The Rainbabies

By Laura Krauss Melmed, Jim LaMarche (illustrator),

Book cover of The Rainbabies

Book description

On a moonlit night. . .

In the magic of a moonshower, a childless couple finds a dozen tiny babies in a meadow. Written in classic folktale tradition, illustrated with astonishing paintings, The Rainbabies is woven from magic and moonbeams.

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Mythology

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Rainbabies as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Annie Sieg

Author

This book is hands down one of my favorite children’s books of all time. Jim LaMarche’s gorgeous illustrations had me entranced as a kid (they still do!) and as an adult revisiting the book, I am blown away by how thoughtfully it tackles some heavy real-life issues. The story centers around an older couple struggling with infertility who, through a magical springtime rain, find themselves suddenly the caretakers of 12 fantastically tiny babies.

The story has the effortless flow of a classic fairytale and along the way weaves a moving and nuanced understanding of parenting and the overall concept of…

From Annie's list on tackling complicated subjects.

Lisa Rojany

Author

On the night of a moonshower, a childless couple is bequeathed 12 tiny rainbabies, each no bigger than a big toe. They lavish care on them, but “dangers born of water, fire, and earth” threaten the safety of the babies. The couple is offered a fortune to give them to a rich lady who is childless, but they refuse. Then one day Mother Moonshower comes to take the rainbabies back. In their stead she leaves the couple a human-sized baby to raise and “their happiness was complete.” A heartwarming story.

From Lisa's list on picture books for all ages.