Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | PICTURE BOOK GLY | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
A heartfelt picture book about differences, acceptance, and loving yourself for who you are.
Wherever he goes, Rain Boy brings wet--which means he's not very popular. Sun Kidd brings sunshine everywhere she goes, so everyone loves her. Only Sun Kidd sees what's special about Rain Boy. But when she invites him to her birthday party, disaster strikes, and Rain Boy storms. Now the world is nothing but rain. Will the other kids ever love Rain Boy for being himself? And. more importantly, can Rain Boy learn to love his rain? Debut author and illustrator Dylan Glynn's colorful and evocative illustrations color this story with all the emotions of the rainbow in this universal story of reaching out to those who look different from you, making new friends, and learning to love yourself.
* Important lessons on acceptance, bullying, self-reliance and empathy told in a beautifully illustrated, accessible story
* A great read-aloud book for families of children struggling to fit in and find their self-confidence
* Perfect book for educators, caregivers, and librarians to help with lessons on bullying, kindness, LGBQT themes, and friendship
Fans of One , The Big Umbrella , and Be Kind will find Rain Boy 's striking artwork and positive message an important addition to their bookshelf.
* Read-aloud books for kids age 3-5
* #ownvoices
* Kindness books for kids
Dylan Glynn studied animation at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, and La Poudrière in Valence, France. Dylan's work has been recognized by and exhibited in Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, Somerset House, and the Canadian Screen Awards. He is based in Toronto.
Author Notes
Dylan Glynn is an award-winning animator, painter, and author based in Toronto, Canada. His multidisciplinary practice is characterized by its emotion, grace and sense of wild-movement. His work has been recognized and exhibited by Society of Illustrators (Gold Medal SOI 62), American Illustration, Somerset House and the Canadian Screen Awards
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--Rain Boy is not the most popular kid in school. Wherever he goes, rain accompanies him and the other children become agitated by his presence. One day, Sun Kidd moves to town and the mood of the entire town shifts. Sun Kidd is welcome everywhere because wherever she goes, sun comes with her. For her birthday, Sun Kidd's parents throw her a surprise sleepover and invite everyone in her class. However, Rain Boy's attendance soon casts a shadow over the party and he leaves; Rain Boy's ensuing storm has its own transformative power over the town. Any child who has ever experienced the pain of being left out will embrace this story. Rain Boy and Sun Kidd represent the sunny and rainy dispositions inherent in every human. Detailed watercolor illustrations coupled with succinct text make this book accessible to a wide range of ages. Each image exists somewhere between childlike doodle and reality, the characters recognizable as humans but with occasionally exaggerated features. The endpapers reflect the change that takes place over the course of the story, moving from moody blues to a vivid rainbow. Carefully crafted text serves as an accent to each page, presented with familiar vocabulary. Children and caregivers will be inspired to interpret its deeper meaning. VERDICT This is a critical addition to elementary collections to build empathy and acceptance.--Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver Public Library
Kirkus Review
Glynn introduces Rain Boy and Sun Kiddand then presents children's contrasting reactions to their essences.The young people are glum or angry when Rain Boy, depicted as a puffy, blue cloud, drips on their outdoor play. Sun, a glowing girl of color, is welcomed happily, however. The tension between the two climaxes during her birthday, when Rain Boy's presence floods the basement, threatening the cake and presents. The guests encircle the cloud, crying: "Rain, Rain, go away!" Sun escapes to her room. Glynn's watercolor, cut-paper, pastel, and colored-pencil caricatures and tableaux channel both a delightfully childlike aesthetic and emotionally charged expressionism. Sun's bed is draped in golden curtains in the upper corner of a space defined by the strong diagonals of a wrought-iron balcony and foreshortened ladder. A black, starry sky frames the yellow/orange interior, which is dominated by a Calder-esque mobile. After Rain Boy storms off, the downpour continues until the children start appreciating both one another and puddles. This coaxes the celestial protagonists outside, where a rainbow appears: "So next time you're feeling down and your world is dark and grayjust look up." As convenient and lovely as this spread is, the message does not quite apply to Rain Boy, nor is it completely transferable to an ostracized reader, thus sapping the book of some of its logic and power.Captivating visuals will prompt conversations about the feelings and choices of victim, friend, and community.(Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Rain Boy, a rain cloud with eyes and a mouth, is shunned by classmates on account of his raining on everything all the time, whereas Sun Kidd, a brown girl--"from somewhere on the other side of the planet"--above whom the sun always shines, is very popular. When, at Sun Kidd's birthday party, Rain Boy is berated by their classmates, he goes away, and for weeks a storm pours over the town. As the people learn to accept the endless drizzle, they find the beauty in a rain-swept world. Author-illustrator Glynn literalizes weather metaphor to tell a story about acceptance, and while it is didactic ("So the next time you're feeling down and your world is dark and gray . . . just look up"), the art is gorgeous enough to redeem any heavy-handedness. Expressive use of watercolor, pastels, and colored pencil, in a naive style, stunningly paints a fable with blotchy colors evoking the emotional extremes represented by sunshine and rain clouds. A lovely, if purposeful, tool for early social-emotional learning.
