It's Raining Laughter by Nikki Grimes - African American Poetry

Bibliography

Grimes, Nikki. 1997. IT’S RAINING LAUGHTER. Ill. by Myles C. Pinkney. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0803720033.

Review and Critical Analysis

            IT’S RAINING LAUGHTER is a book of poems that was inspired by Myles C. Pinkney’s exuberant and heartwarming collection of photographs of African American children. All of Grimes' poems are written in the first person, from the point of view of the children depicted in the book. Pinkney’s photos display a wide range of emotions, from playful to thoughtful; the reader senses that these children understand their uniqueness, and self worth. Their enjoyment of life is palpable. The poems are written in the form of stanzas. Three have a definite rhyme scheme to them, in SIDEWAYS BEAUTY and THE LAUGHING BOY the second and fourth lines of the quatrain rhyme and in AT THE LIBRARY the words at the end of each set of two lines rhyme. In addition, Grimes’ poems also have a strong narrative tone.

The language Grimes utilizes brings the children’s voices to life. REMEMBER is a compelling example of narration.  The young speaker in the poem is expressing both slight trepidation at standing up in front of a crowd performing her poem, and comfort in the fact that she has a supporter in the front row cheering her on. A sense of movement, music and energy pervades these poems as well. I AM is essentially a series of words that the young narrator uses to describe himself, the words depict a series of euphoric actions presenting the child as jubilant. However, the ending portrays the essence of children, they are joy. WHERE’D YOU GET THEM NAMES? is musical in nature. It not only has a refrain in the form of the repeated line, “Where’d you get them names?” but it also reads like a song, you can almost hear the music as you read. The manner in which Grimes uses her words to represent these children’s voices make her poems appealing to a young reader. The youthful reader would recognize and relate to the vocabulary used by the narrators and see themselves as this person.

Grimes’ readers would also identify with many of the childhood experiences discussed in her poetry. Two examples of this come from FOUR EYES and FRIENDS AGAIN. In FOUR EYES the narrator is upset at the way their glasses make them look, until the father says the glasses are “protecting two beautiful works of art.” This simple statement not only helps put the narrator at ease but also makes her feel special. Reading this poem would have the same effect on a young person. FRIENDS AGAIN, a poem about fighting with your best friend, and then reconciling, produces a similar affect. Children will recognize analogous experiences they have had with their friends and realize that forgiveness can be achieved and the relationship repaired.  The illustrations point to a particular child, in most cases, who fits the subject of the poem. However, the reader never truly gets a sense of whether the narrators are male or female, so that whoever reads the poems, boy or girl, they can easily identify with the narrator.

Poem Used to Support Critical Analysis and Follow Up Activity

From IT’S RAINING LAUGHTER

I’m Jelayni. Patrice.

Tiana. Charnelle.

When I was born

my mama gave me names that sing

so anyone could tell

that even newborn-baby cries

were music to her ears.

I’m a goofy giggler,

a sadness chaser,

a good-mood maker.

I find laughter in a cup,

pour it over all I see.

And when I smile, Grandma calls me

the spitting image of God’s joy.

I might be Joetta,

or Donelle Alshon

named after Aunt Ellen

and Grandfather Don.

Whatever I’m called

or may grow up to be,

I’m a work of art now, obviously.
Nikki Grimes

            IT’S RAINING LAUGHTER condenses the very essence of Grimes’ poetry. Each poem in this compilation is meant to evoke a single, individual child. A child with a distinct personality and unique hopes, dreams, loves and even fears. IT’S RAINING LAUGHTER also presents a deep sense of the musicality and movement that pervades the rest of the book.

          Ask each student to bring in a photograph of an event in their lives that was significant for them as an interesting follow-up activity. With that photograph as inspiration, the student would write their own poem about that event. It could be a positive or a negative incident, as long as it was meaningful to the child. Once the poems were written each student would explain their photo, why it has meaning for them, and conclude by reading their poem aloud. This activity emphasizes the qualities and experiences every child has that has made them unique.