Illustrator Study--Barbara Lehman Day 3

Rainstorm
Illustrated by Barbara Lehman
Houghton Mifflin, 2007

Do you remember being a kid and how horrible it was when you couldn’t go outside and play and you were bored out of your mind? I do. And this wordless picture book captures a child’s curiosity and imagination.

It’s raining. A little boy character looks out at the rain, tries to find something to do, but he’s just bored. He kicks a ball under a chair. When he goes to retrieve it, he discovers a key. He tries the key out on every object he can find that might require a key. Finally he finds a trunk. He opens it up and there’s a ladder inside that leads somewhere.

This story told solely through the pictures show where the boy goes in his imagination on a rainy day. There he meets up with other children who have also made their way there and want to keep going back to their special place.

This book reminds me of the imaginary places I had as a kid and the imaginary games I’d play on rainy days when I couldn’t go outside.

Of the three books I’ve reviewed, this the first one to have the title large and easily seen. The Red Book doesn’t have a title on the front cover. Museum Trip does, but it is in the form of a small stamp on the bottom right hand corner. Rainstorm’s title is right on the front.

Other tidbits:
A fun, illustrated interview with Barbara Lehman about Rainstorm

Barbara Lehman has a new book coming out in 2008. Trainstop, published by Houghton Mifflin, will be out in April.