rain – Mom Read It

Two books for a stormy day

Posted on July 24, 2025July 23, 2025 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Island Storm, by Brian Floca/Illustrated by Sydney Smith, (July 2025, Neal Porter Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9780823456475

Ages 4-8

A pair of siblings ventures out of their island home to “see the sea before the storm” in Caldecott Medalist Floca’s new picture book. They feel the storm germinating as they stroll: the wind blowing, the waves crashing against the rocks at the shore; they pass neighbors who encourage them to get home to safety and they see the streets empty. They urge each other on, wanting to see just a bit more, until the storm arrives with its full fury and sends them running back to home and safety. Filled with sensory verses, readers can imagine themselves walking along a shore, feeling the spray of water and hearing the branches sway in the wind. Repetitive phrases like “is this enough, or do we try for more” and “you pull on me, I pull on you” invites readers to be a silent companion on the adventure. Smith’s watercolor and gouache illustrations capture a storm’s progression from beginning to end, and Floca places readers in the middle of the hurried preparation: “We pass the island grocery store where neighbors have been stocking up. We pass places built for summer crowds, parks and docks and the ice cream parlor, where now there’s hardly a person in sight. Our town is eerie and empty – a stage without its show”. A beautifully crafted book that will get return readers finding something new each time they dive in.

Island Storm has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Horn Book, Kirkus, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Shelf Awareness, and is an Indie Next selection.

Hurricane, by Jason Chin, (May 2025, Neal Porter Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9780823458493

Ages 4-8

Caldecott and Sibert Medalist Chin places readers on Hatteras Island, North Carolina during hurricane season. Alternating between the science of hurricanes and the day-to-day life of people in the hurricane’s path, Chin creates a fascinating look at the life cycle of a storm and how it affects the lives of those affected by one. Chin’s research is spot-on and he shines in communicating weather and climate science to a younger audience. By inserting readers into the lives of the Hatteras Island community, he creates a textured experience that engenders empathy and understanding beyond the meteorologists and technology. There are callout boxes with greater detail and detailed maps throughout; Chin uses the maps to chart the storm and stoke interest and anticipation of the moment the storm arrives. Readers can follow along as the community weathers and recovers from the storm, relying on one another to “get through it together”. Generous back matter includes detailed illustrations and information on hurricane season, structure, the hurricane naming process, and climate change’s role in hurricanes. An excellent pick for nonfiction collections.

Hurricane has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Horn Book, Shelf Awareness, and BookPage.

picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Books that Celebrate Play

Posted on June 11, 2023June 10, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Let’s Go Puddling!, by Emma Perry/Illustrated by Claire Alexander, (Apr. 2023, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536228496

Ages 2-6

Who says “rain, rain, go away?” Not these three families! A group of toddlers and their families delight in a rainy day playdate in this delightful story written in verse. Three families living in the same apartment complex get their littles dressed for fun and meet in the playground, where the children stimp, stamp, stomp through the puddles while other adults rush by, heads down, missing all the fun. Alexander’s digital illustrations bring the softness and fluidity of a rainy day to life; Perry’s spare verse evokes all the joy of play. Great sound effects – “Shake, shake, shake”; “Squish! Squash! Squelch!” – make this a great choice for a readaloud. As much fun to read as it is to listen to.

Joy Ride, by Sherri Duskey Rinker/Illustrated by Ana Ramírez González, (Apr. 2023, Candlewick Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536207743

Ages 4-8

Joy is a little girl who needs something to keep her busy over summer vacation, so her mom sends her to her grandfather’s, where she finds a bike. Joy and Granddad work together on the bike: he fixes, she “fancies it up”, and when she takes that first ride, she’s enchanted: “Today I’m not just Joy: I’m JOY!!!” Sadly, other kids tease her, causing Joy to push the bike down a hill, but she soon realizes that the other kids all look alike. There’s nothing special about them. She fetches her bike, bringing it back to Granddad so she can ride again. A sweet story of individuality and taking a stand against bullies, Joy Ride is a wonderful multigenerational story, a tinkering story, a story about embracing what makes you happy. Digital illustrations are bright, colorful, bold; Rinker’s narration, told from Joy’s point of view, has moments that all kids can relate to, from the boredom of having nothing to do all summer, to the connection between child and grandparent, to the delight of riding a bike, streamers “whippity-whip-whippity-whip-whip”-ing in the breeze. A great choice for a readaloud.

