The Rain Came Down

by David Shannon

Simplified Chinese edition of The Rain Came Down by award winning children's writer and illustrator David Shannon. Among his awards are the Caldecott Honor Book and "The Rain Came Down" is a Golden Kite Award winner. Translated into Chinese with the same humor and sudden change of mood when the rain stopped. In Simplified Chinese. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Storytime, Humor, Animals, School

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

David Shannon is the author and illustrator of many highly praised books for children. Born in Washington, D.C., he grew up in Spokane, Washington. He graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, with a fine arts degree, and then moved to New York City. His editorial illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, Time, and Rolling Stone, and his artwork has appeared on numerous book jackets. Shannon is a passionate baseball fan and softball player. He and his wife now live in Los Angeles.


David Shannon @ Scholastic

Reviews

[Jessica Hanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all know that bad weather can make the happiest people change moods rather quickly. This book explores how easily moods can change and be altered by the arrival of one thing- rain clouds. I was drawn to this book because I have enjoyed David Shannon's other books and illustrations. The Rain Came Down offers the same realistic, yet cheery pictures that really make the story pop. The interlocking chain of events begins because the animals are startled by the commotion of the rain. This sets of a series of issues that affects all of the people in the community. But when the sun comes out, attitudes begin to shift and ammends are made. What I like best about this story is the message that it sends to young readers- that amends can be made and people can forgive each other and move on from their issues. This book would appeal to many young readers.

[J9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one our favorite David Shannon books, but not without some merit. The pictures are lively and detailed with so much going on, my preschoolers couldn't get enough of looking at them. My 5 yr old saw where the story was going and couldn't keep his seat he was so excited to give it away. Whatever the story, Shannon is great at capturing the hearts and interest of young ones.

[Carole P. Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and vivid illustration create the growing excitement of cause and effect to sheer panic of an out of control situation. The Rain Came Down is a wonderful gem of a book where everyone is affected by the drenching rain. Cars stop, horns honk, food is not delivered, leaks ruin cakes, fights start, all because people are obsessing about the weather. Police come and while attempting to unravel the snarled mess, the sun arrives and rescues the mob of malcontents. Peace is restored and we learn that no matter how tumultuous our lives are, how out of control we feel, the sun WILL come out and you will get your life back. I love this book. David Shannon is a genius!

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite art style or story but it’s fine

Ages: 4 - 8

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[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. My 3 yo is really enjoying David Shannon's books right now and wants to hear all of the David books over and over, as well as Good Boy, Fergus. So when I saw this one, I decided to give it a try. I love the illustrations and it held my 3 yo daughter's attention. I liked the ending. I recognize that weather can impact mood....but felt that maybe it was taken too far in this book... rain can just as easily bring a sense of wonder and gratitude as anger, frustration and meanness. It felt a little as if the characters were forced to become grumpy due to the bad weather...and I think we always have a choice. Probably I am reading too much into this book, and of course, books must have a problem and Shannon purposely exaggerates the problem to add humor. Somehow, it just didn't sit with me well...just caused me to have an emotionally negative reaction. But that shouldn't discourage others from reading it and seeing what they think.

[Maria Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rain started pouring down in a small town causing havoc. A chain reaction of problems occurred that started with chickens squawking, a dog, barking, a baby crying, a mother yelling and so on. Since it started raining things around town had been going wrong. Overall, people were in grumpy moods leading to arguments between shop owners and children. In an instant the rain stopped and the clouds disappeared. A large rainbow fell over the town. People stopped what they were doing and decided that it was useless in arguing over trivial matters on such a beautiful day. Order was restored in the town and everyone could be seen enjoying the nice weather. The Rain Came Down is a creative story with a well thought out plot and beautiful illustrations, however, this book has to be one of my least favorite books written by David Shannon since it did not seem to have a theme or lesson to accompany the plot like his other books do.

[Sheniece · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can honestly say that I am one of those people who gets very grumpy and mean on rainy days because the rain makes everything wet and dirty and I don't like that. This book is about how a rainy day causes chaos in a town. When the rain stops everyone is nice to one another. Students can have a discussion about how they feel when it rains outside and how they feel when it is sunny. The way in which Shannon wrote this story was pretty neat. He started out with one mood and switched to another by the end of the story. I would challenge my students to write stories that make a person feel one way at the beginning, but another way at the end of the story.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to watch things escalate, and even nicer to see how they are resolved. The sad thing is that it might make one think that rain puts people in a bad mood, thus causing rain to be an unhappy thing. But I LOVE rain! We need to have another book showing all the fabulous chain of events that can hapen when the rain comes down. Puddle hopping. Sailing boats. Happy worms. Watered plants. Filled up reservoirs. Perfect weather for cozying up to read.

[Erika Hunziker]

Rain puts a community in a bad mood which creates a chain reaction of things that happen, but something glorious happens when the sun comes out. I like this book because it shows that just because people maybe having a bad day does not mean their day won't end up good in the end. I would use this book in a reading lesson to teach students that they can turn their entire day around if they just change their attitude and mood.

