This luminous picture book captures the beauty and surprises of a rainy day.
In her third story for young readers, Joanne Liu once again shows the world through a child’s eyes. Following My Museum and My City, she turns her bold, expressive style to a wordless story set in the rain.
The silent book follows Max, the little boy from her previous books, who is navigating the city on a stormy afternoon.
On his way to meet his father, he rides past a park, a football field, and a fruit stand, each transformed by the downpour. A tumble in the street nearly interrupts his journey, but nothing can dampen his determination—or the quiet companionship of the snail that shadows him on every page.
When father and son are finally reunited, the storm has passed, and together they notice small, sparkling details that only a rainy day reveals.
Liu works in bold blocks of color and simplified forms, often with flat planes and playful shifts in perspective that echo a child’s way of seeing. Her graphic, design-driven approach gives each spread a clarity and rhythm that needs no words.
Children will delight in searching for the snail, while adults will admire the freshness and immediacy of Liu’s visual storytelling. A book to be shared, explored, and returned to, it proves that even the gloomiest day can shine with unexpected wonder.