Welcome, Rain! is a delightful ode to rain and the many ways it benefits us, even though we complain about it sometimes. Young students will connect to the bright and colourful images of the characters in this story who are rejoicing and lamenting about rain. A journey through the seasons supports learning about weather and seasonal changes in kindergarten and grade one Science. This story anchors discussions about the importance of rain in our lives and how it is used to support learning about the water cycle, water sources, and water conservation in grade two Science. Extension activities for this story could include opinion-writing about liking or disliking the rain and explaining why, using inspiration from connections made during reading. Students might also enjoy creating artwork to accompany their writing to show their favourite or least favourite things about rain.

Images: Colour illustrations
Bibliography: No
Index: No

Source: Books BC - BC Books for Schools

Sheryl McFarlane was born in the Ottawa Valley and was raised in Arizona, but the west coast snatched her heart more than thirty years ago. She is the mother of three wonderful daughters who often appear in her books in disguised form. She is the author of four board books and eight picture books, including: A Pod of Orcas, This is the Dog, Jessie's Island and Waiting for the Whales.
Sheryl's books have won and been short-listed for several readers' choice awards, the Governor General's Award, the IODE Award, the BC Book Prize for Children's Literature, and the Mr. Christie Award. Sheryl has toured with the Peter Gzowski Golf Tournament for Literacy, Save the Children, and The Canada Council. She has judged creative writing for The Writer's Union of Canada, The Canadian Children's Book Centre, and the BC Creative Writers' Grant Program, been a writer in residence in many schools, been involved in many young author programs, and has led children's writing workshops for beginning and established writers.
A former teacher, Sheryl provides professional development in language arts for school districts, Early Childhood Educators, Primary Educator Associations and the International Reading Association. She frequently acts as a consultant for publishers on both educational and trade projects. Her first young adult novel was published in the fall of 2006.

Sheryl McFarlane's profile page

Christine Wei is a Taiwanese artist living on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations in Vancouver, BC. She graduated from Emily Carr University of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Major in Illustration. Christine's work often draws inspiration from sentiment, life stories, and nature-inspired mark-makings. She loves creating art with a variety of mediums to convey relatable narratives in dynamic perspectives.

Christine Wei's profile page

"Children everywhere will identify with the different experiences that rain (or no rain) brings. . .A joyful and nuanced take on a popular subject."
—Kirkus Review