It's Raining, It's Pouring

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

An old nursery rhyme that begins “It’s raining, it’s pouring, /
The old man is snoring” is the inspiration for this charming picture
book for young children.

Little Girl, the tale’s protagonist, “wants to play,” and she is
a very determined child. Fetching a ladder from the family’s basement,
she climbs up through the attic skylight to the nearest thundercloud,
wind and thunder failing to deter her. There she finds a signpost that
directs her to Old Man, who turns out to be a giant with a terrible
cold. Concerned about Old Man, she returns home and, with a little help
from her mother, prepares for the giant a hot-water bottle and a whole
wheelbarrow full of hot water with honey and lemon. With a pack on her
back and the full wheelbarrow attached by a rope to her shoulders, she
heads back up to the sky. After drinking the hot drink, Old Man feels so
much better he restores the sun.

This nicely written fantasy will delight preschoolers. Former teacher
Andrea Spalding of Pender Island, British Columbia, has won many awards
for her picture books. Ontario-based artist Elizabeth Watts has
illustrated seven other picture books. Her colorful illustrations are
highly imaginative yet firmly based on the realities of a warm family
life. Highly recommended.