The more Elephant and Piggie books I read, the more my heart belongs to the long-suffering Gerald. In this latest installment, Piggie''s mood changes from ecstatic to miserable when one drop of rain threatens his outside plans. While Piggie rants about the sudden storm, Gerald, his elephant friend, watches patiently and helps steady the mood with his broad ear acting as a handy umbrella. Midway through this drama, two new critters join the familiar friends-worms. (Who doesn''t love a happy worm, splishing and splashing in the rain?) The jolly worms remind pessimistic Piggie that rain doesn''t mean the end of play. Our heroes soon emulate their invertebrate buddies, running, jumping, and skipping in the rain. Willems, who can make even the lowliest worm show deep emotion, is at his joyful best when Gerald and Piggie do a celebratory dance in the rain. Young readers will enjoy acting out this newest drama, easily following the color-coded speech bubbles, laughing along with the silly situations, and learning to look on the bright side while barely noticing the magic they are making: reading for the very first time.-Horn Book