Color and Me, by Michaela Dias-Hayes, (March 2023, Kane Miller), $13.99, ISBN: 9781684645282

Ages 2-5

A brown-skinned little girl fingerpaints, discovering what she can make by mixing colors together. When she makes brown, she is delighted: “Brown is MY color. This is ME.” Illustrations are playful and bright, with paint-spattered endpapers to add to the sense of play. The girl’s joy extends to her hair, shown in different styles including her natural style, braids, twists, and puffs. The playful rhyming verse makes this a pleasure to read aloud, and the combination of artistic play and positive self-image makes this an excellent choice for storytime collections and readalouds. Color and Me was originally published in Britain in 2022.

Consider a storytime art project where kids make a handprint rainbow, inspired by a spread in the story. If that’s too messy for some, help kids trace and cut out their handprints on construction paper to create wreaths and rainbows. Consider reading with Kathryn Otoshi’s Beautiful Hands.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Hello, Rain! is all-weather reading

Posted on April 10, 2021April 10, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hello, Rain!, by Kyo Maclear/Illustrated by Chris Turnham, (April 2021, Chronicle Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9781452138190

Ages 3-6

A child delights in the before, during, and after of a rain shower in this cheery, colorful story. Kyo Maclear uses all sorts of literary devices to make this a joy to read to little ones, embracing rhyme, alliteration, and onomatopoeia to weave a poetic love letter to a rainy day. Our main character and her canine companion dance, splash, and revel in the rain, Chris Turnham’s providing wonderful visual accompaniment as the raindrops glisten off leaves, splash out at us, and allow us to follow the girl and her cheery, colorful umbrella through the story. Once inside, the two companions shake off the droplets and discover the fun ways to spend time indoors; from board games to blanket forts. When all is said and done, it’s time to greet the sun. Endpapers lead readers in with a a blue, spotty beginning and an emerging yellow. Delightful. Add to your rainy day collections with favorites like Who Likes Rain? by Wong Herbert Yee, Sam Usher’s Storm, and one of my all-time favorites, Mushroom in the Rain by Mira Ginsburg.

Visit author Kyo Maclear’s website for more information about her kids’ books, and illustrator Chris Turnham’s website for a glimpse at more of his artwork

Hello, Rain! has starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Noah Builds an Ark brings shelter from the storm

Posted on April 5, 2019April 5, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Noah Builds an Ark, by Kate Banks/Illustrated by John Rocco, (March 2019, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9780763674847

Ages 3-8

A boy named Noah knows there’s a storm coming. As his parents get ready to ride out the storm and keep their family safe, so does Noah. He re-purposes his red wagon into an ark to hold his animal friends, building a roof, gathering food, and furnishing the ark to keep his garden friends safe. When the storm arrives, Noah and his family are safe and warm, and so are the frogs, birds, snakes, mice, spiders, and beetles Noah has sheltered within the ark. When the storm passes, Noah is relieved to see the animals made it through, and the garden returns to life.

This is a lovely, non-theological retelling of the famed tale. Noah is an boy of color living in an urban setting who clearly enjoys nature, as evidenced by his compassion and empathy in creating a safe space for the wildlife in his backyard and by his animal companions present throughout the process: a bird sits on the fence with him as he sees the storm clouds rolling in; a butterfly sits on his foot as he lays in his yard; a grasshoper keeps him company as he assembles the ark. The narrative moves between Noah’s parents preparations, and Noah’s, with him echoing his parents’ sentiments such as, “We need to get ready”, “Better be prepared”, and, as the storm moves in, “Come”. It’s a wonderful example of modeling that parents and caregivers will recognize and that kids will relate to.

