Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman.

Lehman does it again with another winner of a wordless picture book.  This is the story of a boy who is in a big house during a rain storm.  He finds a key that unlocks a trunk which has a ladder inside.  This leads him through tunnels and a looping stair to a lighthouse.  There he finds a group of children who befriend him and let him join in their play.  He is sad when he has to return home again and leave them behind, but perhaps they will find a way to see each other again!

Lehman’s illustrations are so evocative but clear.  They need no words to carry the story forward at all.  The sharp-eyed child will see the lighthouse out of the boy’s window, tying the story together. 

I find that wordless picture books don’t work for a story time, but are ideal to read with children in Kindergarten and first grade who are just on the cusp of learning to read.  The power to create their own story and the freedom from struggle with the act of reading allows them to really connect with this type of book.  Perfect to pull out when children are getting frustrated.