Rain

"It starts off with two people looking out the window and responding to the rain in completely different ways. I love the fact they’ve even got different fonts. So, there’s Mr. Grumpy in one window and a happy child in the other. The design of the book uses panels on the page very cleverly to tell the story. It’s about how, as adults, we tend to think of the rain as a bit of an inconvenience, whereas for a child it’s really exciting. It’s dressing up, it’s wanting to dance in the rain, wanting to splash in puddles. Yes. But it’s also how your mood affects other people around you. So, in this it’s the grumpy adult, and the cheerful child. It’s beautifully paced. Again, the colours are stunning with lovely illustrations. I’m a huge fan of Christian Robinson, and I think what works so well in all his illustrations, you know, he just captures emotions very well. It’s quite simple, yet you know exactly how everyone is feeling. In every picture. I like the way he strips everything back, so you’re just left with what you need to know. I think that’s really clever. It’s really bold. Again, it’s a really fresh way of working. Things are in there for a reason, and it’s not just decoration. But then the whole, the way this is constructed, it’s just so well thought out. It’s a lovely ending. I love the fact that the little boy inspires the old man to enjoy the rain. It comes across really clearly. It works so well. I think it’s a lovely, lovely book."