Sunshine in the Monsoons

With illustrations by Archana Sreenivasan, Tina Athaide's Sunshine in the Monsoons is a moving grandmother/grandchild picture book that reminds us to look for the silver lining in even the biggest storm clouds. Every year, the rainy season rolls into Mira’s town. For days and days during these monsoons, the sun hides behind thick clouds. Thunder booms. Rain pours. The bright and colorful neighborhood turns gray. With her grandmother, Avó, Mira used to know how to find the sunshine in the monsoons. But this year, Avó has to stay indoors. With her brother, Pran, Mira goes looking for the sunshine—to find joy on the darkest days and bring it back to Avó. Tina Athaide’s lyrical text and Archana Sreenivasan’s illustrations as bright as Fountainhas, the Latin Quarter of Goa, India, come together to reminder us that traditions will change and there will be rainy days, but if you look, a bright pocket of joy is waiting beyond the clouds.