Prior to Riley being born I basically only viewed rainy days as a good day to curl up under a blanket and read. While that still in my favorite rainy day activity to do solo AND with Riley, I’ve discovered the magic of rainy days spent outside all there is to discover since becoming a mom.
We love puddle stomping and rain walks and using our chalk on the wet sidewalk and looking for worms. We honestly even like getting a bit muddy and once we own a house we will be creating a mud kitchen. It’s really always an adventure on rainy days for us — with equal parts snuggling up and venturing outside in our rain gear.
Over the years we’ve read a ton of books about rain 1) because I love teaching her about the world through books (things like seasons and weather) and also 2) it has given us inspiration and a positive outlook for our rainy day fun.
Exhibit A:
Let’s be real…rainy day books are just FUN. Especially to read as we meander into Spring! (seriously picture books about rain, paired with rainy day fun gifts, are one of my fave types of books to put in Easter baskets).
It’s only fitting that as I write this list of our favorite rain books that it actually IS raining today. I didn’t plan it but it’s definitely making this list more inspired. I hope you find some great books about rain to cuddle up with and inspire a love for rainy days and adventures in the rain.
Best Picture Books About Rain & Rainy Days
(For Toddlers & Preschoolers)
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A Good Day For Ducks by Jane Whittingham
This is probably my personal all time favorite rain book on this list. Such a cozy book that sees the beauty in a rainy day with a brother and sister enjoying the wonderful things you can do both inside and outside on a rainy day. It’s so engaging, too — nice pacing, love the lyrical and rhythmic nature and the use of onomatopoeia (lots of drip drop, splish splash). As a younger toddler she would always say, “read drip drop”. A nice gentle book about rain for toddlers!
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Soaked by Abi Cushman
This is a newer favorite for us and it’s a really fun, silly rain related book for the older toddler/preschool age! Bear (a cross between Eeyore and Bruce) is VERY grumpy about rain and how it ruins EVERYTHING he loves. He grumps and mopes but soon, with the help of his quirky cast of friends, he learns how to make the best of the rainy day!
Who Likes Rain? by Wong Herbert Yee
This became a favorite around 2 years old for us — a great rhyming book about rain for toddlers and preschoolers alike. This one is about a little girl, on her own rainy day adventure, who explores who/what in the world around her likes and needs rain! A really interactive one, too, because on each page there’s a chance to guess what animal or thing will be on the next page.. A great one for encouraging observing things around us in the natural world!
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In the Rain by Elizabeth Spurr
This series has been A HIT even though they are deceptively simple and seemingly nothing new/exciting. Every single one of them. Interestingly she loved them as a younger toddler (1 years old/18 months age) but also still now at 3 years old she asks for these all the time (In the Wind is her current fave because we’ve been flying kites a bunch).
Simple book about little kids doing things they can relate to — in this case exploring a rainy day and all the fun things that make it feel special.
Want to read more with your kids?
Love to read with your little one but feel too busy or overwhelmed to find new books to read with them? Check out Bookroo — it’s a wonderful book subscription box for kids that Riley LOVES getting and it saves me time when engaging and age appropriate books show up at our doorstep! You can read my review of Bookroo for more info.
Blue on Blue by Dianne White
This book is so lovely and poetic! It follows a family on a farm when a rainstorm starts to roll in on a previously sunny day — from the signs of its arrival, to chronicling the rain event and then the sun coming out afterward. A very peaceful and cozy book showing the change in weather!
Rain by Manya Stojic
One that goes through the whole sensory experience of rain with the help of some animals on the dry African savanna! Most of the rain books that we love are from a human perspective but this one is a standout children’s book about rain on this list. Truly a great book and so much to talk about!
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This Beautiful Day
One of my own personal parenting things has been trying not to be negative about the weather or labeling it as good vs bad weather because I’ve been really working on getting outside in all weather and appreciating all weather. This book is like the embodiment of this to me. Joyous, whimsical and a true reminder that sometimes we just need a good attitude to see the beautiful of a grey, rainy day! Definitely one to own, too, because it’s just so beautifully illustrated.
Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse
This one is one we just read recently at 3 years old but what a delightful book about a glorious rain in the middle of a sweltering summer and the dance party in the rain that ensues. Definitely more of a preschool and up read though!
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Splish, Splash, Ducky! by Lucy Cousins
Love Lucy Cousins, love this book! A great picture book about rain for toddlers especially! It’s about a cute duck who goes and plays in the rain with his friends and then gets sad when the rain ends but learns how to embrace the weather change! GREAT repetition making it very engaging and I can still hear Riley’s little voice saying QUACK QUACK QUACK.
If you’ve got a curious little one, like I do, be sure to take a look at these two non-fiction books. I’m always looking for non-fiction books and fiction alike to pair with Riley’s current interests or things we’ve been talking about and these two have been two I’ve really appreciated and that seemed to interest and engage Riley.
Raindrops Roll
Riley has always been a lover of books that have real photographs in them and this one is gorgeous! A really simple non-fiction book to start talking about rain. Attention-catching for the younger toddlers who will be mesmerized by the photos (listen, I was too!) and will grow with them as they get older! The writing is more poetic than straightforward textbook which I really liked for this age because we got such a natural, organic conversation flowing between the pictures and the simple words.
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Down Comes The Rain
If you’ve got a curious one, this is a fantastic non-fiction about rain for preschoolers. Riley was asking questions about rain at 3 years old and, while targeted for a little bit of an older child, this helped explain rain in a simple manner. This is such a great series!
What are your fave kids books about rain or rainy days? I’d love to learn of more for Riley and I! And, I’m curious, lover of rainy days or not so much?
Looking for seasonal reads?
Maddy says
Thank you, Jamie, for your lovely review of your daughter’s favorite rainy day books. I appreciated the concise yet detailed description or essence of the book you provided.
Maddy
Jamie says
You are welcome! I’m glad you found them helpful! 🙂