John Rocco’s pencil, watercolor, and digital artwork is realistic and subdued. The human faces are gentle and kind, the gestures warm and pleasant. Noah Builds an Ark is a story of compassion, nature, and life, and it’s a great storytime pick. Noah Builds an Ark has a starred review from Kirkus.

Preschool Reads

Sam Usher’s Rain explores patience and celebrates imagination

Posted on March 29, 2017March 28, 2017 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Rain, Sam Usher, (March 2017, Candlewick), $16.99, ISBN: 978-0-7636-9296-4

Duck and Hippo brave the rain together!

Posted on March 14, 2017March 12, 2017 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Duck and Hippo In the Rainstorm, by Jonathan London/Illustrated by Andrew Joyner, (March 2017, Two Lions/Amazon), $17.99, ISBN: 978-1-5039-3723-9

Duck and Hippo are the best of friends, and want to go for a walk in the rain. But the umbrella isn’t big enough for them both! Luckily, the two friends find a solution and go off on a rainy day walk, filled with adventures, until a strong gust of wind sends one of them up in the air!

Jonathan London is best known for his Froggy series, most of which end up on my library kids’ summer reading lists every year. Booktalking Duck and Hippo will be a breeze – the author already has a tremendous fanbase. Then, we have Andrew Joyner’s brush and ink illustration, with wash and pencil, then digitally colored; which it makes me happy just looking at it. It’s classic illustration; hearkening to timeless books like Frog and Toad and Danny and the Dinosaur. colors are soothing with bright touches, like Duck’s red jacket and yellow umbrella, which matches Hippo’s yellow rain boots. The definitive outlines make each piece, each character, step off the page. Sound effects are in playful font sizes and colors, swirling along like the water in a creek or coming down with the rain.

This book is a fun read-aloud about friendship and sharing. Read and display with Frog and Toad, James Marshall’s George and Martha, or Sue Gallion’s Pug Meets Pig. Hand out a Duck and Hippo coloring sheet, courtesy of Andrew Joyner’s website – and give your bigger readers Joyner’s How to Draw Duck and Hippo instructions!

About the Author and Illustrator

Jonathan London is the author of more than one hundred children’s books, including the bestselling Froggy series, illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz. Many of his books explore nature, among them Flamingo Sunset, illustrated by Kristina Rodanas, and Little Penguin: The Emperor of Antarctica, illustrated by Julie Olson. He is currently writing a middle-grade series, which started with Desolation Canyon, illustrated by his son Sean London. Jonathan lives in Graton, California. Learn more online at www.jonathan-london.net.

Andrew Joyner is an illustrator, author, and cartoonist based in South Australia. He has illustrated a number of picture books, and he wrote and illustrated a chapter book series about a warthog named Boris. He has also illustrated for newspapers and magazines, including the Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, and Rolling Stone magazine, among others. Learn more online at www.andrewjoyner.com.au.

Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win your own copy of Duck and Hippo in the Rainstorm!

Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Imagination steers one boy past The Storm

Posted on April 21, 2016April 21, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Storm, by Akiko Miyakoshi (Apr. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771385596

Recommended for ages 3-7

A young boy is planning on a weekend trip to the beach with his parents, but a storm threatens otherwise. When the storm arrives, the boy tries not to be scared, imagining himself on a ship that’s strong enough to drive the storm away. When he wakes up the next day, will his dream of smooth sailing come true?

This is a perfect rainy day read. The gray charcoal illustrations with bright spots of blue (the boy’s shirt, the rain puddles) communicate the overall mood of the coming storm and the hope that it will pass in time to enjoy a trip to the beach. When the storm arrives in all its fury, the boy finds a safe place for himself: curled up in his bed, covers over his head, so he can’t hear the rain. He waits out the storm by imagining himself on a ship with propellers powerful enough to blow the storm away. He faces his fears by finding a safe place and through visualization.

The book provides a great opportunity to talk to young readers about overcoming fear and using positive imagery to steer them past any storms – negative thoughts or fears – in their own lives.

