We Hate Rain!

Rating:
Summary: Rainy Day Tale
Review: When Mary Ann and Louie complain to their grandfather about two straight days of rain, he remembers when he and his younger brother "Wainey" experienced a real rainstorm. Told in an extended flashback, his straight-on delivery of one of the wildest and silliest rainstorms is sure to delight toddlers and young children.

Grandpa recounts a turn of the century rainstorm in which it rained so hard that the water eventually started filling their Victorian house (beautifully illustrated by Stevenson). Grandpa and Wainey's parents are as unperturbed as Grandpa is in telling the story to his grandchildren. Young Wainey inexplicably (and to much laughter from our son) says "Yump" a lot. As the water rises from the floor to the ceiling to the second floor and beyond, the two boys take advantage of their watery circumstances. Taking a bath is no problem, of course, nor are diving contests in the half-submerged rooms, sending letters by boat, nor visiting neighbors who float in and out of the house while calming seated. They're an unflappable bunch.

However, when prehistoric-looking fish swim by, and the family is forced to the roof with one cracker left to eat, young Grandpa dives to the bathroom and pulls the plug on the inundated house. Back to the present, the rain stops, "Uncle Wainey" comes over, and the whole family enjoys some strawberry ice cream. Stevenson's signature style graces the entire book. The combination of the increasingly outlandish content with the Grandfather's flat delivery works well, and Stevenson's whimsy shows in the complementary illustrations, lettering, and throwaway humor: There's just enough plausibility in this improbable tale that you can immerse yourself in it. Highly recommended!