Resident MPMK children’s librarian Janssen is back today with her top 10 picks for Spring and, bonus, a few Easter favorites too. I’ll definitely be picking up a one or two of these to add to S and C’s Easter basket this weekend.
QUESTION OF THE DAY
Do you have a seasonal home library for the kids? (We started ours about a year ago and it’s so fun to see S and C’s excitement over the books they remember from last year hitting our shelves again.)
I’ve always loved spring, but now that I have children, I’m even more in love with it.
When the weather is nice enough to spend hours on the patio reading books together or drawing with chalk on the pavement, when walks are a daily occurrence (without thirty minutes of prep time to get everyone bundled up!) and trips to the park are back on the schedule, it’s hard not to feel a little bit of extra bounce in your step.
Here are ten books that are perfect for celebrating spring weather with your kids while sitting on your front porch or on a blanket in the backyard. Or, if spring hasn’t quite arrived in your part of the world, these books will help remind you that it will be here soon.
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
This beautiful book follows Liam who finds a drab, neglected garden in the middle of a busy city and takes it upon himself to care for it. As the garden blooms and spreads, the whole city is touched by its beauty.
And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin Stead
This is currently one of my very favorite picture books. A little boy and his dog are quite finished with winter and all the bleak brown that accompanies it. They decide to plant a garden and they plant and wait and watch, hoping for some green, which, of course, eventually arrives. My favorite is the little sign they post near their garden which reads, “Please do not stomp here—there are seeds and they are trying.”
Step Gently Out by Helen Frost and Rick Lieder
I do not like bugs, but these extraordinarily beautiful photographs of insects and the accompanying non-cheesy poems really highlight the loveliness of the outdoor world.
This book is so fun to read, and features the color I most associate with spring. Each page showcases green of a different shade and has a cutout that works on both sides of the page. You get khaki green and jungle green and you also get “never green” (a stop sign). Clever and beautiful.
999 Frogs Wake Up by Ken Kimura
Springtime has arrived in the swamp and, probably like at your house, the littlest ones (in this case, frogs) are up first. And they want everyone else to be awake with them. Until they discover a giant snake. Perhaps he’d be better off asleep. . .
A little inchworm is busily making his way around, measuring everything he can find. But he’ll need his brains as well as his body to outsmart the nightingale who threatens to eat him if he can’t measure his song.
The Rain Came Down by David Shannon
I love David Shannon’s books so much (he’s most famous for the No, David! titles). This one is about a rainy day that makes everyone crabby. Happily, when the clouds break and the sun shines through, all moods improve.
Spring Is Here by Will Hillenbrand
Mole is so excited that spring has arrived, and of course he wants to share the news with his friend Bear. But Bear is still deep in his winter nap. How far will Mole have to go to wake up his friend? The mixed-media illustrations on this are just so happy.
An old bear is just settling down for his winter sleep and when he drifts off, he finds himself dreaming about all the seasons of his childhood (cubhood?). And when he wakes up, spring is here!
When Blue Met Egg by Lindsay Ward
Blue comes back to her nest to discover an egg. She is thrilled and starts carting it around everywhere, enjoying the winter with her new friend and waiting for it to hatch. What she doesn’t realize is that Egg is actually a Snowball and when spring comes, everything might change. Don’t worry; the ending is happy.
And bonus! Here are three Easter books I find delightful too:
Happy Easter! by Liesbet Slegers
This simple and cute introduction to Easter time (complete with the arrival of spring and the Easter Bunny’s task) has darling illustrations and bright colors for young readers.
This little pig is determined to grow up to be the Easter bunny. And no matter how much his family tries to explain that pigs cannot be bunnies, he will not be dissuaded. Fortunately, he has a grandmother who believe in him.
The Easter Bunny’s Assistant by Jan Thomas
Jan Thomas never disappoints – her books are always hilariously funny and my toddler can’t get enough of them. This book introduces us to the Easter Bunny’s assistant, who happens to be a skunk. Of course, everyone knows why having a skunk around can be a problem. How will the Easter Bunny cope?
Question of the Day
Do you have a seasonal home library for the kids? (We started ours about a year ago and it’s so fun to see S and C’s excitement over the books they remember from last year hitting our shelves again.)
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