Alex It has been a pretty dry summer here, and I have to admit that while I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the heat as an excuse to sit back, relax, and consume cold beverages, I am also quite partial to cozy summer thunderstorms.
We were promised such a storm today, and thus I felt it was a good time to talk about a book I love very much: Rain! by Linda Ashman. With Christian Robinson’s signature blocky, colorful illustrations and a warm lesson about joy, Rain! is the perfect companion to a blanket and a cup of something hot on a rainy day.
(Rain! is also a great title for those who are in need of some positive thinking, à la Grumpy Pants. Together, Rain! and Grumpy Pants make an ideal reading list for even the most curmudgeonly audience.)
Rain! follows two protagonists–who could not be more dissimilar in either defining attributes or disposition–on the same rainy city day. It is a simple story conveyed in a toddler-friendly manner–but one that will still resonate with children (and no doubt adults) of many ages.
There’s not much in the way of exposition to open Rain!, and the text is sparing; our protagonists–a grumpy older gentleman and an energetic young boy–don’t even have names. Nonetheless, Ashman’s narrative packs emotional punches and delivers timely truths about perspective and kindness.
From the start, Robinson artfully illustrates the differences in the characters’ mornings through careful attention to detail–right down to the typography–and color, showing even the youngest of readers what impact their actions can have on the world around them.
The ways in which our two protagonists respond to greetings from others result in smiles or frowns; plants appear lush or a bit unkempt; dogs sniff serenely or bark and pull at their leashes; even within a single locale–the aptly named “Rain or Shine Café”–certain elements loom or recede to reflect the polarized experiences of the boy and the man.
On the first page, the boy greets a rainy morning with excitement from his cheerful yellow bedroom, eager to put on his coordinated froggy outfit while the man stews in muddy greens, beiges, and greys in a neighboring apartment building.
We might pause here to consider that the man’s dreary outlook is not entirely his fault; while we see the boy’s mother smiling in the bedroom doorway, the man is surrounded by photographs of people–but otherwise tangibly alone. Indeed, as he goes about his morning and rejects the pleasantries offered by others, the man’s isolation intensifies.
It is now understood that, particularly for the elderly, isolation and loneliness can cause great harm. But is it a stretch to say that Rain!, a board book for toddlers, is commenting on this reality?
Given that there are precious few belongings depicted in the living spaces of the characters and that the boy’s walls are bare, the inclusion of photographs–colorless and indistinct–in the man’s pages feels significant. Yes, maybe he has a spouse sitting just out of sight in another room–but the lone frame on a side table next to what could easily be the silhouette of a decanter suggests otherwise.
While Rain! certainly has something to say about the importance of making the best of things, it also seems to take great care in justifying this man’s cloudy spirit, as if to remind us that he’s not a villain–merely a world-weary, bad-news-fatigued, lonely human being.
Ignoring this, one might at the climax of Rain! be tempted to conclude simply that the boy’s positive outlook has gotten through to his standoffish counterpart. But perhaps we should consider instead that it’s the deliberate act of caring about and connecting with another person that makes the difference.
The boy’s world, after all, is flooded with curiosity and connection–from the interactions he has on the street to the patrons surrounding him in the café, the joy he receives from others as he reaches out to them is what allows him to see beauty in the inclement weather.
And while, for a moment, the man’s rejection threatens to pull the boy into that same dull-green space of isolation, the boy’s decision to resist becoming “jaded”–this is too perfect to be mere coincidence–ultimately brings out the sun for them both.
On every level, Rain! is both a visual and transcendental delight; whether you want to recapture some playfulness in your own life, or simply weather a stormy day with little ones, Rain! is a brief but powerful reminder of the changes that a new friend–or hat!–can bring about. So do yourself a favor and give it a read!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go help myself to some cocoa and cookies.
“Into each life some rain must fall.”
Excerpt from The Rainy Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
