The King Who Rained [Paperback]

Fred Gwynne (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Confused by the different meanings of words that sound alike, a little girl imagines such unusual sights as "a king who rained" and "the foot prince in the snow."

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Fred Gwynne, best known as the television star of The Munsters, was also the author-illustrator of many children's books, including his classic books of humorous homonyms.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (September 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671667440
• ISBN-13: 978-0671667443
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Homophone fun with Mr. G!!, May 4, 2001

By 

Chess Heart "paxbear" (Canton, OH) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The King Who Rained (Paperback)

Most people over the age of, say, 28 will remember Fred Gwynne most for his role as the flat-headed, bolt-necked Herman Munster on the TV show, "The Munsters." He also starred in a number of miscellaneous movies and "Car 54, Where Are You?" However, many people do not know that he is a gifted and very humorous author of children's picture books. "The King who Rained" is but one of his fine works for children that plays with language, especially homophones.

Homophones are words that sound alike but are spelled differently or have multiple meanings, and this book is full of `em!! A little girl explains all the odd things she hears her family say, like "Daddy says he has a mole on his nose". The accompanying illustration has a tall, thin man (who looks profoundly like Mr. Gwynne himself) with a small, brown, furry subterranean mammal perched on his nose. Similarly, the girl's mother is "a little horse" sometimes and asks for the throat spray ("when I bring it to her, she calls me a little deer"). The title of the book itself is a wonderful play on words as well.

Mr. G. has written and illustrated three books of homophones, "The King Who Rained" as well as "A Chocolate Mouse for Dinner" and "A Little Pigeon Toad". He's also written a beautiful and very funny book about a girl taking her mutt dog to a dog show, "Easy to See Why."

All these books by Mr. Gwynne are easy to read and lavishly illustrated with large pictures. They're perfect choices to bring into any classroom to illustrate English homonyms and idiom. When I use them in class, I encourage students to create their own (of course, I also love to tell them a bit about Mr. Gwynne the actor, too!!). This and other works by Mr. G. come highly recommended!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyable, December 17, 1999

By 

Lee A. Wilcox (DeWitt, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The King Who Rained (Paperback)

I came across this book about 25 years ago quite by accident and have treasured it (and all the Fred Gwynne books) since. Remember Fred? He played Herman Munster on TV... and was in the old "Car 54, where are you?" show. Little did I know he was a talented children's author/illustrator. The drawings are as precious as the text... some of them resemble Fred (and I assume his children as well). His perception of how children think of routine phrases like "pigeon-toed" or "a king who reigned [rained]" are delightful. My children are grown now, and I will share these with my grandchildren. They are wonderful.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A childhood revisited, February 28, 2001

By 

Michele L. Hagenlock "butterfly_kisses" (SD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The King Who Rained (Paperback)

I have been searching for the book for a long time and finally realized that the internet was just a click away from finding my favorite book that I read as a child. I used to visit my local library and sit on the floor in front of the shelf where the book was located and read it over and over and over and over again. I could never get enough. Now I am even happier to find that it is still in print and I can have one for my 5 year old. I can't wait until he gets to hear it. I hope he likes it just as much as I did and still do.