Rainy Morning [Hardcover]

Daniel Manus Pinkwater (Author), Jill Pinkwater (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

On a rainy morning, Mr. and Mrs. Submarine invite a cat, dog, coyote, wildebeest, Ludwig van Beethoven, the United States Marine Band, and others into their home to share their breakfast of tea and corn muffins.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Mr. and Mrs. Submarine are sitting at the kitchen table on a rainy morning, after eating a couple of breakfasts. They notice their very wet cat peering in forlornly at them from the window, so they let him in, dripping, and give him a corn muffin. This is only the beginning of the Submarines' hospitality. They let the dog in, dripping. Then the horse, dripping. ("'Just this once,' Mr. Submarine said.") Clearly, it's time for Mrs. Submarine to make more corn muffins. Soon they let the crows in, dripping. Then a wild coyote. ("'As I live and breathe,' Mrs. Submarine said. 'Is it wet?'") More and more animals appear (and are let in, dripping), then they spot Ludwig van Beethoven out in the yard, the United States Marine Band, and a small European circus, which they feel they can safely let in because no elephants are in sight. They all eat corn muffins and drink tea in the warm cozy kitchen until the sun comes out. This is an extremely comforting, albeit unusual story. Not only will children feel content in the company of the polite, generous-spirited Submarines, they will giggle uncontrollably as the menagerie gets weirder and weirder. Daniel Pinkwater's deadpan, funny story and Jill Pinkwater's bright, bold illustrations communicate a happy, simple world where animals and humans are on equal footing, the unexpected is accepted, and there are always enough corn muffins to go around. (Ages 5 to 8) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly

At first, this tale offers nothing but dismal weather and a polite couple, Mr. and Mrs. Submarine, breakfasting on corn muffins. Their cat bumps at the window and comes in from the rain, and their dog follows suit. Peculiarities arise when Mr. and Mrs. Submarine take pity on a wet horse, coax a shy coyote indoors and welcome 10 chickens, who sit "as far as they could get from the coyote." The ante climbs when Ludwig van Beethoven appears on the lawn ("'Oh, invite him in!' Mrs. Submarine said. 'He is my favorite composer'"). Beethoven justifies the German phrase translations that appear on the copyright page, yet the musical legend doesn't treat his hosts to a performance, not even when the U.S. Marine Band arrives. Instead, the assembly just "ate corn muffins and drank tea in the warm cozy kitchen until the sun came out." Jill Pinkwater (Buffalo Brenda), who illustrates in noisy-bright felt-tip markers, uses medium-to-thick strokes to create flat images. This process allows for wildly colorful patterns but results in lumpy, ungraceful shapes. Especially in the crowd scenes, fine lines seem necessary; as it is, only a few of the chickens and crows fit in the jam-packed, visually muddy closing spread. Daniel Pinkwater (Doodle Flute) achieves sublime ridiculousness by showing the Submarines' limitless hospitality. Although a slapstick finale for this wet day seems in the offing, the author opts for dry wit: nothing happens, despite the volatile mix. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689811438
• ISBN-13: 978-0689811432
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,576,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Daniel Pinkwater lives with his wife, the illustrator and novelist Jill Pinkwater, and several dogs and cats in a very old farmhouse in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shaggy Dog Story, July 16, 2004

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rainy Morning (Hardcover)

The Pinkwaters' extraordinary combination of dry and silly humor begins with the sentence, "Mr. and Mrs. Submarine were sitting at the kitchen table on a rainy morning," and never lets up (in fact, it just gets wilder). The pictures are just as engaging: The opening line is accompanied by beautiful bright colors and a composition that manages to show both the interior of the Submarines' house and the large backyard.

Into this backyard, on this rainy morning, come a variety of wet , hungry animals. Mr. and Mrs. Submarine give shelter--and corn muffins-to a cat (there's a beautiful picture of a cat surrounded by autumnal leaves, with bright green eyes gazing into the house), a huge shaggy dog, a tawny brown horse, crows, a wild coyote, chickens (who wisely stay away from the coyote) and then:

a wildebeest , Ludwig van Beethoven (who speaks in German, translations provided), the United state Marine Band, and more! It gets as crowded and flabbergasting (and perhaps even more surprising) as the Marx Brothers' stateroom in "A Night At the Opera."

Jill Pinkwater's lustrous, fun illustrations are brimming with excitingly vivid colors and a senses of animal energy. Daniel Pinkwater, as always, is a master storyteller, and his quietly outrageous humor will make you one too. Very highly recommended!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars trademark Pinkwater humor, May 13, 2001

By 

W. K. Miller "kenmiller32" (NC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rainy Morning (Hardcover)

The story of this book: Mr. and Mrs. Submarine start by bringing their cat in out of the rain, and offering it a corn muffin. Not strange at all. Then they invite the dog in. Not everyone allows a dog in the house, but many people do. Still, this is not strange.

But later, as the friends include a group of chickens, a group of crows, a coyote, and Beethoven, the book gets funnier and funnier.

Young children realize that cows, chickens, and Beethoven don't belong in the house, and realize just how strange and genuinely funny Mr. and Mrs. Submarine are. Kids just LOVE this book!

There is no plot as such. The guests just tend toward the more and more bizarre, and the comments and humor of the book just get more and more chuckly.

The illustrations in the book are colorful and warm, reminding me of bright watercolors.

If you like Pinkwater books, this is a good one. The book surely does NOT "go anywhere," as one reviewer complained. Surely, that is true. This book is funny without going anywhere.

Give it a try.

ken32

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Daniel Pinkwater is a genius!, November 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rainy Morning (Hardcover)

This book is very funny, and totally bizarre. Daniel Pinkwater is one of the greatest, and most underappreciated, authors writing today. The illustrations are beautiful, and add to the overall tone of whimsy and wit.