Spring is the perfect season to read with your child or grandchild. I’ve compiled a list of books to delight and engage young listeners and beginning readers. There’s even something here for older elementary school kids to enjoy.
What will Hatch? by Jennifer Ward – for ages 2-5 - illustrating 8 different animal hatchings. What will hatch… a tadpole, a baby robin, a platypus or something else?
Mossy by Jan Brett – for ages 3-5. Mossy is a little turtle with a garden growing on her back. Beautifully illustrated with wildflowers, ferns, birds, butterflies, eggs, feathers and all things wonderful about spring.
Duck! Rabbit! By Amy Krause Rosenthal – for ages 2-4. Enjoy this optical illusion book that challenges little readers to decide “Is it a duck or a rabbit?” Once you see the book cover you’ll understand.
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger – for ages 2-6. Share this 2013 Caldecott Honor Book about the color green. Just the thing to chase away the last winter snow.
And then it’s spring by Julie Fogliano – for ages 4-7. A little boy looks for the first signs of spring.
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey – for ages 3-7. This beloved classic tale from 1941 is about a Momma duck and her ducklings who journey through the busy streets of Boston on their way to the pond in the Boston Public Gardens with a little help from the Boston police.
The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. For Preschool – grade 3. Celebrate 76 years of this beloved classic by sharing it with someone special.
Step Gently Out by Helen Frost and Rick Lieder – for ages 2-5. This book of close up photography and poetic text encourages children to look closely at the wonders of nature such as the tiny creatures all around us. Fun facts about all the creatures are included at the end of the book.
If you Hold a Seed by Elly MacKay – for ages 3 and up. Planting seeds and blossoming flowers become a metaphor for never giving up on your dreams.
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle – for grades K-2 - about the cycle of planting a flower through the seasons. Comes with detachable seed-embedded paper that you can actually plant.
Time for Spring by Crockett Johnson (author of Harold and the Purple Crayon) For Preschool – grade 3. Irene is ready for winter to be over, but her snowman is not. How can they both get what they want?
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney – for grades K-3. Inspired by her grandfather, a little girl grows up with three goals, to travel the world, live by the sea, and make the world a better place.
Spring Green by Valerie M. Selkowe – for grades 1 & 2 - Danny Duck needs something green to take to a contest at a spring party. Young readers will delight in his search and are sure to agree Danny finds the perfect green.
Flowers (21st Century Junior Library: Plants) by Jennifer Colby - for grades 2-5. Readers will use the flowers in this book to answer questions and learn about flowers.
My First Book about Backyard Nature: Ecology for Kids! By Patricia J. Wynn and Donald M. Silver – for grades 3-6. Kids double the fun of coloring with the discovery of nature and its hidden treasures.All four seasons in the daytime and nighttime are represented.
