“When the rain fingers drum out a dance on the pane, / When the windows are foggy enough for my name, / A pitter-pat-pat, a pitter-pat-pat, / A pittery-pittery-pittery-pat.” A brown-skinned boy imagines that the rain on his window is a train arriving in his neighborhood. All the children emerge from their homes and climb on board for a journey that surely owes at least some of its inspiration to Chris Van Allsburg’s Polar Express . Author Elena deRoo makes this a story all her own with a sound- and rhythm-rich narrative that masterfully uses onomatopoeia. Brian Lovelock capitalizes on a dark, colorful nighttime palette as the fanciful, soothing story plays out in lovely illustrations that feature a diverse group of children. “Storm past the stations, no one alights. / Safe in my sleeper, I steam through the night. / Ssshhhhhhhhh.” (Ages 2–5)

All aboard! Take a train ride through a storm at night in a rhythmic readaloud chugging with sound words and full of striking illustrations.

A pitter-pat-pat, a pitter-pat-pat,
A pittery-pittery-pittery-pat.

When it’s thundering down
on the roof, in the lane,
From the storm comes the call . . .
"All aboard the Rain Train!"

What child wouldn’t like to hop on a train, hand over his ticket, and set off on an exciting ride through a rainy night? Safe from the elements, a young boy listens and watches— in his seat, in the dining car, and snug in his sleeper— as his train whooshes past city lights, over rivers, through tunnels, and straight on to morning.