Malini, a young girl in a small Sri Lankan community, is anxious about
the responsibility of helping with the monsoon-season rice planting for
the first time. When a flash flood leaves her stranded alone with the ox
cart full of rice seedlings, she summons unexpected courage to calm the
ox and save her town's rice crop.
It is time to plant the rice crop in Malini's Sri Lankan community, and
the little girl is both excited and nervous to help for the first time.
What if she does it wrong? Will she be responsible if the crop fails?
When the oxcart rumbles in loaded with seedlings, she reluctantly agrees
to watch the big, imposing animal while the driver takes a break.
Suddenly, the skies go dark with monsoon rain. A flash flood pours down
the road, separating Malini from the driver and her family. They are
shouting for her to run for higher ground, but what about the rice?
Summoning up courage she never dreamed she possessed, Malini resolves to
save ox, cart, and seedlings, no matter what it takes.
Award-winning author Alma Fullerton tells Malini's story in expressive
free verse that vibrates with emotion and energy. The moods of Sri
Lanka's rainy season come alive as Kim La Fave, illustrator of the
award-winning Shin Chi's Canoe, uses a fresh style that is both
contemporary and impressionistic to depict the courage of one little
girl facing the power of a flash flood.