Read this one with Mercer Mayer’s There’s a Nightmare in My Closet or Lemony Snicket’s The Dark to talk about overcoming fear. Or just curl up on a rainy day with The Storm and a copy of Taro Yashima’s Caldecott Honor book, Umbrella, for a rainy day read.

The Storm has received a starred review from Kirkus. The Storm is writer and illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi’s first picture book, and won the Nissan Children’s Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix. Her book, The Tea Party in the Woods, was published by Kids Can Press in 2015.

Animal Fiction, Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Marianne Dubuc retells the story of Noah in The Animal’s Ark

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Animal’s Ark, by Marianne Dubuc (Apr. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771386234

Recommended for ages 3-6

It’s raining! The animals huddle together to try and stay dry, but the rain keeps coming and the land is filling up. Thank goodness, a nice man named Mr. Noah shows up with his boat and lets the animals on, two by two, to stay warm, dry and safe. At first, the animals cuddle together and sleep, play games, and get along, but the rain keeps falling and things start to get a little cramped. When are they going to find dry land? When is this rain going to stop?

This is an adorable retelling of the story of Noah’s Ark by an illustrator with a gift for telling entire stories within her art. Marianne Dubuc is wonderful with putting little winks and nudges to readers in her illustrations: she told us the story of Little Red Riding Hood in The Bus Ride, where we saw a little girl riding a bus to her grandmother’s house; in Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds, she told us the story of a postmouse making his mail delivery rounds, while her illustrations told us the stories of all the animals who lived in the forest. Here, we see little touches that tell us volumes about life aboard the ark; predator and prey all living together and having fun at first, grateful to be out of the rain. We see a chameleon blending into a tiger, attached to his hind quarters while the tiger naps; snails draw mazes with their snail slime; the elephant helps bail out the ark when a leak springs up. We also see what happens when a hedgehog’s prickles get… prickly, and a cat sharpens her claws in a very inconvenient spot. The animals’ postures go from relaxed to combative, and a crocodile is ready to snap! Ms. Dubuc’s pencils and crayons provide a soft, colorful story that kids will love to read and have read to them, over and over again.

While The Animal’s Ark is a retelling of the biblical story, this is a book that can be read to all audiences. Noah is a kind man with a boat, offering to shepherd the animals through the storm. The rain and flood are just a heavy storm. It’s a good introduction to the story for Christian readers; parents and teachers can lead children into a deeper discussion at their leisure. This makes the book work well for public storytimes with diverse audiences; kids love animals stories, and that’s exactly what this is.

Get out your stuffed animals and make your own story arc around the carpet or the bed. Talk about what animals you’d let board the ark – would you let an alien board the ark? What about animals like the dodo bird, or a dinosaur? And what other things did the animals do on the ark? Did the chickens lay eggs and the bees make honey to help feed everyone? Get creative, and let the kids get creative; you can turn this into a lesson on animals or you can turn it into a wacky storytime. It’s up to you.

Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Book Review: Rain Romp, by Jane Kurtz/Illus. by Diana Wolcott (Greenwillow Books, 2002)

Posted on August 24, 2013August 24, 2013 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 3-6

Preschoolers often deal with moods that they don’t know how to control; many will associate with this young girl who wakes up in a bad mood on a rainy day. Her parents try to boost her mood, but she wants none of it, until she decides to stomp her bad mood away in the rain. Her parents join her, and the bad mood goes away. The watercolor and gouache art is perfect to convey the both the weather and the girl’s moods, going from angry and gray, like the rain, to happy and content, as the sun peeks through the clouds. The text curves around the art and gets larger for emphasis when the girl vents her anger. As she and her family hug, mood lifted, the text curves underneath them, allowing the reader to join in the hug.

This would be a good addition to a read-aloud on moods. There could be a discussion on what preschoolers do when they are angry, or sad, or happy. If they feel sad or mad, what makes them feel better? A good storytime craft would allow the children to draw a picture of how they deal with a bad mood, and they could receive a smiley face handstamp at the end of the storytime.