Rainy Day Dream

A young man is spirited away by his open umbrella and a blustery autumn wind in this introspective, wordless picture book. The traveler's imagination takes him from the local stream out to a rushing river and then a mighty ocean, passing over city, town, ship and train as he flies. Upon his return--and the end of his reverie--the sun is shining and the rainstorm and the need for his umbrella have passed. Chesworth's dexterously drawn and carefully composed watercolors exhibit a broad range of perspectives. Many of the sweeping bird's-eye views in these misty, gray scenes invite readers to conjure up fanciful flights of their own. Younger children may take the action at face value rather than as an exercise in conceptualization, making this debut book a quiet treat on a number of levels. Ages 3-8. (Oct.)