Downpour: Splish! Splash! Ker-Splash!

Toddler-K–It’s rare that a book can capture all five senses so intensely. A joy to read aloud, this book follows a young boy as a rainstorm commences. His senses open and blossom in the pouring rain, and he comes to view the storm as a close friend, someone who he looks forward to seeing again even as the rain ends. Translated from the Japanese, this book is perfect for read-alouds and can be viewed as performance literature for story hours or in the classroom. It’s filled with plips, plops, splooshes, and pleks, all of which work together to create a raucous verbal symphony. The story and artwork entices young readers to perceive the rain as an invitation to engage the natural world as a companion, and to let loose one’s own innate sense of playfulness. The artwork truly gushes happiness. Joy is expressed not only in the child’s character, but in the rain and water itself. Scenes in which the character is immersed in intense, falling rain are the most evocative. Young readers are going to want to play in the rain—well beyond puddle-hopping, this book embraces and centers nature in our lives.