I love a rainy day, especially when it ends with a rainbow. Rainy days are a perfect time to cuddle up and read a good book. And if you’re teaching a rainbow theme, you’re going to need some great books. This collection of books about rain and rainbows is great for curious minds on rainy or sunny days.
At the end of the post you’ll also find a free printable book list that you can use to easily gather the books for your rain or rainbow theme. Inside the freebie there is also writing activity for kids to write about what they like to do when it rains.
Books About Rain and Rainbows
FIND EVEN MORE PLAYFUL LEARNING IDEAS IN OUR PRINTABLE RAIN THEME AND RAINBOW THEME LESSON PLANS.
First Comes the Rain……
Rain! By Linda Ashman
Rain is a sweet story of a little boy that is excited about the rain and an angry old man. The story plays out with short sentences and on one side of the pages you can see the mean old man and on the other the happy and energetic boy. When the two met the old man realizes the rainy day isn’t all that bad.
Waiting Out the Storm by Joann Early Macken
In Waiting Out the Storm a mother and daughter are on a walk when a storm moves in. The story is told through a conversation the two have as the little girl learns about the wind, thunder, and animals. The story is very poetic and the illustrations feel warm and whimsical. This book is also featured on our list of Books About Mom.
Split! Splat! By Amy Gibson
Split! Splat! Is a silly, messy, rhyming tale of a girl with her dog and friends playing in the rain. I loved the colorful and messy illustrations that make you want to find a puddle to go jump in.
Raindrop, plop! By Wendy Cheyette Lewison
Raindrop, Plop is a rain book told through numbers. The story counts from one to ten as a little girl goes outside as the rain begins. The illustrations are bright and colorful; this is a great book for little ones.
Come On, Rain! By Karen Hesse
Come On, Rain reminds me of a hot summer afternoon as a kid when you want the rain to come just to cool everything off. I love how everything about this story makes you feel like you are melting in the heat and then dancing in the rain.
Rain by Peter Spier
Rain is a wordless story of a brother and sister who go out and play in the rain. The illustrations are laid out in a comic book style that tells a fun story that children of all ages will love.
Then the rainbow.
Over the Rainbow by Judy Collins
Over the Rainbow is a whimsical book that features the song “Over the Rainbow” by Judy Collins. The illustrations show a magical and dream like world that is just over the rainbow.
A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman
A young boy wants A Rainbow of My Own, one that he can play with even when the sun comes out. The book shows how rainbows are not just in the sky after it rains but can be found in other things. This is a sweet and classic story that young readers will enjoy.
How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow by Monica Sweeney
When the Sun and the Clouds get into a fight seven crayons join together to help them make amends and bring back color to the world.
Elmer and the Rainbow by David McKee
In Elmer and the Rainbow, Elmer is on the search for the end of the colorless rainbow. Elmer wants to share his colors so the rainbow can be colorful again. I love the message of giving to others and that some things you can share without losing.
Rainbow Weaver by Linda Elovitz Marshall
In Rainbow Weaver young Ixchel is eager to follow along in the long tradition of weaving done by her Mayan ancestors. Unfortunately everyone is too busy to teach her, so Ixchel comes up with a unique and environmentally friendly way to weave her own rainbow fabric. This a great story for discussing cultural traditions, creativity, and perseverance.
The Rainbow Mystery by Jennifer A. Dussling
The Rainbow Mystery is a great book to use as you introduce kids to prisms. Two kids, Annie and Mike, try to figure out why there are rainbows all over their walls and soon learn all about prisms. An experiment is included in the back of the book.
Ava and the Rainbow Who Stayed by Ged Adamson
When Ava spots the most beautiful rainbow she’s ever seen she wishes it would stay forever. To her surprise the rainbow did stay. At first everyone loved the rainbow just as much as Ava did, but over time people lost interest in it. In this sweet story we learn to appreciate those rare and special but often fleeting moments.
All the Colors of the Rainbow by Allan Fowler
All the Colors of the Rainbow is a great book to use when learning about the science behind a rainbow. The book includes vocabulary words, photographs and basic information that little ones can understand.
Light Makes a Rainbow by Sharon Coan
Learn how light and water make a rainbow! With easy-to-read text and detailed, vivid images, this science reader teaches students important scientific subjects and vocabulary terms like prism, energy, and light waves. Aligned to state and national standards, the book contains nonfiction text features like an index, a glossary, captions, and bold font to keep students connected to the text. A hands-on science experiment helps students apply what they have learned and develops critical thinking skills.
There are more rainbow books on our St Patrick’s Day book list.
Rainbow Videos
Videos can be another great tool to add to your theme activities. We’ve collected some of our favorite rainbow informational videos and fun songs for you to use.
GET YOUR COPY OF THE BOOKS ABOUT RAIN AND RAINBOWS LIST AND ACTIVITY SHEET
Complete the form below to get a free printable copy of the titles referenced in this book list and the When it Rains Response Sheet.
Use the book list as you gather your books, and use the writing activity with preschoolers and kindergarteners to share about what they like to do when it rains.
And don’t forget the puddles!
Get a full week of playful learning ideas!
Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.
RAIN THEME
Get Your Copy
Preschool Classroom Rain Theme Lesson Plans
Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers.
RAINBOW THEME LESSON PLANS
Explore a rainbow theme with your preschoolers for St. Patrick’s Day or Spring. This pack includes editable lesson plans and hands-on activities for a week full of math, reading, & science learning activities. There are also many color activities included so that preschoolers can learn colors and be introduced to basic color theory. Watch this short video to see just a few examples of the types of activities and printables included in this set:
Get Your Copy
Home Preschool Rainbow Theme Lesson Plans
Preschool Classroom Rainbow Theme Lesson Plans
Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers.
More Resources for Little Book Lovers
The best way to encourage a love of reading is to provide kids with many opportunities to engage with a wide variety of books that are of interest to them. That’s why we share so many books lists on Fantastic Fun and Learning. We want to make it easy for you to find great books your kids will love. Over the years we’ve also discovered some helpful tools for connecting kids and books.
Digital libraries are one very handy way to do this. Epic! is one of our favorite online libraries. It’s full of over 25,000 books, learning videos, quizzes and more for kids 12 and under…and it’s free for educators. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Book Boxes are another fun way to get kids excited about reading. What kid doesn’t love to get a special delivery in the mail?! The crew over at Bookroo finds the best little known books that you won’t already have in your library, and they send them to you each month. Take a peak inside a Bookroo Box here.
Book-Based Activities are also a lot of fun for kids. Jodie over at Growing Book by Book has saved us all a ton of time and created a full year of Book-Based Activity Calendars so that you can extend the fun with a special book each week.
Kara
Hi! What program do you use to make your book collages? thanks!!
Shaunna Evans
Picmonkey
Shannon
We just read (about ten times) The Little Raindrop-Toanna Gray. Great book about the water cycle without them realizing thats what theyre learning about.