PreS-Gr 2-This cozy picture book illustrates the classic song. The appropriately watery, dreamy spreads flesh out the lyrics, creating a variety of side stories for readers to enjoy. When the rain starts, Grandpa, the "old man," bumps his head on a hanging flower pot and is put to bed. Meanwhile, Grandma bakes an apple pie and kids peek out from every corner of the delightful house in an indoor game of hide-and-seek. Colorful watercolors provide appealing details and perspectives, from Grandpa in bed to the hide-and-seek game and then, following the song's lyrics, to a nursery rhyme ("Hey diddle-diddle") somewhere between fantasy and reality with grandpa and one of the children. The CD features this song and two others, and the illustrations work beautifully with the haunting melody. Both the book and the recording omit the song's original verse: "Lady Bug, Lady Bug, fly away home./Your house is on fire, and your children, they will burn, They will burn." A performers' note is included.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The ideal way to experience this book is to read it while listening to the accompanying CD, which includes songs recorded by the folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary for their debut album. The CD contains three tracks: It's Raining, It's Pouring, Make-Believe Town, and Glory of Love. The book follows Peter, Paul, and the late Mary Travers' nursery-rhyme tone poem precisely, as it melds together a game of hide-and-seek (Mary does the counting) with the motif of It's Raining, punctuated by nursery rhymes like Star Light, Star Bright and Hey Diddle Diddle. Davenier's lively watercolors create a rainy farmhouse scene in which, you guessed it, the old man bumps his head and goes back to bed while a little girl reads him rhymes. The action shuttles from the rhymes to the game of hide-and-seek; as a result, reading this without the musical tracks can be somewhat confusing. With the song playing, though, it's a little bit magical.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2010 Booklist

Davenier's (the Very Fairy Princess books) fluid artwork illustrates the lyrics to Peter, Paul, and Mary's 1962 recording, "It's Raining." When rain interrupts a group of kids' outdoor fun, they head indoors to play hide-and-seek, while one child reads in bed with the ailing "old man" (grandpa), who bumped his head on a flowerpot. The folk trio's lyrics reference the hide-and-seek game, and the verses draw in other nursery rhymes ("Hey Diddle Diddle"; "Star Light, Star Bright"); the song's original verse about burning ladybug children has been skipped, happily. In Davenier's capable hands, the grandparents' warm, welcoming home provides a cozy contrast to the gloomy weather, and the verses accompany whimsical fantasy scenes of grandpa and child interacting with nursery rhyme characters; along with the lines "Won't be my father's Jack./ No, I won't be my mother's Jill," the grandfather offers his ice pack to Jack, who has just tumbled down the hill. A sweet-natured interpretation with a happy ending--grandpa is certainly capable of getting up in the morning. An accompanying CD presents this and two other songs. Ages 4-up. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.