Rain!

Told entirely through dialogue, Rain! is the story of a grumpy old man and a happy young boy as they navigate a rainy day. As with many of Robinson’s illustrations, this book is done with acrylic paint and cut paper collage. The most remarkable aspect of the illustrations in this book is the attention to detail of the characters’ faces. Because the old man is grumpy, all of the people around him are depicted with grumpy faces. Along the same line, all of the faces surrounding the happy young boy are also happy. Even the typography lends itself to the mood of the characters.

The grumpy old man’s text is in Rockwell, a boxy serifed font, whereas the boy’s text is in Bryant, a rounded sans serif font. The boy’s text is also misaligned, giving a feeling of excited energy, and making the reader want to hop, hop, hop along with him! When the boy and the old man meet and get to know each other, the rain stops, and the faces surrounding both characters are happy again.

Ashman, L., & Robinson, C. (2013). Rain! Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.