[Christine Levinge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great chain of events book. When the rain starts coming down, a negative, spiraling chain of events starts to happen, with one bad thing happening after another. But, all of a sudden, the rain stops and the sun comes out, and a positive chain of events of good things starts to happen.

[Adriana Palencia · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the beginning of the story, it begins to rain and soon the whole town is upset. This book is about how the rain affects people's mood. This book can be used to talk to children about emotions or even weather. At the end of the book the sun comes out and everyone is happy.

[Kelsi-Rhea Kemp · Rating 2 out of 5]

On a Saturday morning, rain began to fall on a small town and one incident causes another incident until the whole town in arguing. Suddenly, the sun comes out and puts everyone in a good mood and one friendly action turns into another friendly action and everyone enjoys a sunny warm day.

[Anthony Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book as a kid but as a adult it is a 3 out of 5 at best. it teaching kids to make the good out of a bad situation with when the rain comes down. But its not a one of a kind book but it has good illustrations and a great purpose.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the "No, David" books much more than this one, but it does give a good snapshot of life in a community.

[Chappyfamily · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s nothing special, or maybe I just expected more from a david shanon book.

[Mariya Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lesson to be learned: The weather can slow things down, but they can pick back up once storms clear up.
Colors & themes used: Rainy weather, a town of people and their daily activities displayed .

[Aneesa · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was something violent about this.

[Brianna Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very cute as it shows and tells how the weather can make people cranky and irritable towards others, but when the sun comes out there is a beautiful and cheery disposition for people to embrace. There is a chain reaction happening throughout the story where once the rain beings to fall and the sky becomes gloomy a chicken gets startled. Then that chicken eggs on a cat and dog that then spurs on more chaos as the weather moves and affects people all around town. Once there are angry people running and yelling about it all stops and changes for the better once the sun comes out and a rainbow fills the sky. The pictures that go along with the story among the pages help create a lively book that is cute and funny. I truly enjoyed this book and its message of how weather and peoples attitudes can affect how we feel.

[Leah Edel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
One morning everyone thought the day would go great, but then it started raining. Once the rain came down, the chickens squawked, the dog barked, and the baby cried. There even ended up being a traffic jam on the street because a police officer stopped his car and then no one could get around it. So, everyone was upset because of this awful rain that came down, but then suddenly ii all stopped. The sky cleared up and a rainbow appeared, and everyone was happy, it ended up being a great day.

Possible Topics:
1. Weather affects how people act and their moods.
2. Just because it is rainy outside, don't be grumpy with others.
3. Eventually, everything will get better!

[Raf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brilliantly illustrated graphic novel chronicles the havoc a simply rain can cause for the unfortunate people of one small town. The book has a tremendous amount of characters who vary in sex, age, and ethnicity, and character. Pre-kindergarten and primary students would enjoy this book for the colorful, action-packed images that will entertain vivid discussions and speculations from reluctant or beginning readers.

[Katherine Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rain Came Down explains all the problems that arise in a town when it starts to rain. However, once the rain stops, the people begin to realize the beautiful day that the rain brought with it. This story could be used to teach children about silver linings and how to find the good in a bad situation.

[Abigail Mayeske · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed how it showed he hectic days of our lives. It also showed how people can argue and still be friends and make up. And the illustrations were very colorful. The way that the weather can effect people's moods was very apparent in this story. And it shows how you can not change the weather no matter how much you may want to.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This funny and chaotic picture book is perfect to explain a "bad mood" and how it affects everyone else around too. The book is humorous and the illustrations invite to read. This can also be a great introduction to science and can start conversations about rainbows and weather.

[Dzana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good because it shows how a little rain can make a town group of people go insane. Everyone in town was upset because of the rain. All of a sudden the rain vanishes and everyone in town is happy again. This book is a great way to teach children about cause and effect.

[Maria Salgado · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole book is a bit chaotic much like what actually happens in this town when it starts raining, but it is a fun read overall. This book can be used to discuss weather, community helpers, or cause and effect.

[Deonna Hankerson]

The story is about how it was raining very hard and lots of things outside were going wrong. The rain messed up some of the jobs of people. The rain eventually stopped and the sun came out. Everything started to come together again and everyone was finally happy.

[Leslie Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book. I read it with lots of expression to my preschoolers and we laughed at how everyone was so upset with all the problems that the rain caused and then something beautiful happens when the rain stops and everyone’s bad mood turns into a happy mood!

[Erin Good · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the book was good all in all but I have read a lot of the David Shannon books throughout my childhood and this one is not one of my favorites. However, I think children will like this book in the sense that they will like all of the different illustrations and how real they look.

[Dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Browsing books to give my friends' children as gifts since I won't gift anything I haven't first read myself.

Honestly, this book stressed me out. So many angry characters. So much chaos. And what is with the beyond creepy people in the illustrations?! Pass, pass, pass.

[XIS Grade 3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a really good book because it showed all the people who were mad because of the rain, but when the rain stopped, they all became more caring.