Comin' Down! Hello, Rain! by Kyo Maclear

THE AIR IS FULL OF WAITING.

THE SKY IS FULL OF BREEZE.

THE TREES GUST AND BILLOW....

Before the rain... there's a tension in the air. Leaves and birds begin to fly, to... somewhere.

PLINK, PLUNK, PLONK, ON THE ROOFTOP,

METAL MAILBOX PING.

Kids suit up in full raingear. Umbrellas bloom like multicolored morning glories and the kids step out into...

A DELUGE, DOWNPOUR, SPRINKLE, STORM, DRIZZLE OR MIZZLE...

So many raindrops it takes to make just one puddle big enough to go...

SPLASH!

But so many raindrops makes streams flow and gardens grow!

PINK ROSES, BURSTING PEAPODS, PLUMS IN THE FRIDGE, SWEET AND COLD...

And all too soon a summer rainstorm moves on to become a memory, as sweet as a plum, in Kyo Maclear's just published Hello, Rain! (Chronicle Books, 2021). Maclear's inspired picture book portrays in powerful poetic language that happy sortie of high summer, playing outside in a rainstorm, something every child should savor. The author's use of evocative imagery and well-chosen wordplay is appealingly illustrated by artist Chris Turnham, great for a thoughtful read aloud or for quiet reading on summer days when clouds begin to gather. Kirkus Reviews raves, "In text that begs to be shared aloud, evocative figurative language. . . a heaping dose of onomatopoeia. . . and delicious vocabulary. . . vividly animate the thrill of heading outside when 'the sky is an adventure.'"