Here in southwest Missouri it's been raining for days!
When I was a child, on rainy days like these, my mother would pull out Volume 1 of my favorite set of books, The Bookshelf for Boys and Girls, and, together, we would read Susan and the Rain by Madye Lee Chastain.
The other night, while listening to the rain, I suddenly got an overwhelming desire to revisit my old friend, Susan Amantha Cottonwood. The problem was, I had lent Volume 1 of my favorite set of books to one of my granddaughters.
I tried to find the story online, but couldn't find it anywhere! So, after making a call to my daughter, and making sure it was okay to come over at such a late hour, I went and got my Volume 1 of The Bookshelf for Boys and Girls and revisited my dear, old, childhood friend, Susan Amantha Cottonwood.
I'd like to share that story with you here in hopes that you, in turn, will share it with your own children on beautiful, rainy days!
Are you ready? Here we go...
Susan and the Rain
By Madye Lee Chastain
Susan Amantha Cottonwood
was a little girl
who was always good -
when the sun shone.
But when the clouds piled up in the sky
And began to rain - she would cry!
And cry and moan!
Susan Amantha hated the rain.
She would press her nose to the window-
pane
And complain, And complain,
And complain!
"There's nothing to do if I can't play
outside.
If the sun was out, I'd take my doll for a
ride,
I'd bounce my ball, I'd swing on the gate;
I'd go round the block on one roller skate,
But there's nothing to do in the whole
wide world-
When it rains!"
Now one summer she went to the coun-
try
To visit her grandpapa,
And her uncles and aunts and cousins,
And her grandmamma.
She played in the barn on the piles of hay,
She played in the meadow the livelong
day.
The sun shone bright and Susan was gay!
But one day It rained!
And Susan complained!
Her gandpapa was amazed to hear
So many complaints and he said, "I fear
You don't know why we have the rain
Or you wouldn't complain!"
"We have the rain to water the crops,
To make fine lettuce and big beet tops.
It makes the corn tall, row on row,
And the apples juicy and the blackberries
grow.
It fills the rivers and streams and lakes.
It softens the soil the gardener rakes.
It washes the dust from all the leaves
And makes a song as it drips from the
eaves.
Why, nothing would grow on our very
own farm
If it didn't rain.
Susan - don't complain!"
Susan Amantha Cottonwood
Told grandpapa that she understood,
But just the same
It wasn't much fun
When there was no sun!
Susan went home and though she tried,
Nevertheless, when it rained, she cried.
Until . . .
One day the postman rang the bell.
Mother opened the door and said, "Well,
well!
Here's a package for Susan from Grand-
papa!"
When Susan got the strings untied
And opened the box, she found inside,
A bright red umbrella, shiny black boots
And a red plaid raincoat
With a rainhat to suit!
Well, the next time it rained
Did Susan complain?
NO!
She put on her boots
And her raincoat and hat
And she took her umbrella and went
spitty-spat
Out in the rain -
And in all the puddles!
Rain thumped her umbrella,
Rain spattered her coat;
each boot was as wet as a shiny black
boat.
She splashed and she sploshed,
As happy as could be, and she said,
"Why the rain is fun,
And it's raining just for me!"
Found this image of the 1947 of edition of Susan and the Rain on Amazon 5/23/15. Lovely! <3
