Come On, Rain

A lovely picture-book evocation of stifling summer heat, and the blessed relief that a rainstorm can bring, Come On, Rain! is a book that brought me back to my own childhood, when my first impulse, when sensing the approach of rain, was to run outside in the hopes of being "caught" in the deluge. As Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi once wrote, "When bathing in the rain was no longer one of great pleasures of my existence, I knew I had left my childhood behind me." This beautiful book, in which a young girl named Tess, eagerly anticipating the rain, manages to get her three friends - and then their mothers! - out into the downpour, makes me feel that I have not, after all, really left my childhood entirely behind.

Yes, I still show more feel the pull of the rain, and Karen Hesse captures that feeling with her words, just as the marvelously talented Jon J. Muth - better known for his Zen Shorts, and its sequels - does with his gorgeous watercolor artwork! It's a testament to the power of their creation that, although I grew up in an environment far removed from Tess's urban neighborhood, I instantly identified with her story. Just a beautiful book, highly recommended to fans of the artist, and to any reader who has longed for the rain, and its cool caress. show less

This book is one of my favorites! This is such a lovely story about patience, appreciation and diversity. In "Come on Rain," Tess begs the sky above to give her relief from the summer heat. And when it finally rains, she and her friends and family go out to dance and play in it.

“Come on, Rain!” by Karen Hesse, Illustrated by Jon J. Muth
I enjoyed this story. I can almost smell the wet city bricks after the rain has passed. The art style is soft and complements the imagery, still leaving room for imagination. Through Hesse’s descriptions, one can clearly recall their own hot day, the ones that leave the pavement boiling and the sweat running down your back. This story made me smile. I appreciated the diversity but also the celebration of mothers and daughters and friendship. The characters are having so much fun, it makes you wish to join in as much as she wished for rain.

"Come on, rain!" Tess pleads to the sky as listless vines and parched plants droop in the endless heat. Up and down the block, cats pant while heat wavers off tar patches in the broiling alleyway. More than anything, Tess hopes for rain. And when it comes, she and her friends are ready for a surprising joyous celebration

It's a hot day. It's a very hot day, and I imagine it's muggy too. Hot, humid, no rain in three weeks, the plants and the people wilting. When our protagonist sees the clouds coming in she gets her friends and tells them to get their bathing suits. You can *feel* the relief when they (and their color-coded mothers) go dancing in the rain as that heat breaks. You can just about feel the rain on you by looking at the pictures! The text makes the mood - weary and tired when it's hot, happier when the rain falls.

One thing I especially like is how the girl gets her bathing suit on. She had asked her mother, but her mother told her she'd burn in the sun. So she went and fetched a friend and told HER to put her suit on - and then pointed out show more to her mother that if her FRIEND had her suit on, surely SHE could get hers on as well? This is the sort of going-behind-the-grownups-backs that I do NOT encourage or condone - in fact, I pointed it out specifically to my nieces as something that I really don't want them doing - but it's so effective and so typical that I had to laugh! show less

Come On, Rain! is about a young girl that longs to play in the rain as it falls a summer day. She puts on her bathing suit and prays that the water will fall from the sky. Her mother continuously tells her that it is not in the forecast for the day, but the little girls resolve holds true and it does end up raining that afternoon.

I thought that this was a great story! It told of a small moment that a young girl will remember for the rest of her life. I would recommend this story to any teacher that wanted to teach on the small moments of life.

An activity that I would do with this book is a writing prompt about a small moment that the students have experienced. I would have them describe the experience and discuss using more descriptive show more vocabulary. show less

"Come on, rain!" Tess pleads to the sky as listless vines and parched plants droop in the endless heat. Up and down the block, cats pant while heat wavers off tar patches in the broiling alleyway. More than anything, Tess hopes for rain. And when it comes, she and her friends are ready for a surprising joyous celebration...
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