In the Loop: Kid Culture

Author: Sharon Zoumbaris

Cloudette written and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld.

Henry Holt, 2011.

Just like the train that would not give up in The Little Engine that Could, little Cloudette fears she is too small to help anyone or to accomplish anything important. However, when she uses all her strength and energy to create a downpour over a frog badly in need of a pond, she discovers she can make a difference. The watercolor and ink illustrations by Lichtenheld capture the personality of Cloudette and add rich details to this universal story of courage and achievement. For ages 5 to 9.

And then it rained...And then the sun came out by Crescent Dragonwagon, illustrations by Diane Greenseid.

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003.

This unique 2-in-1 book can be started at either end, with the rain or sun. Either way, this story shows a boy and his father who experience opposite weather conditions. In the sun section, the heat wave has everyone hoping for rain. Flip it over and the boy and his father go out into the rain storm to a café while other people in other locations in the city also react to the storm. The stories are both light and fun and the large acrylic illustrations are filled with action, lively colors and a sense of what people feel about the extremes of weather. For ages 4 to 8 years old.

Mudkin by Stephen Gammell.

Carolrhoda Books, 2011.

Who doesn't love mud, it is gooey and squishy and fun and author Stephen Gammell captures that pure joy in his book. In the story, a young girl takes her stuffed toys outside following a rainstorm. Out of the mud springs a small creature named Mudkin who makes the girl his queen and invites her to play with, what else, the mud. As the two create pies and other goopy delights, the young queen reigns over a mud castle and her mud subjects. There are few words, mostly just Gammell's rain-splashed pictures filled with browns, grays and blues, which delightfully leave much to the young reader's imagination. For ages 3 to 6.

Rain school written and illustrated by James Rumford.

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010.

In this look at school in the country of Chad, weather plays an important role. On the first day of school the children come and help build their school from dirt by making mud bricks. After 9 months, the rainy season comes and gradually washes the school away. When September rolls around the children will return and the process will begin again. The story comes from Rumford's work as a teacher with the Peace Corps in Chad and he has included realistic details along with his beautiful, colored-pencil and pastel illustrations. This simple and touching story will give young readers much to think about as they see how other children value education and must work hard for the chance to learn. For ages 5 to 9 years old.

- Sharon Zoumbaris

Source: Tidewater Parent Magazine