Booklist: Spring Books for Shared Reading with Children
The onset of seasonal allergies aside, spring is the favorite season of many. With the renewed energy from blooming flowers, hatching eggs, and bouncing bunnies, there is also the welcome of shared reading about spring on a warm and sunny day outside or crisp yet cozy spring night. Share the joy and exuberance of spring with the children in your life.
Before Shared Reading
Many spring books mark the transition between winter and spring by giving picture clues in the beginning and end pages of the book (the first/last spread between the covers the the rest of the book). Check and see if your book does and provide that hint to your child before reading.
Spring books tend to have pastel colors. Point to and label these colors, let your child know that these are lighter shades of the typical primary colors they usually see. For older children, you can expand their vocabulary by bringing in science color words such as, hue, saturation, and gradation.
During Shared Reading
Point out and label objects in the pictures. Remember that your child might be young enough to have only vague or fuzzy memories of the previous year, so the material might be new to them.
Note, time is a difficult concept for young children, so reiterate that waiting, anticipation, and patience might be needed to see spring. It might help to break time down into recognizable units related to their daily schedule, such as “after naptime we can go for our walk” or “it will take at least 10 night time sleeps for the seeds to sprout; we can mark each night on the calendar.”
After Shared Reading
Go on a spring walk with your child and look for anything that might have been mentioned in the the books you were reading – flowers, plants, eggs, birds, and animals. Talk about the similarities and differences between the story representations and the real objects.
For a long term project, start some seedlings indoors for transplant to an outdoor container in the spring. Plants which are easy to grow from seed for children include marigolds and nasturtiums both edible flowers. Some plants such as celery, carrots with partial tops, onions, and garlic can be started from kitchen leftovers in water, then moved to a pot for planting.
If you used the color discussion prompt before reading, follow-up on that with some color exploration with washable paints.
Booklist: Spring Books for Shared Reading with Children
Spring is Here
Words and Pictures by Will Hillenbrand
Picture Book Ages 3 – 6
Mole is awake and spring is here! Oh, but he needs his friend bear to share spring with — time to wake up bear. Also see Finding Spring by Carin Berger.
When Spring Comes
Words by Kevin Henkes
Pictures by Laura Dronzek
Picture Book 3 – 8
Watch as the world transforms from winter to spring with each turn of the page. A lovely collaboration between this award winning husband and wife team. Also see by the same author, Egg, a nearly wordless book which has a delightful plot twist.
Make Way for Ducklings
Words and Pictures by Robert McCloskey
Picture Book Ages 4 – 8
Caldecott Medal
The classic story of a duck family stopping Boston traffic to get from their nest to the park’s pond. If you’re ever in Boston see the duck statues in the park.
Miss Rumphius
Words and Pictures by Barbara Cooney
Picture Book Ages 5 – 8
American Book Award Winner
Based on a true person, this story shares how Alice Rumphius scattered lupin seeds during her walks in Maine, leaving a living legacy of flowers.
And Then It’s Spring
Words by Julie Fogliano
Pictures by Erin E Stead
Picture Book Ages 4 – 8
Watch and wait with a boy and his dog for the arrival of spring in their garden.
In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb
Words by Marion Dane Bauer
Pictures by Emily Arnold McCully
This rhyming story illustrates the traditional spring phrase about March coming in like a lion, in this case a muddy mess, and leaving like a lamb.
The Tiny Seed
Words and Pictures by Eric Carle
The classic picture book showing the life-cycle of a flower from seed to blossom. Also see The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons for a complete overview of the seasons.
Everything Spring
By Jill Esbaum
Part of the National Geographic Kids series Picture the Seasons, this books has beautiful photos of spring. Celebrate and discover the joys of spring with this gorgeous book. If your family enjoys photos, then see the photo-story, Lost in the Woods by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick.
Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms
Words by Julia Rawlinson
Pictures by Tiphanie Beeke
Fletcher the fox sees tree blossoms and mistakes them for snow in springtime leading his friends into a forest wide panic, oops!
999 Frogs Wake Up
Words and Pictures by Ken Kimora
A sequel to 999 Tadpoles, in this quirky story the frogs wake up find everyone else is still asleep, so they go around waking everyone up — big frog, old turtle! Uh-oh, what about snake?
Rabbit’s Spring Adventure
Words by Anita Loughrey
Pictures by Daniel Howarth
A beautiful spring day is so distracting, that rabbit gets lost in the woods. Who will help him find his way home?
If you like this book like see for other similar reads:
Booklist Bunnys: If You Like Peter Rabbit…
Booklist Worms: Worms on the Sidewalk, Books for Shared Reading
Share your favorite spring books here
