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 preferred rainy day activity to do solo AND with Riley, I’ve discovered the magic of rainy days spent outside as well as how to make a rainy day an adventure 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 rainy day reads 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 to cuddle up with and inspire a love for rainy days and adventures in the rain and indoors.
Picture Books About Rain & Rainy Days
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Downpour by Yuko Ohnari & Koshiro Hata
NEW FOR 2025!
If you’ve already cycled through all of these books about rain and rainy days already, check out this delightful new one that just came out this month!
I had to snag this one immediately from the library because one of our favorite summertime activities is running out in the most drenching pouring rain. This book embodied why these memories are always so cherished for Riley and I.
Think of the hottest of hot summer days and that’s the kind of day the boy in this story is experiencing when the rain comes in and the downpour comes upon him.
It’s so joyful — with illustrations and language that mirror it — and is for all my fellow summer rainstorm lovers who know the joy of splashing in puddles barefoot and coming in absolutely drenched from a rain that brings relief from summer heat.
A Good Day For Ducks by Jane Whittingham
This is probably my personal all time favorite 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, mommy”. A nice gentle book about rain for toddlers!
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When Isaac Hears The Rain by Julie Thompson
This is also another new one (came out last year in 2024) that I think is an exceptional addition to this list and will be a rainy day mainstay!
It’s the most charming book about a little boy who LOVES rain right from the start and he shows us all the ways rain is fun but also useful to many things. Isaac is a contrast to the other people who see rain as an annoyance or something to avoid.
It’s pretty basic but lovely and, if you get grumpy on rain days, it might even make you want to channel a little Isaac.
Willow Takes on the Weather
This one is a new addition to this list but I had to add it to the list after we read and snagged it from the library. We both loved it!
It’s about a girl who has the perfect day planned and finds her day ruined when the weather is not cooperating and brings rain instead. She refuses to give up and decides she she is going to wrangle the Weather and send the rain/clouds away! But when, despite her fight, the weather is not budging…..well, you’ll just have to see what she does next.
There is SO much to this one outside of just being a book about a girl who is dealing with a rainy day ruining her plans and how she learns to have a good day despite that.
It’s really explores resilience in the face of things out of our control while validating how hard it can be. It’s about learning to find the sunshine in the rain and that life is really about what you make of it. There’s even some interpersonal conflict that can lend a nice model for friendships.
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 and what in nature 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. It might not be *my* favorite but it is beloved by her and that says a lot.
Want to read more with your kids?
Blue on Blue by Dianne White
This book is so lovely and poetic! A very peaceful and cozy book showing the change in weather.
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.
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 one 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.
Non-fiction rain books about rain
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 the preschool 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?
While you are encouraging a little nature lover, check out these Earth Day reads for kids!
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