is Grade A!

From the creator of New York Times Best-Illustrated book Along a Long Road and A Long Way Away, picture book master Frank Viva does it again, this time with astounding die-cuts that transform both words and pictures in delightful ways, while telling the story of a young boy spending his birthday at Coney Island, in search of his heart’s desire.

PRAISE

★“Viva takes readers on a wild trip to an amusement park, the city skyline behind. The composition is often busy, with action that keeps eyes moving across the-two page spreads (fireworks in the night sky, a train roaring off, the rain hitting close). The rhyming text has an additional surprise: wordplay linked to holes on the page that relate to the action…  The excitement of the story is enhanced by changing perspectives; sometimes the illustrations are close-ups, other times they are broad abstracts like landscapes with just enough recognizable shapes to keep a sense or reality.” – Booklist, starred review

“A boy’s amusement-park birthday becomes a die-cut celebration for all…  Viva treats readers to stunning spreads recalling the joys and trials (spilled ice cream!) of childhood. Graphically compelling, the linocut style and limited palette recall Matisse, but this is also an exploration of die-cut storytelling.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Viva’s playfully stylized graphics—in saturated hues of hot fudge, gold, vanilla, turquoise, and red—celebrate boardwalk food stands, carnival games, and beach goers.” – Publishers Weekly

“The lure of visual surprises and wordplay will spur readers forward through this handsomely designed book.” – School Library Journal