Very Cool Rain

by Jean Parr illustrated by Cindy Ravel RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 6:06 PM Page OC3 brenda audio_pd Copyright © by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to School Permissions and Copyrights, Harcourt, Inc., 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777. Fax: 407-345-2418. HARCOURT and the Harcourt Logo are trademarks of Harcourt, Inc., registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions. Printed in the United States of America ISBN 0-15-323089-4 Ordering Options ISBN 0-15-325517-X (Grade 2 On-Level Collection) ISBN 0-15-326939-1 (package of 5) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 179 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:27 PM Page IC2 Visit The Learning Site! www.harcourtschool.com by Jean Parr illustrated by Cindy Ravel Orlando Boston Dallas Chicago San Diego RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:18 PM Page 1 brenda audio_pd Katy folded her arms. Nelia mimicked her. “I’m tired of this rain,” Katy said. “It’s rained for days. We haven’t been able to play outside since last week.” 2 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:19 PM Page 2 brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd “What if the rain were donuts?” Nelia asked. “Donuts?” Katy said. “Yes. Donuts. They would float down. They would pile up like fall leaves all over town,” Nelia said. 3 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:19 PM Page 3 brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd “People would go outside and look for the kinds they like best. It would change the lives of all the people who make donuts for a living. They would need new jobs.” 4 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:19 PM Page 4 brenda audio_pd Then Katy said, “What if the rain were lemonade?” “Everything would be sticky and pale yellow outside,” Nelia said. “Sounds very tasty!” 5 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:19 PM Page 5 brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd default blue speaker “My mother would not like the rain to be lemonade,” Katy said. “I can just hear her. She would tell me to take a shower every time I came home.” “But if you were thirsty, you could stand outside and hold out a cup,” Nelia said. “Lemonade whenever you wanted it!” 6 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:19 PM Page 6 brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd “What if the rain were fireworks?” Katy asked. “Think what would happen in a big storm,” Nelia said. “The sky would be so bright. There would be color everywhere!” 7 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:20 PM Page 7 brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd “What a haze all those fireworks would make,” fussed Katy. “The sky would not be clear for days after a big storm. Also, think of the Fourth of July. Real fireworks would seem very dull.” 8 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:20 PM Page 8 brenda audio_pd “What if the rain were books?” Nelia asked. “Books!” said Katy. “That would be fun! You could trade with your friends.” “When you finish reading a book, you would wish for a big storm,” Nelia said. “Then you could get a new book out of the sky.” 9 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:20 PM Page 9 brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd “There is one problem,” Nelia said. “If you went out in the rain, you would need a steel umbrella. Those books might hurt.” 10 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:20 PM Page 10 brenda audio_pd “Good point,” Katy said, nodding. 11 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:20 PM Page 11 brenda audio_pd “What if the rain were dogs?” asked Nelia. “Sort of like raining cats and dogs?” Katy said. “Wow! We could have a big dog rain or a little puppy rain.” “The dogs would need pillows,” Nelia said. “So they wouldn’t get hurt.” 12 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:20 PM Page 12 brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd “There would be too many dogs. Where would they live?” Katy said. “They might need their own cities.” 13 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:20 PM Page 13 brenda audio_pd “Well, what if the rain were words?” asked Nelia. “Words?” asked Katy. “Yes, words,” Nelia said. “It might sound like people talking.” “Oh,” Katy said, thinking. “That would be very loud.” 14 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:21 PM Page 14 brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd “In the winter, the words would all freeze,” Nelia said. “In the spring, when it’s warm, all the words would melt. That would make an awful noise,” Katy said. 15 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:21 PM Page 15 brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd “It would be awful if the rain were words!” Katy said. For a moment, they admired the silent rain falling outside. “Did you notice it's still raining?” Nelia asked. “I did,” Katy said, “and I’m glad, Nelia, that the rain is still water.” 16 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:27 PM Page 16 brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd Think and Respond 1 Why are Katy and Nelia talking about the rain? 2 Nelia and Katy are inside in this story. What is an antonym for inside? 3 At the end of the story, what do Nelia and Katy think about the rain? 4 What can you tell about Katy and Nelia from this story? 5 What are the problems with having lemonade for rain? What are the problems with having books for rain? 6 What do you wish the rain were? Why? Write a Story Write your own “What if . . .” story. Think of something other than rain. School-Home Connection What do you like to do when it rains? Make a list of things kids can do when they can't play outside. Word Count: 470 RNL01AIN2X_INO19_1-20 5/21/01 3:27 PM Page IC3 brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd brenda audio_pd