Introduce your children to the wonder of spring! Reading good children’s books about spring gives kids knowledge about what to expect in nature.
In spring, you’ll find new plants and baby animals. And after a long winter, it’s a wonderful time to get back outside. There, observe the new life popping up all around you.
(One year, I gave my kids digital cameras to make searching for spring extra fun! See more about that here.)
Cheerful Children’s Books About Spring
Cheep! Cheep! with Big Flaps to Lift! by Sebastian Braun
Welcome springtime with baby animals. Lift the sturdy flaps to find who is hiding! You’ll reveal baby ducks, a baby donkey, a kitten, a chick, and a baby goat. Great for ages 1 – 3 to learn about animals and their babies.
Baby Loves Spring by Karen Katz
Lift-the-flaps to discovers the best parts of spring: baby robins, butterflies, worms, frogs in puddles and more!
Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak
Evocative text and gorgeous illustrations show a boy and his dog first standing in the dark of a snowy winter day then walking in nature, noticing small signs of spring like the chirping of birds and the melting brook.
Mouse’s First Spring by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Buket Erdogan
It’s a spring day. Mouse and Momma go outside to play. They’ll notice clues to signs of spring: something glittery and flittery (a butterfly,) something feathery and plump (a bird) a butterfly, and more.
Until Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes
“If you wait,” wonderful things happen in spring . . . “a seed grows” . . . and “There will be buds and bees and boots and bubbles.” If we wait. Vibrant illustrations and lyrical text.
And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead
The illustrations (from illustrator of A Sick Day for Amos McGee) perfectly capture this story of patience and transformation. A young boy and his dog watch the dull landscape and hopefully plant a seed. Slowly the pair watch and wait as the brown changes to a very possible sort of brown to a brown with a greenish hum “that you can only hear if you put your ear to the ground and close your eyes.” And then, finally, it’s green! Reading this gives you a feeling of zen-like bliss.
Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson
By the same author of Tap the Magic Tree and Touch the Brightest Star, in this children’s book, kids get to use their imaginations to read and touch, rub, press, shake, clap and more to help plant a garden. All the seeds need are water, rain, and sunshine to grow and you get to help.
Spring: A Pop-up Book by David Carter
Simple text and pop-ups labeled with what they are show readers springtime plants and animals.
Let It Rain by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Just a few words per page, this cheerful book captures the ambiance of spring — planting a garden, listening to the singing birds, having a picnic, and so forth. A perfect choice for preschool readers.
Spring is Here (Bear and Mole Stories) by Will Hillenbrand
Mole knows spring is in the air. He does everything he can to wake his friend Bear from his winter hibernation like knocking, trumpeting, tickling. Finally, Mole cooks Bear a huge breakfast. It works! Bear wakes up to announce spring is here only to find his friend Mole fast asleep. A fantastic story of friendship with a decidedly spring theme.
Snowman – Cold = Puddle: Spring Equations by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Micha Archer
Look at spring in a completely new way! This book writes “equations” that will inspire readers to see the unique possibilities in writing like this. I suggest using this book as a writing prompt to integrate STEM with literacy. Here are a few examples:
snowman – cold = puddle
riverbanks + otters = playground
deer + tree = umbrella
talons + pond = fast food
Each equation is accompanied by a short exposition on the subject. “In spring, bald eagles that wintered down south fly north again. On their way to the northern United States and Canada, they swoop down to scoop up tasty fish dinners.”
In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
Kids won’t soon forget this old saying when they see March, a lion, roaring at the door, stomping mud across the floor. The lion makes a total mess — until the soft breezes blow and new trees bud making the lion sneeze. And that’s when the lamp arrives and the lion falls asleep. Fun!
Everything Spring by Jill Esbaum (National Geographic Kids)
Who doesn’t love the impressive photographs in National Geographic’s publications? This picture book is no exception. Lyrical poetic text shares about springtime animals like chicks, bunnies, ducklings, and other baby animals.
When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons by Julie Fogliano, illustrations by Julie Morstad
Although this sweet book of poems covers all four seasons, it’s worth reading for the spring poems alone. I just adore how Fogliano captures the fun and whimsy of spring using dates as the titles for each poem. I particularly LOVE that she does not write in rhyme, but in relatable-to-kid text that captures the essence of childhood natural wonder.
april 12
rain makes frogs hop
in a hurry
Mole Finds Hope by Glenys Nellist, illustrated by Sally Garland
Little Mole feels sad. His mother suggests that he needs hope. She then proceeds to show him where hope is hiding in the darkness around them starting with a seemingly dead bulb that she says will soon become a beautiful daffodil. She shows him the bare tree and asks him to visualize the little green buds will appear soon. She explains that that is hope. As they continue observing the world and visualizing the possibilities, we see what will happen soon (the abstract concept of hope) and learn about spring.
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