Overview and Outcomes:

In this ten-session Writing Root, which we suggest will take 3 weeks to cover, the children begin by locating Kenya on a map and learning a traditional Kenyan song. Then a bird appears with an instruction around his neck! This leads them discovering a book telling the story of Kapiti Plain where there is no rain... They meet the hero - Ki-pat -; who shoots the arrow that is to burst the rain cloud. After creating a musical score to re-tell a section of the text, a letter arrives asking the children to help write a tourist information leaflet. Early Reading teaching is embedded throughout and suggestions for Continuous Provision are also made.

Synopsis of Text:

When a terrible drought hits the beautiful Kapiti Plain and the animals leave, young herd boy Ki-pat must find a way to end the drought and save the wildlife on the plain. Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plai by Verna Aardema is a delightful rhyming story full of bright and vivid illustrations by Beatriz Vidal.

Text Rationale:

This gorgeous, lyrical text, written in cumulative rhyme, retells the traditional story of a drought which sweeps across the Kapiti Plain, Kenya. K-pat, the herd boy, must find a way to end the drought and the suffering of the animals on the plain. Verna Aardema was an award-winning American author who published retellings of many African traditional tales. This book has strong links to geography (African geography, wildlife and understanding concepts such as drought), history and exposes children to African folktales.

Links and themes:

Africa, Kenya, rain, desert, weather, animals, geography, history, diversity, traditional tales

Date written: June 2017