Rain Boy

February 1, 2020
Glynn introduces Rain Boy and Sun Kidd--and then presents children's contrasting reactions to their essences. The young people are glum or angry when Rain Boy, depicted as a puffy, blue cloud, drips on their outdoor play. Sun, a glowing girl of color, is welcomed happily, however. The tension between the two climaxes during her birthday, when Rain Boy's presence floods the basement, threatening the cake and presents. The guests encircle the cloud, crying: "Rain, Rain, go away!" Sun escapes to her room. Glynn's watercolor, cut-paper, pastel, and colored-pencil caricatures and tableaux channel both a delightfully childlike aesthetic and emotionally charged expressionism. Sun's bed is draped in golden curtains in the upper corner of a space defined by the strong diagonals of a wrought-iron balcony and foreshortened ladder. A black, starry sky frames the yellow/orange interior, which is dominated by a Calder-esque mobile. After Rain Boy storms off, the downpour continues until the children start appreciating both one another and puddles. This coaxes the celestial protagonists outside, where a rainbow appears: "So next time you're feeling down and your world is dark and gray...just look up." As convenient and lovely as this spread is, the message does not quite apply to Rain Boy, nor is it completely transferable to an ostracized reader, thus sapping the book of some of its logic and power. Captivating visuals will prompt conversations about the feelings and choices of victim, friend, and community.(Picture book. 3-6)

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Starred review from April 1, 2020

K-Gr 3-Rain Boy is not the most popular kid in school. Wherever he goes, rain accompanies him and the other children become agitated by his presence. One day, Sun Kidd moves to town and the mood of the entire town shifts. Sun Kidd is welcome everywhere because wherever she goes, sun comes with her. For her birthday, Sun Kidd's parents throw her a surprise sleepover and invite everyone in her class. However, Rain Boy's attendance soon casts a shadow over the party and he leaves; Rain Boy's ensuing storm has its own transformative power over the town. Any child who has ever experienced the pain of being left out will embrace this story. Rain Boy and Sun Kidd represent the sunny and rainy dispositions inherent in every human. Detailed watercolor illustrations coupled with succinct text make this book accessible to a wide range of ages. Each image exists somewhere between childlike doodle and reality, the characters recognizable as humans but with occasionally exaggerated features. The endpapers reflect the change that takes place over the course of the story, moving from moody blues to a vivid rainbow. Carefully crafted text serves as an accent to each page, presented with familiar vocabulary. Children and caregivers will be inspired to interpret its deeper meaning. VERDICT This is a critical addition to elementary collections to build empathy and acceptance.-Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver Public Library

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