When the Clouds Came

You can't hold back the rain forever. In this lyrical picture book about a Chinese family, the sky tries to hold in the clouds just like the boy holds in his worries about his grandmother's health. When she passes away, the sky lets out all the rain—and helps the boy finally express his grief.

The sky likes to be sunny so people can have fun outside—like the boy and his grandmother as they plant seeds.

It does its best to contain the clouds and rain so the boy and his grandma can have a picnic together, eating bao. Or do Tai Chi, or play mahjong in the park. But his grandma hasn’t been well lately. And the sky isn't sure it can hold the clouds back anymore…like when the ambulance comes. And then when Grandma doesn’t come home.

It rains and rains, and everyone goes indoors, including the boy and his family, who are devastated by the grandmother's death. The sky sees the boy has rain inside him too, and encourages him to let it out. The boy cries and cries, and his mother holds him. But we see that eventually, just like the rain, his tears stop. The streets have been washed clean and the plants are blooming. His grandma has a special place on their family's altar, which includes flowers from the garden they planted together, showing she will live on in their home and hearts forever.

Praise for Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang: