A wrist full of rain

There are some wonderful stories out there for children who love to chase clouds.

Monsoon afternoon

For rain-lovers like me who currently live in dry regions, monsoon season is extreme torture.
Friends and family back home send me pictures and videos of rain and clouds, swaying coconut trees and raindrops on windowpanes, pakodas and steaming chai. I, in turn, take refuge in the world of picture books and rely on writers and illustrators to bring the monsoon to me.

Sunu-sunu Snail: Storm in the Garden. (Story: Sandhya Rao, Illustrations: Ashok Rajagopalan.) A sweet little picture book about a snail caught in a storm. The author uses onomatopoeia to beautifully bring out the sounds of rain.

Raindrops. (Story: Vaishali Shroff, Illustrations: Ruchi Mhasane.) Lovely illustrations of rain and raindrops on windowpanes puts you right in Anju’s shoes as she sits looking out of the window at the rains. She spots a puppy — will it find shelter?

Monsoon Afternoon. (Story: Kashmira Sheth, Illustrations: Yoshiko Jaeggi.) Another picture book where the illustrations make you feel drenched yourself, as you join a boy and his grandfather in enjoying the rain.

One Dark Cloud. (Author: Shobha Viswanath, Illustrations: Ashwathy PS and Anusha Sundar.) A counting book for little ones — with objects and images related to a rainy day! The illustrators have used a variety of art techniques to great effect in this gorgeous book.

Peacocks and Pakodas. (Authors: Manisha Chaudhry and Mala Kumar, Illustrations: Priya
Kuriyan.) Meenu enjoys every bit of the monsoon in this book — right from the fragrance of the wet earth, the cool breeze and the singing in Raag Miyan ki Malhaar!

Let’s Catch the Rain. (Story and Illustrations: Vinod Lal Heera Eshwer.) Introduces the concept of rainwater harvesting to little ones with simple and fun illustrations.

Monsoon. (Story: Uma Krishnaswami, Illustrations: Jamel Akib.) A young girl waits for the monsoons to arrive and drive the heat away. The illustrations, in shades of orange and yellow, bring out the oppressive heat, and like the characters, you feel like shielding your eyes and look towards the sky in anticipation — and when it does rain, you’re as thrilled and relieved as they are.

The Red Raincoat. (Story: Kiran Kasturia, Illustrations: Zainab Tambawalla.) Manu cannot wait to wear his new red raincoat — but why isn’t it raining?

Mina vs the Monsoon. (Story: Rukhsana Guidroz, Illustrations: Debasmita Dasgupta.) Mina loves to play soccer, but the monsoon arrives and she’s stuck at home. What will she do? The only book on this list where the monsoon plays spoilsport — or does it?

Whether you are in the thick of the monsoon or far away from where all the action is, these
picture books will help you and your little ones experience the magic of the rains.

The author got a master’s degree in energy engineering and worked in the IT industry until her daughter dragged out the writer lurking inside her. She has written eight books for children and can be reached at www.shruthi-rao.com

GobbledyBook is a fortnightly column that gives you a peek into the wondrous world of children’s books. Hop on! Or as Alice did, plunge into the rabbit hole.