ONE RAINY DAY

Friends Pig and Goat are together again in Gorbachev’s (Chickens, Chickens, 2001, etc.) combination friendship story, tall tale, and counting book. A soaked, excited Pig arrives at Goat’s house with a bouquet of flowers, anxious to relate his rainy-day adventures. There is more to Pig’s story than simply getting caught in the rain, however; he hid under a tree to get out of the rain, but so did one tiny mouse, two rhinoceroses, and so on, all the way up to ten elephants. They all manage to stay dry until Pig, in his eagerness to get to Goat’s house, runs straight through every puddle left by the deluge. Goat’s wry facial expressions and politely incredulous responses imply that Pig’s tale might be a bit tall, but the friends clearly enjoy each other’s company. Children just learning to count may not want to sit still for a 40-page picture book, but the sweet, simple text and fold-out spread showing all the counted animals will help keep readers’ and listeners’ attention. The loose, lively pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations add interest for careful readers, revealing events not mentioned in the text: the two friends drying off Pig, putting his flowers in a vase, and sharing and cleaning up after their snack. Particularly funny details include tail-accommodating patches on the seats of Pig’s and Goat’s pants. (Picture book. 3-6)