• Age: 3 to 7
• Grade: k to 2

In this beautiful picture book, the wondrous merges with the ordinary when it starts to rain … inside the house!

One day, it starts to rain in Pauline and Louis’s house. The whole family looks for the source of the rain, but nothing can be found! Dad tries to mop up the puddles that form on the floor, Mom holds an umbrella over her head to read, and Pauline and Louis wear their raincoats. Everyone tries to pretend that nothing is wrong. Pauline and Louis are embarrassed and try to keep their rainy house a secret from the other kids at school, expecting to be teased. What would happen if someone found out?

Outside, the sun is shining. But inside the house, something new is happening. Plants sprout from the carpet, the bathtub and the kitchen sink. A giant tree spreads its branches through the living room. The neighborhood children, curious about the leaves they see through the windows, come inside. Instead of teasing, they want to play. Pauline and Louis aren’t alone with their secret any longer. In fact, having a tree in the house is kind of fun! Soon, the branches grow too big for the house, and sunlight streams in through holes in the roof. There’s something else, new, too — the rain has finally stopped.

A story about embracing difference, celebrating the wondrous and expecting the best from our friends. This nuanced and layered story will have both very young and school-aged children requesting repeated readings.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

ÉLÉONORE DOUSPIS received a Bachelor of Arts degree in plastic arts from Paris VIII as well as a diploma in graphic design from the E-artsup multimedia school in Paris. Today, she works as a freelance graphic designer, mainly for graphic design and architecture agencies. She spends her free time writing and illustrating children's books.

Éléonore Douspis' profile page

SHELLEY TANAKA is an award-winning author, translator and editor. She has written more than twenty books for children and young adults, winning the Orbis Pictus Award, the Mr. Christie’s Book Award, the Science in Society Book Award and the Information Book Award, and she has twice been nominated for the Deutsche Jugendliteraturpreis. Other honors include Texas Blue Bonnet runner-up, School Library Journal Best Books, ALA Notables and IRA Young Adults’ Choice. Her translation of Michel Noel’s Good for Nothing won the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People and was on the IBBY Honor List (Commended). Shelley teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts, in the MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She lives in Kingston, Ontario.

Shelley Tanaka's profile page

• Commended, Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year

Distinctive flat digital art reflects the outlandish storyline and will spark the reader’s imagination and delight.

Postmedia

Douspis’ text, which is translated from French, is short and poetic.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

Visually and textually poetic, this contemplative story continues to grow through repeated visits. STARRED REVIEW

Kirkus Reviews

[B]eginning readers and pre-schoolers ages 3-6 will enjoy this fantasy, especially on a rainy day.

Winnipeg Free Press

In this positive story about variety, children will eagerly absorb the simple message that being different can have happy results.

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