Ten Books about Spring for Young Children

This is a list of books that my two-year-old and I are enjoying together right now.

 Read on to see what we like about each book.

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Little Chick by bestselling author Lauren Thompson is an adorable board book about a chick who feels like the biggest and best of them all even though she is quite little.

Why Pooky likes it: After our trip to the hardware store to see live chicks, Pooky really likes seeing them on the pages of this book. She also likes naming the other farm animals (pig, cow, goose, etc...) in the book.

Why I like it: I have fun with the alliteration in the book ("gaggled the giggly goosey goose"). Most importantly, I appreciate the message of the story.  To me it's saying that you can do great things despite what others may think of you.

The Very Busy Spider by award-winning author Eric Carle shows a day in the life of a spider who works very hard at spinning her web.

Why Pooky likes it: She enjoys naming each familiar farm animal that comes in contact with the spider. She also likes the look and feel of the spider web as it grows through the story.

Why I like it: The repetition of the text means that young children can help "read" the story.  Each page starts with the sound of the shown animal i.e. "oink, oink." This makes the text predictable and also reinforces knowledge of animal sounds.  Of course, the message is a great one too; namely, if you work hard and stay focused on your task, you can achieve success in the end!

Bonus:Eric Carle's other books (The Very Quiet Cricket Board Book, The Grouchy Ladybug, and The Very Lonely Firefly board book) should be considered great springtime reads as well.

Bugs Galore by Peter Stein is a newer book that should be added to your springtime reading collection.

Why Pooky likes it: The pages are FILLED with sights you find outside during spring and summer.  Pooky enjoys naming as many things as she can on each page.  She also seems to enjoy the sing-song rhythm of the rhymes.

Why I like it: As I am not a fan of bugs in general, I must give kudos to the illustrator Bob Staake for his creative animations that manage to make all manner of creepy-crawlies look cute!

Lost in the Woods by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick is a GORGEOUSLY rendered story of a newborn fawn waiting in the woods for his mother to return.  

Why Pooky likes it: The real-life photographs are so stunning!  Pooky seems to love just taking in the details of each animal and its surroundings.

Why I like it: The storyline of this book is actually too long for Pooky to sit through if I try to read it all the way out.  Right now we're just enjoying the pictures (the close-up of the dragonfly on the dedication page was enough for me to buy this book).  But I  also love this book for all that it teaches (even I learned something) about woodland animals even though it is a narrative and not a non-fiction text. I know this will be an enjoyable and educational book for us for years to come! Bonus: It reminds me of the beautiful picture book version of Robert Frost's poem, Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening. (But that's for winter, not spring)

Ten Wriggly, Wiggly Caterpillars by Debbie Tarbett is a fun springtime counting book.

Why Pooky likes it: Pooky has recently begun working with numbers, so she enjoys counting the tactile caterpillars.

Why I like it: In addition to the counting practice, I like that the bright and colorful pictures show simplistic versions of many of the sights of spring (strawberries, butterflies, bumblebees, etc...). Bonus: You may also want to check out Debbie Tarbett's other springtime counting books;Ten Tiny Tadpoles, Ten Chirpy Chicks, and Ten Little Ladybugs.

And Then it's Spring is an award winning book about the anticipation of spring by author Julie Fogliano and award-winning illustrator, Erin E. Stead.

Why Pooky likes it: Pooky excitedly relates to the images in these lovely illustrations (splashing in puddles, planting seeds, etc...)

Why I like it: Through simple text and warm illustrations, this book aptly captures the feeling of that seemingly unending wait for spring and the joy it brings once it arrives.

Early Bird by Toni Yuly is a fun, quick read about the proverbial saying, "The early bird catches the worm."Why Pooky likes it: Pooky gets a kick out of how fast we read through this book as we follow the early bird rushing to get her breakfast in the garden! Pooky also likes to name the prominent springtime objects in each picture (strawberry, ladybugs, etc...).Why I like it: When I first picked up this book, I was worried it would have an unhappy ending for the worm, but the author comes up with a cute and creative solution to avoid this and continues the happy-go-lucky feel of the rest of the story.Creepy-Crawlies is a "flip the flaps" book by Karen Wallace and Tudor Humphries.Why Pooky likes it: I think Pooky likes the pictures of the critters that we're starting to see around this time of year.  She also seems to enjoy how extensively (relatively speaking) we talk about each insect on its corresponding page.Why I like it: Even though this book is meant for children a bit beyond the preschool years, the teacher in me couldn't help but pick it up. This is a book we can bring out each spring and utilize it at a deeper level from year to year.  For older children, it allows the opportunities to practice the skills of navigating an expository text such as a table of contents and index. Right now for us, I just like that it gives me a way to show Pooky things like the stages of caterpillar to butterfly and that bees live in a hive.Daisy Duckling's Adventure by Maurice Pledger follows young Daisy on a tale of discovery.Why Pooky likes it: Being that we recently celebrated Easter, Pooky has had fun pointing out eggs wherever she can.  This book presents an egg on each page with a flap that she enjoys lifting to find what animal is inside the egg.Why I like it: This book has cute pictures of the typical sights of spring (dragonflies, ladybugs, etc...).  I really like that this book shows that many kinds of animals hatch from eggs (snakes, turtles, crocodiles,etc...).Make Way for Ducklings is a classic narrative originally published in 1941 and winner of The Caldecott Medal.Why Pooky likes it: She seems to like watching the antics of this adorable family of ducks. It brings to mind the ducklings we see waddling around the neighborhood in spring.Why I like it: I find this story (with its vintage pictures) absolutely adorable! I may be biased since I lived in New England for several years and got to know Boston very well.  I love seeing how the author used actual locations that still exist to tell this story of a family of ducks looking for a suitable home.  In addition to enjoying the adventure of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their ducklings, we also learn some interesting facts about these common ducks. You can extend the fun with ducklings using these free printables I created. Bonus: You might also enjoy this author's other award winning book Blueberries for Sal.

That's what we've been reading lately. What springtime books have you and your little ones been enjoying?For more great book lists come follow my Children's Books Pinterest board.

Happy Reading!