Spring has arrived, and the changing of the seasons is upon us. The birds are returning, the snow has melted, animals are coming out of hibernation, and soon we will be gifted with the sights and scents of tree buds, green grass, and flowers. For children, Spring is a time to explore nature and learn as the outside world changes around them. It is the season of longer days, warmer temperatures, baby animals, and new beginnings. Don’t we all love the arrival of Spring?
To share in the joy of Spring and learn about the season. I have compiled a list of some of my favorite Spring picture books. These books I have read as a mother to my own children and as a branch assistant at our local library. Picture books offer children a chance to ask questions about the outside world. They allow kids to relate their own experiences to the characters in the story. Here are my favorite picture books about Spring to teach kids about this special season.
Benjamin Grows A Garden By Melanie Florence
Benjamin loves the arrival of Spring. The birds are chirping, the animals are scurrying, and the sun is shining. Most importantly for Benjamin, Spring is the season of planting the family garden. Benjamin and his mother take great care in preparing their traditional Indigenous garden with rows of corn, beans, and squash. They delight in visiting the garden each day to care for it and spot signs of their vegetables growing. For this family, Spring is a time for connection and honoring tradition. With beautiful illustrations by Indigenous Canadian Hawlii Pichette, this picture book for Spring is one of my favorites.
What ‘Benjamin Grows A Garden’ Teaches Kids About Spring: I love this book for introducing children to traditional Indigenous gardening techniques. Through their story, Benjamin and his mother teach readers about the ‘three sisters’… corn, beans, and squash. Kids will learn how these three staple foods grow together and how each plays a special role in the garden. Families will also learn words from the Cree language, for example, mahtaminak is corn in Cree. If you find the illustrations as enchanting as I do, I encourage you to visit Pichette’s website for coloring pages and to learn more about her artwork.
Age recommendations – 5-10 years
Spring ABC – By Jannie Ho
Spring ABC is a simple board book that introduces the youngest readers to some of our favorite Spring words. The pages are sturdy, the illustrations are bright and colorful in shades of pastels. The pages offer a Spring-related word for each letter of the alphabet. Flowers and mud, birds and ducks and lambs…to name a few.
What ‘Spring ABC’ Teaches Kids About Spring: This sweet little board book teaches our babies and toddlers their ABC’s through the images and letters of Spring words. ‘A’ is for apple blossom, ‘B’ is for bird, and ‘C’ is for caterpillar, the book begins. Some other favorite words in the book are ‘H’ for hatch, ‘I’ for insects, and ‘M’ for mud. Our littlest readers will adore flipping through this picture book over and over again, repeating their new words about Spring.
Age recommendations – 1-3 years
Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring By Kenard Pak
Take a walk and explore all the changes in nature as winter slowly turns to Spring in ‘Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring’. The beautiful illustrations by Kenard Pak are like painted pictures, highlighting the passage of time through whites, grays, yellows, greens, and blues. The weather is cold and snowy, the nights are long and dark, but soon the snow begins to melt, and the sun shines longer and brighter. The changing of seasons is noted by a young child as he walks in this picture book for Spring. The child sees the green grass return; the bugs & birds fly, and the playful animals come out from hibernation.
What ‘Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring’ Teaches Children: I chose this selection not only for its beautiful illustrations but also for its educational value. The story takes children on an exploration with the main character. Readers learn about the seasonal changes between Winter and Spring, as seen in the weather, animals, bugs, and vegetation. Kids may learn new words like ‘thaw’, ‘illuminate’, and ‘brook’ to name a few. Young families may be inspired to explore color as a way to describe the change from winter to spring. Parents can check out the other books by this author: Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer, and Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall.
Age recommendations: 5-8 years
The Little Gray Bunny By Barbara McGrath
A spin-off of the classic story ‘The Ant & the Grasshopper’, ‘The Little Gray Bunny’ tells of a hard-working bunny preparing for Easter and his not-so-helpful friends. Bunny is preparing for the egg hunt. He must collect the eggs, boil the water, color the eggs, and haul them out to the meadow to hide. With each task, he asks for help from his barnyard friends, but each time he is turned down for this reason or that. However, when he suggests that each animal receives an Easter treat for helping, will they oblige?
What ‘The Little Gray Bunny’ Teaches Children: This Spring picture book teaches kids the value of hard work and pitching in. It shows them one friend doing all the work, while the others just want the sweet reward. Kids will learn that teamwork and knowing when to lend a helping hand are important traits of a good friend. The story can be used to open family discussions about responsibility, being helpful, and working together.
