Book Review of A Very Rainy Day
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The Children’s Book Review
A Very Rainy Day
Written by Darla Prudhomme
Illustrated by: Tom Arvis
Ages: 4-8 years | 24 Pages
Publisher: One For the Books | ISBN-13: 979-8218044961
What to Expect: Rain, flooding, emergency evacuation, and staying safe.
In A Very Rainy Day, Tommy and his mom experience a rainstorm like no other after nonstop rain causes water levels to rise to unsafe levels and forces them to evacuate their home quickly, leaving many of their items behind. Tommy and his mother ride out the remainder of the flood at a shelter. What happens when they go home? What will they find? Natural disasters are scary, but A Very Rainy Day explains in an accessible and comforting manner what happens to people and homes during this frightening time, helping children feel secure and less anxious about such situations.
Author Darla Prudhomme was inspired to write this book through her work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood program. After encountering many confused and scared children, she has written a story that not only conveys the steps to follow when confronted with flooding using simple language and concise descriptions, but also helps readers face their fears about dealing with flooding when confronted with it in real life. Taking a scary event and breaking it down into understandable actions makes this book a powerful tool.
While A Very Rainy Day is geared towards a younger audience, older readers will find value in Prudhomme’s gentle instructions—they may also enjoy interacting with Tommy’s story through the companion coloring book version (ISBN 979-8986749815).
Young or old, A Very Rainy Day is a great way for children to learn how to be prepared for specific natural disasters such as flash floods, hurricanes, and severe storms.
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About the Author
Darla Prudhomme, born in Louisiana and raising three children in Houston, has lived through her share of hurricanes, tropical storms, and other flash flood events throughout her life. She was inspired to write this book by the hundreds of confused children she encountered when she worked for FEMA’s flood program and frequently traveled to disaster sites around the country.
Darla has worked in commercial insurance for over 30 years and is currently a Sr. Account Manager for one of the largest national insurance companies at their Houston, Texas office.
For more information, visit https://veryrainyday.com/.
About the Illustrator
Tom Arvis is a Freelance Illustrator, Graphic Artist, and sometimes Writer of comic books, graphic novels, trade paperbacks, and children’s books.
Tom specializes in storytelling, sequential art, and multiple-image projects and is adept at hand-drawn and digital illustration methods. He has lived in Rockville, MD, since 1985 with his lovely wife, Kathy, and (currently) their two cats, Missy and Max.
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1 Comment
I am the illustrator of “A Very Rainy Day”, Tom Arvis. I was proud and eager to illustrate this book for Darla and her husband Bill. In fact, it was her husband who contacted me and commissioned me to illustrate the book as a surprise birthday gift for Darla. I was told that she cried when she saw it. As a survivor of two floods growing up as a child, I had plenty of my own experiences to “draw” from (pun intended). Bill was a great pleasure to work with and I have urged Darla to do another book about being a single parent, which I would also be happy to illustrate. If anyone else would like to have me illustrate a children’s book for them, my contact info and website is listed below, and further samples of my children’s book illustration work can also be found here- https://childrensillustrators.com/arvtoon/portfolio. I have illustrated 15 children’s books so far, including “A Very Rainy Day” and I am currently illustrating my 16th book.