Come On, Rain! – by Karen Hesse

On page 2, Tessie says, “I am sizzling like a hot potato.” Have you ever felt that hot?

When Tessie sees clouds gathering she says, “ A creeper of hope circles‘round my bones.” (p. 3) What does she mean? What would YOU say if it had been hot for days and days and you knew rain was on the way?

Tessie wants to put on her swimming suit but her Mamma won’t let her. DOES she get to put on her suit? Why?

What words would you use to describe the way they FEEL when it rains?

On p. 20 the author says the mothers come out of their kitchens onto the porches, and “A smile spreads from porch to porch.” What does that mean?

Are your surprised by the mammas? Did an adult ever do something so unexpected that you were surprised?

Tessie says, “We twirl and sway the mammas, tromping through puddles, romping and reeling in the moisty green air.” Is this the way we talk normally? How does the author use words like “tromping” and “moisty” to make the reader feel a certain way?

Tessie says they swing their mammas ‘til they’re all laughing under TRINKETS of silver rain. What’s a trinket? Can you think of some other unusual words to describe rain after a long, hot season?

Tessie says, on the next to last page, “The rain has made us new.” What does she mean?

Did you like this book? Why?