THE LITTLE PINK ROSEBUD

A small rosebud living in her cozy underground space is urged by two new friends to sprout above the earth and blossom into a beautiful flower.

Feeling safe in her warm, dark home, Rosebud is disturbed by Rain’s knocking and then Sun’s cheery rustling at the window. These new friends insist that Rosebud allow them to enter, giving her the necessary ingredients for growth. With Rain and Sun’s encouragement—“Poke your head through!”—little pink Rosebud finds herself in a blooming spring garden. Shand retells a story originated by the early-20th-century children’s storyteller Bryant, ever so lightly desentimentalizing it while retaining the feel of the simple, repetitive dialogue of the original: “It’s the Rain and the Sun.…It’s the Sun and the Rain.…And we want to come in! We want to come in!” Opaque colors create a small, brown-toned room with door and curtained window and a surprised Rosebud sitting in a large green armchair. The smiling faces of a sun and a puffy white cloud represent Rosebud’s uninvited, equally anthropomorphized visitors. A careful review of the room reveals a clock on the wall with the four stages of germination, hinting at the story’s theme, which culminates aboveground in the glowing greens and pastels of springtime. A brief addendum relates the process. Though the scientific explanation is rudimentary, the fictional narrative employed will make it accessible to young listeners.

A classic reboot that feels fresh.