(upbeat music) Hi.

My name is Jessica Saum, and I'm excited to read with you today.

Today we are going to read, And Then it Rained.

The author is Crescent Dragonwagon, and it's illustrated by Diane Greenseid.

And then it rained in the city.

The rain pounded down from the dark sky, plum drum, trum, trum, trumming onto canopies of buildings and the roofs of shiny yellow taxicabs.

The air smelled wet and clean.

Little puddle rivers rushed by the curb, making swirly, curly, twirly, moving rainbows of mixed together water and gasoline.

The whole city was a wet, wild world.

But no one minded.

Everyone was happy it was raining at last.

Most people did things inside they had almost forgotten about during the hot, hot, sunny weather.

In 3-G, Jerome Katz read a book about dinosaurs.

He liked dinosaurs.

In 14-B, Dorothy Arnof picked up a brass box she had bought when she'd visited Turkey.

She remembered a long bridge over water and a train conductor with a curled mustache.

In 11-C, Matthew DeWitt read the Bible.

To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven, he read.

In 5-S, Jon Griswold danced as he cleaned his apartment.

He turned up his stereo.

He bowed to the vacuum cleaner and opened the windows.

Cool, fresh air blew through his clean apartment.

In 9-F, Lila Pagnoli took out a cookbook, and some milk, salt, flour and a packet of yeast.

She had never made bread before.

When the yeast began to bubble in the milk as the cookbook said it would, she said, Will you look at that?

Only a few people were out on the street, all hurry scurrying to somewhere dry.

A waiter moved tables and chairs from the sidewalk of the café to under the awning, turning them upside down.

He put a sign in the window that said Hot Soup Today.

He knew many people would come to the café to get dry.

His tips would be good.

And down the stree came someone in a little pair of red rubber boots splish- splashing and kicking in the puddles.

A little yellow-covered arm with a small hand reached up high to hold the hand of .. Oh, it was a little boy and his father, out walking in the rain.

The two of them stopped to look at the swirly, curly, twirly moving rainbows in the puddles.

They listened to the rain pounding from the dark sky, plum, drum, trum, trum, trumming onto their rain hats.

Their faces were wet, but they were toasty dry in their rain coats.

And they smiled at each other.

Then they went into the café and had hot soup.

I like the rain, said the little bo, happily.

Three days passed, then four, then five.

And it kept raining.

People began to get grouchy.

Jerome Katz got soaking wet when he left 3-G to return the book about dinosaurs to the library.

Do you think it'll ever stop raining?

He asked the librarian.

When Dorothy Arnof in 14-B woke up and looked out the window, she scowled, Enough is enough, she said to herself.

The rain made her bones hurt.

In 5-S, Jon Griswold sneezed and coughed.

His windows had been closed for days.

This is depressing, he grumbled.

I'm mildewing.

In 11-C, Matthew DeWitt said, Lord, are You fixing to flood the world again like you did in the time of Noah?

Lila Pagnoli in 9-F thought.

It's a lot easier to get bread at a bakery, but who would want to go out in such weather?

The little boy said to his father, I'm tired of all this rain.

Why won't it stop?

His father, who liked rhymes, said, Rain brings sun and sun brings rain.

Then it turns around again.

The little boy scowled at his father.

I don't want a poem, he said crossly.

I want it to stop raining all the time.

His father picked him up and gave him a wet, damp, creaky, squeaky hug.

Well, my own dear little very wet, raincoated boy, I can't say exactly when, said his father.

But I promise you you will get your weather wish soon.

I will?

Asked the little boy.

Oh, yes, said the father.

I promise.

(upbeat music) (bass music)