The Rain Elves

Name: The Rain Elves
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Author: Abbie Phillips Walker

Thirsty garden flowers ask the mischievous Wind Witch to keep all the Rain Elves on Earth at once, but the downpour that follows nearly destroys the garden.

The Rain Elf children have been cooped up in their cloud homes during a long, hot spell. When their mothers, the Rain Clouds, finally let a few drop down to play, the parched garden flowers are overjoyed. But the flowers are so thirsty they want all the Rain Elves to stay, not just a few at a time. Against the wise lily's warning, they ask the old Wind Witch for help. Delighted to cause mischief, the Wind Witch secretly opens every cloud door, sending millions of Rain Elves crashing down at once. The gentle shower becomes a devastating flood: petals fall, stems break, and the garden fills with water. Only when old Sun Man drives the Wind Witch away do the Rain Elves finally return home. The battered flowers realize the lily was right all along: the Rain Cloud mothers knew best, and sometimes a little at a time is far better than too much at once.

Author: Abbie Phillips Walker

Themes: consequences, patience, wisdom, nature, listening to parents, greed

The Rain Elf children had been shut up in their houses for ever so long, for it had been hot and the Rain Elves do not like very hot weather. Their mothers, the Rain Clouds, awoke one morning and found the sun was not shining, so they told their children they could drop down and play on the Earth awhile.

"Now, mind you, do not all go. Part of you can go at a time, because there are so many, many millions of you; the poor Earth would be quite overcome if all the Rain Elves went down at once." So a few from each family of the Rain Cloud's children went out the door as their mothers opened it and down they dropped upon the dry Earth.

Oh, the gardens were so glad to see them! The flowers lifted their drooping heads and smiled a glad welcome. "Where have you been?" they asked. "It is so long since you were here we thought you had forgotten us." "Oh no, we didn't forget you!" replied the Rain Elves, "but it has been so hot our mothers would not let us come out. We can stay but a little while, because we have many, many millions of brothers that want to come down to the garden, too; so we will have to go back, and the next shower will bring some of the others."

The little flowers were grieved when they heard this, for they were so dusty and thirsty they felt they could never get enough of the shining little Elves. "What shall we do to keep them here?" they whispered among themselves. "If they go back to the clouds, perhaps the others will not come. Oh, if the old Wind Witch would only come along she might help us."

"She might get us all into trouble also," said a slender lily. "I think we better trust the Rain Cloud mothers to do what they think best." But poor little lily's words were not noticed and a tall hollyhock was asked to find old Wind Witch and request her to help them keep the Rain Elves all day.

The old Wind Witch laughed with glee when she heard the request, for she saw a chance to work mischief and make it appear she was trying to do good. "Tell the pretty flowers they shall have the Rain Elves all day, and their brothers, too," she said to the hollyhock, and off she flew up to the Rain Cloud homes.

She went about the clouds very carefully and gently, for she knew if the Rain Cloud mothers heard her they would call their children home; but by and by she saw her chance, and while the Rain Cloud mothers were busy she softly opened the door of each cloud one by one and beckoned to the Rain Elves. "Run along quickly," she said. "Your brothers are having such a fine time they have quite forgotten you; they will not be back today, so run along and be merry with them."

The little Rain Elves did not stop to think they should wait for their mothers to tell them when to go, they were so eager to get out. Down they went quite gently at first with a patter, patter, pat, and then they quite lost their heads, thinking of the fun they would have, and down they dropped, splash, splash, splash.

At first the flowers laughed and danced about for joy, for they were getting their leaves and blossoms washed and their thirsty petals satisfied; but in a little while the Rain Elves came so fast and thick the petals dropped off one by one, and then the stems bent under the swift coming of the Elves. Pretty soon the garden was filled with water so that the grass could not be seen, while old Wind Witch danced about overhead and cackled with delight at the mischief she had done.

"Oh dear! I did not know there were so many of you!" cried a rose as her stem broke and she fell into the water. "I was afraid of it," sighed the lily as she fell to the ground. "A few Elves at a time is best. The mother Rain Clouds know." Such a commotion as there was in the Rain Cloud homes when the mothers found the doors of their houses open! They hustled about and called for the Rain Elves to come home; but they were so taken up with the fun they were having, spattering and splashing, they did not hear.

By and by old Sun Man saw them, and it did not take him long to throw his hot rays on old Wind Witch and drive her away, and then the Rain Elves felt the Sun Man's breath and thought of home. One by one they disappeared. Some hid among the roses and other flowers that were left in the garden, and others were lucky enough to get back to their cloud houses and their mothers, but they left the garden a very sad-looking place. "The lily was wiser than we thought," said a bedraggled flower. "The Rain Cloud mothers know best what is good for us, and the next time they send a part of their children I think we better be satisfied and not get them all here at once."

