Rain and Hail

 How about a Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Book from 1963.... 

Rain and Hail

Franklyn M. Branley

illustrated by Helen Borten 1963

Rain Drop Splash

Our first official days of Spring have been full of rain.  Drip, drop, splash indeed!   Here is another fine pairing of Tresselt and Weisgard. This was Tresselt's first children's book and was named a Caldecott Medal Honor Book in 1947.

Rain Drop Splash

Alvin Tresselt

pictures by Leonard Weisgard 1990

Splash and Trickle

It's a rainy first day of school.  We've been needing the rain and it's quite nice to have the steady drum on the roof.  Charlotte wasn't thrilled to start off high school with an umbrella and wet feet though!

Splash and Trickle

Ivah Green

Illustrated by Bil Connor 1964

 Nothing like a book from 1964 to teach about water conservation on farmland!  Told through the eyes (and rhymes) of two raindrops, Splash and Trickle.  While Trickle lands on a farm where the land is plowed and managed in such a way to conserve and make the most of the water, Splash falls on hard ground.  Even though he doesn't want to, he is part of the rain water that washes the good soil away and causes damaging flooding.  All the anthropomorphized illustrations are cute and I can honestly say I've never come across a book quite like this! 

The Museum of Rain

 

The Museum of Rain

Dave Eggers 2021

I loved the cover of this and was pleasantly surprised at how good the story was.  During a family reunion, an old uncle leads a group of kids to his "museum of rain", a collection of rain in jars that he started years ago under a tree. The story is slim and at first I wanted there to be more to it, but then I realized it was actually just right.

The Big Green Umbrella

If ever one needed an umbrella, it was Monday.  Rain ALL day long.  Madeleine loves the rain and I love it too, but only for a day or so, then I start to miss the sun.  But Monday was a perfect rainy day- just a steady stream that dripped from our gutters and tiptoed across the roof.  Inside the house it was dark so we had to switch on lamps and since our furniture is old (and mostly flea market/trash-picked) the damp weather always bring out a slightly musty smell (which I actually don't mind so much). 

 

The Big Green Umbrella

Elizabeth Coatsworth

pictures by Helen Sewell 1944

Charlotte wasn't into this book as much as I was.  I loved the story.  The Thomas family lives in Delaware in the 1800s and are known by their big green umbrella.  It can keep their whole family dry on rainy days as they walk to church or along the River.  "But one day the umbrella seemed to grow tired of its life in Newcastle," and it decided to fly away on the wind.

Goodness knows what thoughts the umbrella had been thinking during all the long hours behind the door!  But when the moment came, the umbrella acted!

It ends up aboard a clipper ship bound for China.  And then it passes into the hands of Peach Blossom, a Chinese merchant's daughter.  The story ends with the umbrella eventually being returned to the surprised Thomas family.

The Rainbabies

We really haven't gotten our share of April showers this year, but the flowers are blooming nonetheless.  We've always loved the story in this book.  It's interesting that a common devise in fairy/folk tales is a childless couple longing for a child of their own.  Here there's a good dose of magic, love, nature and a bittersweet but happy ending.

The Rainbabies

Laura Krauss Melmed

illustrated by Jim LaMarche 2004

Jim LaMarche's pictures are every bit as warm and sweet as the story. 

A Rainbow of My Own

A Rainbow of My Own

Don Freeman

It's the season of rain showers, spring storms and wet days. This book is a burst of color.

A little boy dons his yellow raincoat and goes in search of a rainbow. He imagines what it would be like to play with the stream of colors but he's in for a sunny surprise when he gets home.

Rain rain rain

Those who live around here will know what I mean.

Rain Makes Applesauce

Rain Makes Applesauce

by Julian Scheer and Marvin Bileck 1964

We've had plenty of rain these days.  All the better for our gardens and grass!  And it was time to pull out this book to read over and over.  I love the whimsical pictures- you could sit and look at them for hours.  The text is silly, nonsensical fun.  Sometimes that's just what kids like to listen to best.  Things like:

Dolls go dancing on  the moon and rain makes applesauce
The wind blows backwards all night long and rain makes applesauce
Candy tastes like soap soap soap and rain makes applesauce
Monkeys eat the chimney smoke and rain makes applesauce

I wish our copy didn't smell so musty, but maybe that adds to the charm!