Title: Hello, Rain!

Author: Katherine Pryor

Illustrator: Rose Soini

Publisher/Year: Schiffer Kids/2024

Format: Board Book

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It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a board book here on Frog on a Blog. But board books are essentially picture books, just in a different format. They’re for the littlest book aficionados, infants to about three years old. Thanks to their extra-sturdy covers, board books hold up well in the hands and mouths of these future readers.

Today, I’m pleased to share, on a rainy Wednesday here at home, Hello, Rain! by Katherine Pryor, with illustrations by Rose Soini. Hello, Rain! was published by Schiffer Kids in 2024. It’s the second in the “Hello,” series, following Hello, Garden!, by the same author and illustrator, which received the IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association) Benjamin Franklin Gold Award in 2022 for its age category.

Both books feature the same diverse family. And, as you can see from the covers, the kids are the stars. In Hello, Rain!, readers follow the family as they set off to play in the rain. The children enjoy splashing in puddles and drawing in mud until a thunderstorm drives them all back to the safety and comfort of home where a family story time, followed by a bubble-filled bath, proves to be the perfect way to end the day.

The rhyming, rhythmic text adeptly uses short sentences and simple noun/verb pairs to create mood and movement throughout the story. The colorful illustrations, which I believe are watercolor, depict sweet kids and lots of outdoor scenes, including birds, squirrels, trees, and plants. Parents will have fun pointing out a sleeping mouse, baby robins, and curious worms. What I like most about this book is just the pure joy the kids express while playing outside in nature.

Hello, Rain! is a great choice for the little book and nature lovers in your life!

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