Introduction

Discover 'The Rain Elves,' a charming nature fable by Abbie Phillips Walker from her 1921 collection 'Sandman's Goodnight Stories.' In this enchanting tale, a garden of thirsty flowers learns a hard lesson about greed and impatience. When the flowers ask the mischievous Wind Witch to keep all the Rain Elves on Earth at once, a gentle shower turns into a devastating flood. A wise lily's ignored warning proves true: the Rain Cloud mothers knew best all along. A delightful bedtime story about moderation, patience, and trusting those who know better.

About Abbie Phillips Walker

Abbie Phillips Walker (1867-?) was an American author of children's stories, best known for her 'Sandman' series of books published in the early 20th century. Her tales feature woodland animals, fairies, goblins, and enchanted gardens in charming stories that teach gentle moral lessons. Her works include 'Sandman's Goodnight Stories' (1921), 'Sandman's Rainy Day Stories' (1920), and other collections that have delighted young readers for over a century.

Values and Lessons

The Rain Elves delivers a timeless lesson about moderation and trust through a charming garden allegory. The flowers' impatience and greed lead them to ignore the wise lily's counsel and invite disaster upon themselves. The Wind Witch represents those who exploit others' desires under the guise of helping. The story shows children that parents and caregivers often have good reasons for their rules, and that patience and trust are wiser than trying to get everything at once. The garden's recovery suggests that even after mistakes, we can learn and do better next time.

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The Rain Elves

Origin of the Story

This story comes from Abbie Phillips Walker's 'Sandman's Goodnight Stories,' published in 1921 and available through Project Gutenberg (#20962). It belongs to a tradition of nature personification stories where weather, flowers, and seasons are given human qualities and motivations. Walker's gentle approach to teaching through fairy tales reflects the early 20th-century American style of children's literature.

About Abbie Phillips Walker

Values and Lessons

patience
moderation
trust
wisdom
listening to good advice
learning from mistakes

Related Activities

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Discussion Activity
After reading, talk about times when too much of something good turned out badly. Ask: Why didn't the flowers listen to the lily? What would have happened if they had been patient? Discuss the difference between wanting something and needing something. Talk about how rain helps gardens grow, but too much rain can cause floods.
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Creative Activity
Make Rain Elves! Using blue tissue paper, cotton balls, and glue, create a rainy day scene. Tear tiny bits of blue tissue paper for Rain Elves falling from cotton-ball clouds onto paper flowers below. Children can make a gentle-rain side and a flood side to show the difference between a little rain and too much.
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Learning Activity
Explore the water cycle! Use a spray bottle to give a small plant a gentle sprinkle (like a few Rain Elves) and talk about why plants need water. Then pour a full cup of water on another spot to show what happens with too much rain. Discuss how clouds make rain and why rainstorms eventually stop.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓What is the moral of The Rain Elves?

The story teaches children that too much of a good thing can be harmful. The flowers were so thirsty they wanted all the rain at once, but the resulting flood destroyed the garden. The wise lily warned that they should trust the Rain Cloud mothers, who knew how much rain was best. The tale gently shows that patience and moderation lead to better outcomes than greed and impatience.

❓Who wrote The Rain Elves?

This story was written by Abbie Phillips Walker and published in her 1921 collection 'Sandman's Goodnight Stories.' Walker was an American children's author known for her enchanting fairy tales and nature fables that teach gentle moral lessons through whimsical characters like elves, goblins, and talking flowers.

❓What age is The Rain Elves appropriate for?

The Rain Elves is ideal for children ages 3 to 5. The whimsical characters, simple nature imagery, and clear cause-and-effect plot are engaging for young listeners. The lesson about not wanting too much at once is presented gently through a garden allegory, making it easy for preschoolers to understand without being frightening.

❓What are Rain Elves?

In this story, Rain Elves are tiny, sparkling elf children who live inside rain clouds with their mothers, the Rain Clouds. When a shower falls, some Rain Elves are allowed to drop down to Earth to water the gardens. They represent individual raindrops personified as playful little creatures, making the concept of rain magical and child-friendly.

❓What are the main themes in The Rain Elves?

The main themes include the dangers of greed and wanting too much at once, the wisdom of listening to those who know better, the consequences of ignoring good advice, and the importance of patience. The story also touches on the mischief caused by those who pretend to help but really want to cause trouble, as seen in the Wind Witch character.