It's Raining, Yancy and Bear

Deborah Dowson is a children’s librarian who has recently relocated to
North Wales, Pennsylvania.

Captivating from the very first line, this book is a masterful example
of how intelligent, imaginative, and complex a picture book for children
can be.

Yancy and Bear have a couple of things to celebrate on this spring day.
Bear has chosen this to be a birthday day, and it is the day grandfather
has chosen to plant the garden. It is a tradition for Yancy and Bear to
trade places on his birthday, which is always fun, but their special day
seems to be in jeopardy because it is raining too hard to plant.
Grandfather finds a way to turn the disappointment around as he takes
Yancy and Bear on a bus trip to the museum. They see many exhibits and
watch a children’s play. They come home with a special souvenir of
sunflower seeds that becomes the first thing planted that spring.

The elaborate plot, variation in setting, and character interaction all
flow and connect effortlessly to make for an interesting and
well-developed story. Children will relate their own experiences to this
story, which offers the opportunity for discussion on many levels. The
watercolor art is a perfect complement to the mood of the wet, rainy
day, and the details add a realistic flavor to the story. Highly
recommended.