One Big Rain: Poems for Rainy Days

This playful group of 20 rain-themed poems includes the works of Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, and Hilda Conkling, among others, as well as several haiku in translation. Although rhymes (such as Dixie Willson's "I like the gray/ November day,/ And bare, dead boughs/ That coldly sway") are outnumbered by free verse poems and haiku ("stars on the pond—/ again, a pitter-patter/ of winter rain"), every poem is short, quietly illustrated, and organized by season. The muted tone of this collection may not make readers jump with excitement, but it is certainly well suited to a drizzly afternoon. Ages 6–9. (July)