The First Rain
by Priyal Mote
“The First Rain” by Priyal Mote. Published by Jyotsna Prakashan. An endearing story of Sita, a baby elephant, who is longing for the monsoon to experience the first rain of her life.
It was summer and the jungle was getting too hot. The creatures silently bore the brunt of the heat. They were eager for the arrival of the much needed monsoon. The lakes had all dried up leaving no water for them to drink. Only dried leaves were left for them to eat. It was quite a difficult and trying situation. The only exception to this was Sita the little elephant calf. She was the only one who was brimming with joy and excitement.
Sita was going around sharing her joy with the other creatures. Her mother had told her that it was going to rain soon. The rain would be accompanied by quite a bit of dramatic scenes. There would be rumbling clouds, flashes of lightning, swaying of trees and so on. She was curious to see how this would be. This would be the first monsoon of her life! She was hoping that there would be water everywhere after the rains started. She started imagining how her surroundings would change for good post the rains.
Sita was desperate to see it rain. She started waiting at the ridge for the rain clouds to appear. What happened next? Did it rain? Would Sita be disappointed? How was her experience of rain going to be? Read the story this monsoon to experience Sita’s curiosity and excitement.
My eight year old enjoyed reading this book with me last year. It was a nice feeling to imagine how it would be for someone to experience rain for the first time. It was a trip down the memory lane for me recollecting a rainy evening when for the first time, as a toddler, my little one was excited to hear the thunder and described it with quite an effort when his dad came home from work. The illustrations are beautiful and bring the story to life. Thank you Vidya Mani of Funky Rainbow for recommending this lovely book as part of the monsoon buzzaar.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 5/6+.
Reasons to Read
The book is a gentle reminder for us to remember how it might have been when we experienced our first rain :)
Where to buy from?
The publishers Jyotsna Prakashan here.
An independent bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.