by Elizabeth Bluemle
Illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Published by Candlewick Press, 2014
32 pages
ISBN: 978–0–7636-5696–6
Ages 3-7
“Sky grumbles. Rain tumbles. Big weather — you’d better … get under umbrella! BOOM BOOM.” A rainstorm in the big city on a summer day means the appearance of umbrellas, a mad dash for the subway, and a spontaneous, generous-spirited gathering belowground. “The storm above makes friends of strangers. We laugh under cover at thunder and danger.” The visual storytelling accompanying the narrative enables readers and listeners to follow a number of individuals as the storm breaks, booms, and eventually moves away. A delight to read aloud, there is ample opportunity for enthusiastic participation with the repetitive onomatopoeia, while the finely crafted rhyming phrases create a satisfying narrative arc. “We wave good-bye. ‘So long! Keep dry!’” Honor Book, 2015 Charlotte Zolotow Award © Cooperative Children’s Book Center