Synopsis
Rain, rain, go away! Do you wish it would stop raining? Find out why rain is so important. Find out what happens when it rains too much and when it rains too little. And learn what makes the rain.
Susan Schott Karr - Children's Literature
As part of the "Amazing Science" series, this colorful picture book begins simply enough yet covers a fair amount of academic ground in explaining what rain is and how it works. At times, it seems almost too cheerful for its subject, but then, who would want to read a gloomy book? It is easy to picture a preK to third-grade teacher reading this book as a way to introduce a science unit on precipitation and water cycles. The reading level is geared to the young-at-heart weather reporter or climatologist. The author has taken a straightforward approach, using short sentences and covering the facts. All illustrations are digitally rendered, and they incorporate large shapes and splashes of color, as if they could have been created out of a collage of cutout pieces of construction paper. Students and teachers will find the experiment on how to "see" a water cycle interesting. Additional facts, a glossary, index, and list of other sources flesh out the last three pages of the book, giving the curious reader a direction for further exploration. 2004, Picture Window Books, Ages 4 to 9.