Max is always wet, because there is a permanent rain cloud above his head whenever he goes out. No-one else particularly likes the damp, so he finds himself on his own: well, he could talk to the flowers but they never have a great deal to say. Finally, he makes himself a rain hat, using twigs and feathers, and even string! "Nice hat," says Rat, "It looks like a rainbow." And he stays under the hat with Max to chat. But there isn't room for many others under the hat, so that night Max makes it bigger. Then lots of people come to chat, and Max starts to have a strange new feeling. It is only when he realises that the rain cloud has gone (for a time!), and he doesn't need to wear the hat ALL the time, that he knows what it is: he's happy! Now he only needs to wear the hat in the rain.

 

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2002 by Andersen Press Ltd .

Gus Clarke was born and brought up in Suffolk. He studied at Edinburgh and Kingston Schools of Art and he has been involved in design and illustrations for print and television. He has produced many successful books for Andersen. He has two sons.