Picture Books for a Rainy Day
Yesterday it POURED in Seattle— nothing like our usual mist and drizzle— so it got me thinking about a few picture books that are perfect to appreciate a cozy, rainy day.
As always, I’ve linked videos of these picture books being read aloud so you can see the interior pages.
The Rainy Day by Anna Milbourne and illustrated by Sarah Gill
The illustrations in this picture book always feel so warm and friendly, with large swaths of vibrant color and expressive creatures. Out of the books on this list, this is the one I read most while teaching as it does an excellent job of providing a simple introduction to the water cycle. I love the inclusion of lots of little animals in the illustrations; kids love to find them and point them out, which makes storytime more interactive.
Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle and illustrated by G. Brian Karas
I have a soft spot for picture books that portray a sense of community in urban areas, and I would definitely put Tap Tap Boom Boom in that category. A wide array of city-dwellers take shelter from a thunderstorm in an underground subway station and “The storm above makes friends of strangers.” The picture book’s rhyming text has lots of repetition, which provides a strong sense of rhythm.
Rainbow Stew by Cathryn Falwell
I love using this picture book to teach about colors found in nature, as the children in the story collect a rainbow array of vegetables to make warm stew with their grandfather on a rainy day. This one also has a rhyming text, which I’m not always fond of, but books about rain seem to benefit from having a little rhythm.
Read aloud (read by the author/illustrator!)
Rainy Day Slug by Mary Palenick Colborn and illustrated by Lorie Ann Grover
This picture book gets bonus points from me for being set near Seattle, as well as for being about an adorable banana slug. This rhyming picture book is so fun because of the made-up action words for how the slug is moving from the garden and into a house. Short, sweet, and silly.
Me & Mama by Cozbi A. Cabrera
This picture book is so cozy! It’s not as much of a celebration of rain like the other stories on this list, but it’s about a mother and daughter starting their morning and getting ready to go outside on a rainy day while everyone else is still sleeping. Children will recognize the familiar routines of eating breakfast, washing up, getting dressed, etc. The illustrations are sweet, and the whole picture book just feels like it’s made with love.
Hope you enjoy these picture books, and if it’s raining where you are- stay warm!
