Book Review: Harry the High Versus Larry the Low

Reviewed by Toni Woodruff

A meaningful story about the equilibrium of our planet

Harry the High’s got the good stuff. He brings the sunshine and warm weather. He’s responsible for the kind of perfect summer days that every kid dreams about—the ones filled with swimming pools, popsicles, and playing outside.

Larry the Low, meanwhile, brings the bad weather. The rain, the harsh wind, the destructive storms. He may as well be the inspiration for the song, “Rain rain go away, come again another day.”

But Harry the High thinks the Larry the Low should never come back again. He even tells Larry that nobody likes him and that he should leave forever, so that’s just what Larry the Low does.

Without Larry, Harry learns that he’s capable of bringing his own destruction. Things get too hot on Earth. Crops and vegetation dry out and die, and people are in danger. It’s Mother Nature who must step in and assure these weather heroes that they’re both needed. Playing the role as the sensical judge, Mother Nature explains that the world is an equilibrium of highs and lows, of ebbs and flows, of rain and shine.

The book imparts an important, relevant message for all kids. It’s easy to see gray, rainy days as wasted hours stuck inside, but this bookillustrates just how much we need both to keep a healthy ecosystem. We need rain like we need sun. Parents will be glad to have this book to discuss why gray days happen and why they don’t have to be seen as purely disappointing.

But the book’s art stands in the way of making best use of this story. Characters’ bodies get warped, sometimes to the point of being unrecognizable, and scenes appear as nonsensical, like random shapes in the background or sweat dripping down a t-shirt. The art styles change from page to page, too. More observant kids will notice issues like Mother Nature’s incomplete spectacles, Harry’s smudging face, and background characters without clearly defined faces.

Harry the High is also pretty darn cruel. He tells Larry that he sucks and that he should disappear forever. While meanness like this is real, it could also be introducing younger kids to the language they could use to really hurt another person’s feelings.

In the end, Harry the High Versus Larry the Low comes with a strong message. This book could be a good choice for parents looking to pair nonfiction topics of weather and science with a useful story about the delicate balance of rain and shine.

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