About the Holiday

The rainy season is coming—do you know where your umbrella is? March, with its unpredictable weather has been designated National Umbrella Month to commemorate those useful objects that keep us dry in the rain and shaded from the sun’s rays. Invented in China over 4,000 years ago, the umbrella underwent many changes before becoming the pocket-sized helper it is today. To celebrate this month, check on the condition of your umbrella or treat yourself to a new one!

Thanks to Lerner Books for sharing a digital copy of Sunday Rain with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Sunday Rain

Written by Rosie J. Pova | Illustrated by Amariah Rauscher

 

When Elliot heard the wind Whoosh by and a tree branch tap against his window, he stopped reading and went to the window to look outside. “A leaf few by, swinging down and side to side. Then another and another.” Elliot watched craggy lightening break through the clouds and heard a crash of thunder. Elliot went back to his book, back to the princess, the dragon, and the raging sea.

In a bit Elliot heard laughter. He went to the window again “and glued his nose to the glass.” On the sidewalk outside his house, kids from the neighborhood were “skipping, springing, and splashing in oodles of puddles.” When one of the kids looked his way, Elliot stepped away. Then he heard his mother calling. She had pulled his rainboots from a box she was unpacking. She encouraged him to go out and “make some friends.”

Elliot took his toy boat and went outside. It “smelled like wet grass and flowers and the pages of a new book.” Two kids were playing at the next stoop. Elliot let out a roar and stomped in a puddle. “‘My boat is filling up with water,’ he said to no one in particular.” Suddenly he had two helpers to row them all to the safety of the nearby island. But the dragon had landed on the mast and was pushing the boat backward. All three kids pulled on the dragon’s tail to dislodge it.

Safely on the island, the three were joined by a little girl wearing a gold crown and flying a dragon kite. They built a sandcastle, listened to shells, and Elliot caught raindrops falling from the trees on his tongue. As the sun began to peek out from behind the clouds, Elliot and his two new friends headed back across the ocean to the city. Back home, it was time for supper with “freshly baked bread and stew and warmth.” Before turning out the light, Elliot finished his book. “The princess befriended the dragon and saved the kingdom. He snuggled down into his covers, hugging his book and listened to the hoot of an owl as he “drifted off to sleep.”

A quiet aura of nostalgia wafts through Rosie A. Pova’s fresh story of imagination and making new friends after a move. No angst or worry, fear or longing ripples Pova’s gentle nudge for readers to step a little bit outside their comfort zone to meet new experiences head on. The rainstorm, soon spent, creates two inviting environments: Elliot’s cozy bedroom and a playground of “oodles of puddles” where Elliot feels comfortably at home. Pova’s neat transition from reality to imaginative play is seamless and authentically childlike.

Her lyrical phrasing and close observations shine, giving the story a tenderness adults and kids will want to share again and again. Coming in for supper (a word that conjures images of old-fashioned family dinners), Elliot is embraced by the warmth of good food and family love. As he drifts off to sleep, all is well in Elliot’s story and his heart.

Amariah Rauscher’s lovely illustrations perfectly reflect the welcome and hope of Pova’s story. As the storm begins, Elliot looks up from his book with an expression of curiosity. Returning to his book after peeking out the window at the storm, the same blue-gray of the sky colors the ocean on which he and the intrepid princess battle the dragon. Readers first meet the neighborhood kids the way Elliot does—through his bedroom window. A nice touch that puts them in his shoes.

When Elliot takes his boat outside, readers can see—and almost feel—his momentary hesitation before he takes that first stomp and goes about making friends. When Elliot’s little boat turns into a sailboat for three, the dragon and princess from Elliot’s book show up to play too. But is the princess another new friend or just in Elliot’s imagination? Ask your young reader and see what they say! Rauscher’s children are sweet little charmers, full of fun and all the possibilities in the world.

As Elliot’s mom says, “Sunday rains are the best!” Rosie J. Pova and Amariah Rauscher’s Sunday Rain will quickly become a family or classroom favorite for cozy, imaginative story times and is highly recommended as a gift or addition to home, school, and public library bookshelves.

Ages 4 – 8

Lantana Publishing, 2021 | ISBN 978-1911373971

Discover more about Rosie J. Pova and her books on her website.

To learn more about Amariah Rauscher, her books, and her art, visit her website.

National Umbrella Day Activity

Find the Matching Umbrellas

 

These umbrellas and raincoats were mixed up in the wind! Can you find the matching pairs? Look carefully! How will you match them up?

Rainy Day Mix Up Umbrellas Matching Puzzle

You can find Sunday Rain at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review