Look, It’s Raining

In Pierloot’s U.S. debut, this wonder-filled rainy-day reverie follows a bored girl, Camille, who escapes her house to cavort in a downpour. She drinks a little rain (it “tastes like dust, like clouds”) and chats with creatures on their way to a mysterious “show,” which Dek (A Walk in the Forest) reveals in a beautiful spread. The story’s “zigzags and spins” create an uneven rhythm, but they echo the girl’s own meandering and leave opportunities to pause and ponder. There are a few mismatches between words and pictures: text describing Camille running “her hand through the tall, wet grass,” are paired with images that show her playing on the garden wall and splashing in a puddle. Still, her delight at her freedom is palpable in the flat-planed, saturated watercolors, which evoke a sense of petrichor and childlike whimsy. Playful details (an ant jauntily holding an umbrella, a fly assisting its fellow in escaping a spiderweb) lend a sheen of fantasy to match the child’s imaginative curiosity. This inviting title will likely suit young nature-revelers and encourage rainy day wandering and wondering. Ages 3–6. [em](Sept.) [/em]