When rainy day forts have filled up the living room and elbow macaroni has been glued to piles of construction paper (and the table), it’s time to get the kids out of the house. In Seattle, we have kid-centric cafes, indoor play gyms, and preschool to get us through long, wet days. But, just like when we were kiddos, few other activities are as comforting as sitting crisscross applesauce and listening to good books read out loud. You’ll find several local library and bookstore storytimes organized by the day of the week listed below. Since dates and times can shift seasonally, be sure to call or check online before you go.

Seattle

Monday
Ballard: Baby Storytime, 12:00pm – 12:30pm
Capitol Hill: Preschool Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am
High Point: Family Storytime, 7:00pm – 7:30pm
Green Lake: Baby Storytime, 6:30pm – 7:00pm
Greenwood: Baby Storytime, 12:00pm – 12:50pm and 1:00pm – 1:50pm
Lake City: Family Storytime, 10:30am – 11:15am
Northgate: Pajama Storytime, 7:00pm – 7:30pm
Queen Anne: Pajama Storytime, 6:45pm – 7:15pm
Seattle Central Library: ¡Hora de cuentos! Spanish Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am

Tuesday
Ballard: Pajama Storytime, 6:45pm – 7:30pm
Beacon Hill: Toddler Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am
Broadview: Toddler Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am
Douglass-Truth: Children’s Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am
Northeast: Preschool Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am
Rainier Beach: Preschool Storytime, 2:00pm – 2:30pm
South Park: ¡Hora de cuentos! Spanish Family Storytime, 6:30pm – 7:00pm
Southwest: Baby Storytime, 11:30am – 12:00pm
Seattle Central Library: Baby Storytime, 12:00pm – 12:30pm
University: Pajama Storytime, 6:00pm
West Seattle: Toddler Storytime, 10:30am – 11:30am

Wednesday
Ballard: Preschool Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am; Toddler Storytime, 11:30am – 11:50am
Beacon Hill: Family Storytime, 6:45pm – 7:15pm
Broadview: Kaleidoscope Play & Learn, 10:30am – 11:30am
Capitol Hill: Toddler Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am
Columbia: Preschool Storytime, 11:00am – 11:30am
Douglass-Truth: Baby Storytime, 1:00pm – 1:30pm
Green Lake: Family Storytime, 11:15am – 11:45am
Greenwood: Toddler Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am
Magnolia: Baby Storytime, 11:15am – 11:45am
Montlake: Children’s Storytime, 11:00am – 11:30am
Seattle Central Library: Toddler Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am
Southwest: Toddler Storytime, 11:30am – 12:00pm
University: Baby Storytime, 11:15am – 11:45am
West Seattle: Preschool Storytime, 10:30am – 11:30am

Thursday
Beacon Hill: Preschool Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am
Broadview: Preschool Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am
Columbia: Grupo Bilingüe de Juegos / Bilingual Kaleidoscope Play & Learn, 11:00am – 12:30pm
Delridge: Preschool Storytime, 11:15am – 11:45am
Douglass-Truth: Children’s Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am
High Point: Toddler Storytime, 11:20am – 12:00pm
Lake City: Pajama Storytime, 6:30pm – 7:15pm
Madrona-Sally Goldmark: Children’s Storytime, 11:00am – 11:30am
Magnolia: Toddler Storytime, 11:15am – 11:45am
NewHolly: Family Storytime, 11:00am – 11:30am
Northeast: Toddler Storytime, 10:15am – 10:35am & 11:15am – 11:35am
Northgate: Family Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am
Queen Anne: Family Storytime, 11:00am – 11:30am
Seattle Central Library: Preschool Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am
Southwest: Toddler Storytime, 11:00am – 11:30am

Friday
Greenwood: Preschool Storytime, 10:30am
Rainier Beach: Toddler Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am

Saturday
Columbia: Toddler Storytime, 11:00am – 11:30am
Delridge: Vietnamese Storytime, 11:30am – 12:00pm
International District-Chinatown: Mandarin Storytime, 1:30pm – 2:00pm
West Seattle: Family Storytime, 11:00am – 11:30am

Also check out:
Elliott Bay Book Company: Saturday, 11:00am
Frye Art Museum: Every First Friday, 11:15am – 11:45am
Green Bean Coffeehouse: Tuesday, 10:00am
Lake Forest Park Third Place Books: Friday, 10:00am – 10:30am
Mockingbird Books: Monday thru Saturday, 11:00am – 11:30am
Museum of Flight: Monday thru Friday, 1:00pm
Santoro’s Books: Friday, 11:00am – 11:45am
Tugboat Storytime: Every Second and Fourth Thursday, 11:00am – 12:00pm
University Book Store: Tuesday & Saturday, 11:00am – 11:30am

Eastside

Monday
Redmond: Family Storytime, 6:30pm – 7:00pm

Tuesday
Kirkland: Toddler Storytime, 10:00am – 10:30am & Preschool Storytime, 11:00am – 11:30am

Wednesday
Kirkland: Young Toddler Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am, Family Storytime, 11:00am – 11:30am and Evening Storytime, 7:00pm – 7:30pm
Redmond: Preschool Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am and Young Toddler Storytime, 11:15am – 11:45am

Thursday
Redmond: Toddler Storytime, 10:15am – 10:45am and 11:00am – 11:30am

Friday
Redmond: Preschool Storytime, 10:30am – 11:00am and Infant Storytime, 11:15am – 11:45am

Also check out:
Barnes & Noble: Tuesday, 10:30am
Island Books PJ Storytime: Every First Saturday, 6:30pm – 7:15pm
The Toy Place “Paint Me A Story”: Friday, 10:00am – 10:20am and 11:30am – 11:50am
University Bookstore-Bellevue: Thursday, 11:00am

See your favorite storytime missing? Post a comment and we’ll add it to the list.

– Sara Billups

Photo via North Carolina Digital Heritage Center Flickr page, StacyZ aka Adore_One via flickr, San José Library via flickr, Campbelltown City Council via flickr