#433 of 1001 · October 7, 2021

Can you recall the feeing of being a child trapped inside on a rainy day? Perhaps you grew bored. Perhaps you stared out the window, fearing you’d be trapped inside forever. Perhaps your mind began to wander and you discovered something unexpected, something secret, something delightful. This experience forms the essence of Barbara Lehman’s Rainstorm. A young boy in a grand house by the sea, eager to pass the time until the weather clears up, discovers a key. With it, he unlocks a chest concealing a hole in the floor, climbs down a ladder, and finds himself in a secret tunnel under the earth. He follows the passage to its end, climbs a spiral staircase, and finds himself atop a lighthouse on an island near the coast. He meets a group of children who live on the island, leading to a day of carefree wonder and the beginnings of a lasting friendship. In her wordless narrative, Lehman employs watercolor, gouache, and ink to craft a comic-style story that merges slice-of-life vignettes with quiet hints of intrigue and mystery. #rain #storm #island #lighthouse #friend #friends #friendship #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks