This book is about a village that always had rain. When the rain stops, the people of the village come together and use what resources they have to figure out how to get it back. I like the idea of the story, but it just didn't keep me interested. There were some funny parts in the story. At one point, the people were wearing bags over their heads in hopes that it would bring rain. Which is what the philosopher recommended. They were asking the wisest people of the village to help solve the problem. The illustrations were nice. I thought it was neat that Maurice Sendak illustrated this book that was written by his brother. ( )

Of course it can't rain *all* the time and everything be 'happy.' What about photosynthesis, at the least? But that's not the point. The point is: what happens when something we take for granted suddenly ends? How do adults react? What schemes would a wise man, scientist, philosopher, or mayor come up with? What thoughts occur to innocent children?

The ending may seem rather inconclusive, but what it's revealing is that man is not god; we cannot control nature; even in 2015 Mother Nature changed the destiny of 2K ppl on a cruise ship with, of all things, fog.., The rain came back when it was ready too, despite even the somewhat more interesting efforts of the children..

I wish the wise man had been referred to as a sage or guru. Wisdom is a good thing - self-proclaimed insights into the universe, not so much, and that's what the Sendak brothers were satirizing.

If you like the kind of satire of [b:Gulliver's Travels|755011|Gulliver's Travels (Two Parts)|Jonathan Swift|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1290377878s/755011.jpg|2394716] or [b:The Little Prince|157993|The Little Prince|Antoine de Saint-Exupéry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1367545443s/157993.jpg|2180358] you'll probably like this.

There's a small photo of the brothers Sendak on the back flap. Apparently Maurice was pretty handsome in 1956. He's holding a cute long-haired dog... I'd be willing to bet it's Jennie, the inspiration for the MC of [b:Higglety Pigglety Pop!: Or There Must Be More to Life|120695|Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or There Must Be More to Life|Maurice Sendak|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355895734s/120695.jpg|1175175], which I discovered yesterday. I recommend you check out anything your library has by either Sendak that predates [b:Where the Wild Things Are|19543|Where the Wild Things Are|Maurice Sendak|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1384434560s/19543.jpg|3020535], to save them from culling. I hope, now that I'm aware of the value of these older works, that I can find more somewhere in my Clan. ( )

This book is about funny read about people whose lives evolve around everyday rain. The illustrations are in simple charcoal and white that gives it a sense of old time folklore. This book is great to use when talking about the weather. The children would get an oddly different view of the joy of constant rain. ( )

In The Happy Rain, the people of a small village named, Troekan loved the rain. It made them happy. Normally when it's raining, we stay inside and dry. The rain makes people angry. It gets them wet, ruins clothes, papers, etc. and just causes havoc, slowing us down. Typically, if we can't stay tucked away on a rainy day, it puts us all in a bay mood. Well in Troekan, people run out to play in the rain. It makes them just as happy as a sunny day makes us. This little book was cute and the pencil illustrations were very beautifully drawn. It gives the reader a hint of what opposites are. After reading this to your kids, you can also get them to compare and contrast (new vocabulary) a town like Troekan to a town where we live. ( )