Rain

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Winter is upon us and in California, we're finally getting rain! FOR THE WEEKEND, share this fun title with your child! 

Rain is appropriate for children age 2-8.

Summary:
Winter isn't always about snow! In the bright and bold Rain, written and illustrated by Manya Stojic, the animals in the hot dry land all sense that the rain is coming. Each animal can tell for a different reason, zebra can see it, rhino can feel it, and porcupine can smell it. Once the winter and rain are over, the hot dry land is transformed into a whole new landscape. Use your senses and explore the rain with the animals.

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Retelling:
After you read Rain ask your child to take a turn and read the story to you. Retelling a story helps your child refine their understanding of the story, and helps them to develop concepts about words and books. As they're retelling, see if your child can correctly remember which animal used which of their senses to know that the rain is coming. 

Do this with your child:
Rain introduces the idea of using all of your senses to explore your surroundings. Each animal used a different sense to know that the rain was coming. Pick something in your home to explore with all of your senses as well. You can pick anything from play dough or  food or the couch or an ice cube, anything you can think of really. What does this object feel like, smell like, how does it sound, what does it look like, and if appropriate, what does this object taste like. If you want to take it one step further, record your observations with your child.

If you're interested in sharing Rain with your child you can find it from Dragonfly Books here. Please like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.