Perfect Picture Books for a Rainy Day in September
The Rabbit, The Cloud, and the Rainy Day
- Written by Nicola O’Byrne
- Published by Nosy Crow
When I was little my favourite book to hear/read stories from was my older sister’s Aesop’s Fables book that she was gifted by our nanny. That book held so many morals to stories and I loved contemplating them as I read and reread them as I grew older too. I can picture The Rabbit, The Cloud, and the Rainy Day in one such book because it is a story with an important message behind it – the importance of having rain within our weather cycles. Currently we are faced with day after day of nothing but sunshine, and everything in gardens is needing watering by homeowners, and people are actually excited by the concept of potential rain on a 10 day weather forecast, but Rabbit wouldn’t be one of those because he doesn’t like rain – not initially anyway.
Rabbit just wants to enjoy a day of fishing, and is immediately disheartened by the sight of a dark cloud in the sky. He cleverly deals with the setback by fishing it out of the sky, and sets off with fishing rod in hand. When he then meets Duck he gets educated on the importance of clouds in the sky and the subsequent rain that occurs, and Duck does so by showing some beautiful examples of how rain helps and provides for us and nature overall. Each example is beautifully illustrated, much like Rabbit is, and Duck of course. The duo set off to various locations that explain a variety of purposes to rain occuring, and Rabbit is compelled to agree with Duck by the conclusion of their adventure. What they get to see and learn is portrayed in a way that allows younger readers the ability to easy follow and envisage the unfolding story, along with why we do have an appreciation for rain and how valuable a resource it is. To think it is provided by nature for FREE is actually insane when you think about it.
The surprise pop-up in the book is beautiful (no spoilers from me!) and compliments the story so perfectly, as do the stunning illustrations throughout the book, and I really hope the way this book concludes is a hint to the next book to follow as I would love to see a weather themed series with Rabbit at the helm coming over the coming months, and I will be waiting to see whether that manifests.
Just One More Story
- Written by Perry Emerson
- Illustrated by Sean Julian
- Published by Little Tiger
I have always had a love for illustrated books that have that wholesome traditional feel to them, and upon seeing Just One More Story I got all those feels. The story we find ourselves invited to join in with is that of Pip and Bun and their relationships with story books. Pip absolutely loves to read but by contrast Bun, who is slightly younger, absolutely doesn’t. Bun wants to go play, and Pip is contented to sit and read, so when Bun gets fed up waiting for Pip to be free to play with the most magical thing occurs, as a result of a little reverse psychology from Pip, as Bun actually explores their bookcase.
One amazing storyline and subsequent adventure follows another for Bun as they engage with book after book, and to see and hear the excitement from Bun as a result really does fill your heart with joy. Little ones will be able to realise that they have adventures awaiting them inside books they have access to at home and/or school, and that realisation is enormous and cannot be overstated – it is just like being given a key to the entire world (and many worlds beyond too). Pip and Bun enjoy sharing books, with one of them doing the reading as the other one acts out the scenes and the pair truly bond over their mutual appreciation for books. All that changes though, when the duo have shared every single book they have, and they decide to create some of their own.
Their are disagreements, and unkind words and reactions with one another when creating stories together is in full flow, and the pair go in seperate directions. It is when they have had the space and time to reflect that they both realise the error of their ways, and a beautiful joint apology follows shortly after. This gives a great way of little ones having an understanding of their feelings, the impact they have on others around them, and the importance in apologising when relevant too.
This is a really beautiful book which encourages a love of reading, celebrates children’s literature, and inspires even the most reluctant of reader to give it a go – just look at all the fun Bun had! The bond between Pip and Bun becomes stronger through their mutual enjoyment of story time, and they compliment each other perfectly as they include and inspire one another along the way – just like siblings do day to day too.
There’s A Bear On My Chair
- Written and illustrated by Ross Collins
- Published by Nosy Crow
Wow! I cannot believe a few months ago this title, There’s A Bear On My Chair celebrated its 10th publication anniversary, and I am delighted to have been gifted my very own copy of this stunning edition celebrating the occasion – the blue foil cover is gorgeous! I can still recall coming across this book 10 years ago when my youngest was 6, and he had a love for funny story picture books. We have shared this book numerous times, too many to count, over this past decade, and it is really nice to have a new special cover design edition to share with the latest little ones in our family – nieces, nephews, and cousins.
This book has been a huge hit over the years with little ones, and I have incredibly fond memories of sharing this with nursery children/classes over the years in my role as primary school librarian, and of course it would be a book that every child looked to take home to enjoy time and time again too. Ross Collins has a natural talent for writing in a way that enthralls his intended audience, and it is a real bonus that the characters from this book feature in others of his too.
Through the use of rhyming sentences we are thrust in amongst the antics of Mouse having discovered that Bear is on his favourite chair. In a bid to get his chair back to use himself Mouse tries all sorts of hilarious antics but has absolutely no joy, with one attempt after another not changing that there is indeed a Bear on his chair. When Mouse does give up trying to remove Bear it is Bear who does so, walking himself home – as if, after all poor Mouse has been through. What concludes is Mouse being in Bear’s house, yup! An utterly fabulous way to end a LOL picture book.
Giving vibes of anything you can do, I can do too, there is a real sense of karma being served up to Bear when he discovers Mouse in his house, and that a natural balance has been restored too. Why should Bear be able to do what he likes and where he likes and Mouse not? Children will love the chaos and antics included in this book and the laughter and full faced smiles it offers, and it is easy to see how this book has hit the right note with readers over a period spanning not just years but decades now too.
Published by
Published