Rain has become an uncommon event in Northern California these past few years. When it does rain, San Francisco delights in it
To help Bean learn to relish our rainy, indoor days, I’ve been hunting down rain books at the library. This isn’t exactly a category of books that gets its own special shelf or anything, so I thought you might like to see what we’ve come up with.
1. Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld
God, what an adorable book. Cloudette was a very small cloud, smaller than the average cloud.” While she recognizes that being small has its advantages, she wishes she could do big and important things like water crops and replenish rivers. Eventually, she finds a role for even a small cloud like herself.
The book teaches a simple, cute story about the water cycle (rain comes from clouds), all the while reflecting a kid’s own feeling of smallness and desire to do important and meaningful things in the world.
You may also recognize the artwork — the book is written and illustrated by Tom Licthenheld, who also illustrated “Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site”.
2. Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman
A little boy wanders around his lonely mansion on a rainy day when he discovers a chest that is a portal to an island lighthouse. There, he finds sunny skies and children to play with.
Our entire family was obsessed with this book. There are no words, which lets you create as simple or complex a story as you’d like. The illustrations contain enough detail that you’ll wonder if you missed a major metaphor or clue along the way. This is the book Dave and I would discuss long after Bean was asleep for the night.
3. Rain! by Linda Ashman and Christian Robinson
In this book, a little boy wakes up excitedly to a rainy day. An older gentleman wakes up grumpily to the same rainy day. As they make their respective ways to a local coffee shop, their moods affect everyone nearby. An encounter between the boy and gentleman eventually swings the gentleman’s outlook.
This was an odd little book, but Bean loved it. There are very few words on each page, so an older child could “read” it by themselves. For Bean, I’m sure the delight was in seeing a little boy pull on his rain boots and go for a city walk with his mom.
4. The Cloud Spinner by Michael Catchpool
This is a beautiful, fantastical book about a little boy that weaves soft, warm yarn from clouds. But then the king wants the boy to knit suits and dresses for himself, the queen, and their daughter. Slowly, the number of clouds dwindles in the sky and the countryside falls into drought.
This book was almost entirely over Bean’s head, but she liked looking at the happy, green grass hills dotted with cows and sheep, and seeing the sky change from ambers to lavendars to deep blues during the course of the day. The story, though, is an important one — use only what you need and no more. This is a book I’ll probably return to year after year.
