Picture Book 10 for 10

For those that are truly dedicated to sharing the best picture books, the August Picture Book 10 for 10 was established in 2010. There's also a nonfiction picture book version in February. Picture Book 10 for 10 was the brainchild of Cathy Mere and Mandy Robek, teachers that love to talk about the best books for their classroom libraries. Through the years, the group has grown larger and larger and now includes over 300 teachers, librarians, parents and picture book lovers from around the world. To participate and view everyone's lists, please visit the Picture Book 10 for 10 Community.


For me, this is my fourth year participating in the August Picture Book 10 for 10. It's especially meaningful for me, because this is what motivated me to start the Jana The Teacher blog 3 years ago. 

This year, grab your umbrella! I've picked ten of my favorite picture books that feature rainy days. As the beautiful sunny summer days give way to windy, wet autumn days, here are some books that will have you grab for a blanket and a cup of tea. Here are some great rainy day books!

Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse, Jon J. Muth (Illustrator) 

This book is just awesome! The little girl in this story, along with her mother and the rest of the neighborhood, haven't seen rain in weeks. Everything is hot, dusty, and limp from the summer heat. As the girl waits for a rainstorm to roll in, she and her friends put on their swimsuits and get ready for a great time. The watercolor illustrations are terrific!

Home in the Rain by Bob Graham 

This sweet picture book takes readers on a rainy trip home from grandma's house. Mom and Francine are all buckled up in their seats, driving in a heavy rainstorm, and forced to pull off the road to wait for the rain to lighten up. Readers get to be part of a sweet conversation about what Frankie's soon-to-be-born baby sister will be named. This would be a terrific book to share with young readers who are waiting for a baby brother or sister to be born. The author lives in Australia, so it's interesting to see in the illustrations that all the drivers are sitting on the right hand side of the vehicles; something that may need explaining to children.

Puddle by Hyewon Yum 

Just in time for autumn rain showers comes this charming picture book! A little boy is completely bummed out because the rainy weather is ruining all of his fun plans for the day. He can't go to the playground, play soccer or ride his bike. His mother tries to get him to stop moping around and come and draw a picture. When he declines to come over and draw, she starts drawing without him. Like all curious little kids, he comes over and sees that she's drawing a picture of his umbrella. Before long the two of them are drawing themselves in a rainy day scene complete with a jump in a puddle. The illustrations are awesome and fit the story so well. This would be fun to read to bored youngsters on rainy days for sure!

Rain by Sam Usher

This is a sweet picture book that shares a special time shared between a little boy and his grandfather. It's a gray, rainy day and the little boy is looking forward to playing outside, but his grandfather tells him they need to wait until the rain stops. The boy reads books, while his grandfather does some paperwork. When the rain stops briefly and they go outside to mail a letter, the adventure that they share is perfect. The illustrations are almost magical, as they pull readers into this wonderful and cozy afternoon that these two enjoy.

Stormy Night (Bear and Bunny #2) by Salina Yoon

What an adorable picture book! This would be a great story to share with young children who are frightened by stormy weather. It's a dark and stormy night at bedtime. Bear hugs his stuffed bunny tightly and sings to it, but then the thunder starts booming. Thankfully, Mom and Dad come to comfort him and before long the storm goes to sleep and so can the Bear family. The digital illustrations are wonderful. My favorite is Bear's feet sticking out from under the bed after the first loud thunderclap. The poor stuffed bunny is all alone on top of the bed.

This Beautiful Day by Richard Jackson, Suzy Lee (Illustrations) 

What a terrific pick-me-up book to share on a rainy day. With spare, lyrical text and illustrations that start with a limited palette of gray and blue, gradually add green, yellow, and red and finally, have full-color spreads, this book takes a gloomy day and shows how imaginative friends and a little music can change everything. This would be great on any bookshelf, as it has a terrific message about the way a positive attitude and creativity and lift hearts and spread joy. 

Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco 

I've loved this book for some time, that's why I enjoy rereading it every chance I get. The story of a grandma helping her granddaughter overcome her fear of thunderstorms is one which will resonate with many readers; I still get a little nervous during severe weather. As they gather all the ingredients to make Thunder Cake, the little girl is so busy getting eggs from the mean chicken, walking to the dry shed, and picking tomatoes (that's right), that she isn't as frightened by the approaching storm. I love that the recipe is included, even though I've never tried to make it.

Watersong by Tim McCanna, Richard Smythe (Illustrations) 

With a playful arrangement of words and beautifully rendered watercolor illustrations, this picture book takes a music-like look at a rainstorm through the eyes of a fox in the woods. Starting with a just a few drops, and growing into a strong storm, the reader can experience the beautiful arrangement of the symphony of water, and come away with a whole new way to look at rainy weather. 

When the Rain Comes by Alma Fullerton, Kim La Fave (Illustrations) 

This riveting picture book tells the story of a brave young girl in Sri Lanka who must face brutal weather and the resulting flash flood to pull an oxen and cartload of rice shoots to the safety of the family barn in order to prevent the young plants from being lost in the storm. When Malini is asked to watch the oxen while the driver goes into the café for a break, a storm breaks and she is separated from the driver and her family by a flash flood. It's up to her to save the family's plants or they would experience a devastating loss to their income and main food source. The illustrations are bold and work so well with this dramatic narrative.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs #1) by Judi Barrett, Ron Barrett (Illustrator)

This fantastic picture book tells the story of what would happen if, instead of rain, food dropped from the sky. The hilarious and well-detailed illustrations along with the great storytelling have young readers imagining the mess and hysteria that would ensue if  it rained food!