Rain Player

This story was written by the great, creative David Wisniewski, based on Mayan culture and the game, Pok-a-tok. It is a year of dreadful drought. The main character, Pik, challenges the mighty rain god, Chac, to an intense, hazardous contest, with the help of a daring jaguar, followed by a soaring Quetzal and the cenote's water.This book teaches you to be resilient, brave, face your fears, never give up and to use teamwork.We thoroughly enjoyed the story - the pictures were beautiful and amazing and every bit is crafted from card. The illustrations of the jaguar leaping gracefully off Pik's back and the underground cenote were some of our favourites. We really got pulled into the book and felt like we were right there. Another great part is the end page which explains the meaning and pronunciation of Mayan words.The only thing we would change is to make the book longer! We'd like an additional scene of the main character asking his friends to join the team (we wrote this scene ourselves).We fully recommend this book as it is brilliant and also educational.

In this wonderfully, exciting book, we are introduced to the Ancient Maya ball game of Pok-a-Tok and one, young man's journey as he challenges the rain God to a best of three match. Will he triumph and save his people or are they destined to suffer a crippling and long-lasting drought?This engaging story is brought to life through spectacular and intricate paper-cut artwork which captivates the reader throughout and provides an insight into the pattern, colour and culture of the Maya Civilisation. This book is suitable for children and adults alike, but will resonate especially well with those aged 9-11.

A tale of bravery, kindness and determination. Pik, a young Mayan Pok-a-tok player, challenges the powerful rain god Chac to a game to overcome a terrible drought that is said to last the year. But can he prevail?This short story has brilliant, vibrant illustrations based on the ancient Mayan culture. It is aimed at children 8-10 years old, but can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Rain Player is an engaging fable with a detailed story line finished with colourful illustrations. Collaboration, responsibility and perseverance all play a part, giving an insight into the Maya world and beliefs. #ks2 #books

Excellent story to bring the Ancient Maya civilisation and the ancient ball sport of Pok to Pok alive. Stunning illustrations.

Visually stunning and lots to learn for any KS2 studying the Maya.

I would rate this book 3.5 stars. Overall, it was pretty decent, but I would have liked to extend the story a bit. If I were a teacher, I would have it at the top of the list of books to teach with. It has great language and you can easily pick out a section to work on. This book is about a young Maya Pok-a-tok player who challenges a god. With a team of natural things, will Pik be able to overcome Chac? All the previous players failed.

A beautifully illustrated book with a useful page at the back explaining the themes shared in the story.

Beautiful pictures and an interesting story based on Mayan mythology. Keeps young children's attention.

I remember this book from my own childhood. My school librarian read it to us in her captivating story telling voice, and it stuck with me. I remember I had to check it out, mainly because I needed a closer look at the gorgeous illustrations. Thirty years later, and I'm still just as captivated by the bright, intricate cut paper. Glad to have my own copy to share with my children!

got this for my daughter who is a bit older yo reconnect to our true heritage and she fell in love with the story, i highly recommend this to anyone

This a nice written book, i encourage the teachers and libray to have this for any classroom studies in mesoamerica. It has great pictures, sna the story is execelent.

After seeing the incredibly intricate and lovely paper cut out artwork, I ordered every book I could find by this author/artist. If you didn't even read the story, the book would be worth it for the art! But the story: wonderful! I also really liked the last page, in which the author describes in minute detail any variation from the original legend, so there is good historical info there, too. I highly recommend all these books! You will be delighted.