The illustrations are absolutely beautiful. As a pluviophile (lover of rain), seeing the softness rain brings to the forest is nothing short of magical.

The text is beautiful too, about the simplicity and beauty of nature in the rain.

Now let’s get real for a sec. :D I am one of those hugely sensitive people who appreciates warnings about content that might completely throw me off on a super-sensitive tailspin.

Even when it comes to children’s books! There is a skunk in this book who takes an egg from a quail’s nest, as skunks are prone to do... (are they prone to doing this? I don’t actually know, but I’m going to assume the author does).

The skunk snacks on it and it’s not super detailed or anything like that, but I felt a twinge of “oh, that poor quail.” I know these things happen, but I am of the mindset that I don’t need to see it. I don’t think this would have upset me as a kid, oddly enough, but it’s tough to say, since I’ve always been sensitive to certain things. So if you or your child are one of those sensitive souls too, this is just a heads-up.

The beautiful illustrations accompanying the poetic words do make it a lovely addition to my library. I love that spiders get a shout-out, because they’re so great and beneficial to the ecosystem.

“Skunk passes spiders, sitting like black stars, motionless, at the hub of diamond webs.”