November 15, 2019
A rabbit turns a rainy day into a play day. A rabbit finds a pine cone and invites woodland pals to play toss, but when one of them warns, "It's going to RAIN," the rabbit's playmates scatter, leaving their friend behind to announce, "I like rain." Wondering "What's wrong with rain," the rabbit watches drops drip. As the drip, drip increases, the bunny, too, adopts an anti-rain attitude and takes shelter. Flopping about inside, the bored rabbit spies a bird exuberantly splashing outside in a puddle. Donning rain gear, the rabbit heads out to join the bird. Reaffirming, "I like rain," the rabbit invites the others to return for rain play. The minimalist, hand-lettered text relies on repetition of the onomatopoeic words "drip," "drop," "splish," and "splash" to convey weather-related mood swings. Hilariously, Dillard evokes the pouring rain with vertical repetitions of "d r i p" covering the page. Simple, gently humorous illustrations focus on the rabbit playing outdoors, initially sporting a red-and-white-striped T-shirt and later protected by spiffy red galoshes, raincoat, and hat. The rabbit's metamorphosis from rain lover to rain hater and back to rain lover spins out visually in a mix of close-up and aerial views against uncluttered forest backgrounds. Sprightly closing scenes of anthropomorphic critters cavorting in their colorful rain gear end playtime on a high note. Attitude makes all the difference in this amusing, cheery, weather-driven tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
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January 1, 2020
PreS-Gr 1-Dillard delivers an excellent companion to her I Wish It Would Snow! Rabbit and friends are enjoying playing outside on a sunny day, when it begins to rain. While his friends scatter to avoid it, Rabbit likes the rain, until it becomes a downpour. Rabbit waits inside his home, hoping that the weather will improve, until he sees one of his friends, a bird, playing in the storm. Getting his rain gear on, Rabbit joins the bird, and soon all of his friends are playing. When it stops raining, they seem disappointed at first, but are then excited to play in the sun, a rainbow shining in the background. Featuring energetic characters and minimal text, Dillard creates a cheery and appealing rain-themed picture book. The illustrations feature a mix of panels and expansive spreads, as well as word bubbles, similar to the style of a comic book, which are expressive, vibrant, and bright. Young readers will be inspired to play like the characters in the story, no matter the weather outside. VERDICT A delightful picture book to read aloud, rain or shine. Recommended.-Laura J. Giunta, Garden City Public Library, NY
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