Hello, Rain

From distant thunder to clearing skies, a downpour offers plenty to see and do for the star of this story and a dog companion. Heading outside as “umbrellas bloom,” the slicker-clad child gets happier the wetter the day becomes, stomping in puddles and letting go of a paper boat and two stick rafts: “Curbside waterfall./ Downhill swoosh./ Out of many drops—/ One./ Rushing./ River./ Let’s launch the fleet!” The two behold the rain summoning living things (“an earthworm,/ a stick snail”) and helping others grow (“hyacinth,/ foxglove”), then “crouch under a tree/ and whisper-talk” until lightning and cracks of thunder drive them to watch the storm from inside. Maclear (Story Boat) celebrates the unbounded joy of discovery in ordinary things, chronicling events with a poet’s powers of observation: “a single drop of rain/ touches five times—/a branch,/ a leaf,/ an apple, a rock,/ a blade of grass—before reaching/ the ground.” Digital, retro-style spreads by Turnham (National Parks of the USA) give the pages a memorable look with a palette of unexpected hues—muddy mauve alongside turquoise, yellow, and green. Together, the creators conjure a child who fully inhabits each present moment until the sun arrives again. Ages 3–5. [em](Apr.) [/em]