Age recommendations: 4-8 years
When Spring Comes By Kevin Henkes
I found this picture book for Spring at my library this year and fell in love with its watercolor illustrations. Upon reading it, I loved the storytelling about the anticipation of Spring. When the world is covered in ice and snow, it feels like Spring is so far away. But little by little, the snow melts, the color slowly reappears, the blossoms begin to appear, and the animals return. Spring is also for rain and mud puddles, planting, and playing. With playful words and pictures, little readers will love this springtime story.
What ‘When Spring Comes’ Teaches Children: This story is about not only the changing of the seasons but also a lesson in patience. Spring can be funny. It can come and go and come and go before it finally arrives to stay. Spring is about waiting for the snow to melt, waiting for the rain to wash away its remnants, waiting for the egg to hatch, and watching for the color to return to the grass, the leaves, and the trees. Spring is about mindfully planting seeds and patiently waiting for them to sprout and flourish. ‘When Spring Comes’ teaches children that change takes time, and that each season has its own plan.
Age recommendation: 4-7
The Spring Book By Todd Parr
A fun and silly celebration of Spring is this next picture book by beloved author Todd Parr. With its bright colors and unique drawings, The Spring Book captures the sweetness of the season. The book lends its voice to celebrations in Spring, including International Women’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and, of course, Easter. We see children decorating and hiding eggs, visiting Spring markets, and enjoying the new greenery of the trees and grass. Parr jokes how Spring weather is never dependable, as a duck shows off its attire for every season. With his humor in check, Parr also writes how everyone is sneezing (with allergies) in Spring.
What ‘The Spring Book’ Teaches Children: I am a big fan of Todd Parr’s children’s books and have used them often in my kids’ yoga classes. They are inclusive and poignant, offering discussion points on various socio-emotional issues that families face. The illustrations are bright and straightforward, making them perfect for younger readers. The characters always reflect all children: different colors, abilities, sizes, and shapes. Beyond learning about Spring, this book teaches kids about inclusiveness and acceptance. Like all of his books, Parr’s stories create an opportunity to talk about diversity in families, among peers, and in communities.
Age Recommendations: 2-7 years
Little People Easter Is Here By Susan Hall
‘Easter is Here’ is a part of the ‘Little People‘ board book collection. This picture book is chock-full of lift-the-flaps, as most of the Little People books in this hardcover series tend to be. In this story, the boys and girls are preparing for Easter and the arrival of the Easter Bunny. Kids can follow Eddie and Mia, and the rest of the Little People crew as they attend the Easter parade, make decorations, color Easter eggs, and take part in an Easter Egg hunt. The last turn boasts an entire page of patterned eggs, each one with a flap to open for small hands.
What ‘Easter Is Here‘ Teaches Children: These Little People books were always among my kids’ favorites; they would spend hours flipping through the numerous lift-the-flap pages. The interactive book teaches small readers hand-eye coordination. This picture book introduces babies and toddlers to new words about Spring and the Easter celebration. The story and illustrations teach young readers about teamwork, tradition, and community as the Little People prepare for Spring celebrations. A bonus to this interactive book is several pages of simple look-and-find challenges amongst the lift-the-flap images. Learn about‘Little People Valentine’s Day is Here’ too!
Recommended Ages: 2–5 years
Ollie’s Easter Eggs By Olivier Dunrea
I am selfishly including ‘Ollie’s Easter Egg’ in my Spring picture book list because my youngest is an Ollie, and I love collecting books with the kids’ names on them. This sweet board book is from the author of the best-selling series ‘Gossie & Friends‘. The illustrations of Ollie and his gosling buddies are just precious. Each book follows the friends on a little adventure. In this story, Ollie wants a colored egg, so he sets off to find his friends’ eggs and rolls each one to his own hiding spot. What will happen when his friends go searching for their eggs?
What ‘Ollie’s Easter Eggs’ Teaches Children: ‘Ollie’s Easter Eggs’ is a sweet seasonal story to share with the littlest of readers. Babies and toddlers will adore the cute characters and the simple, repetitive text. Kids will learn their colors and other springtime vocabulary like ‘ red tulip’, ‘green grass’, and ‘purple egg’. Ollie the gosling’s Spring story teaches children about Easter traditions like dying and hiding eggs, but, more importantly, it is a lesson in friendship! (Also learn about Ollie’s Valentine’s here.)
Recommended Ages: 0–3 years
Little Blue Truck’s Springtime By Alice Schertle
The Little Blue Truck series of picture books is a favorite with little ones at my library. As proof of this series’s popularity, in previous book lists I have showcased ‘Little Blue Truck’s Halloween’ and ‘Little Blue Truck’s Valentine‘. Little Blue Truck’s Springtime story is a beloved ‘lift the flap’ book. Which we know kids adore. Repetitive and rhyming, ‘Little Blue Truck’s Springtime’ takes us on a cheerful spring drive. The famous truck chugs along, taking in the sights and sounds of a Spring day, meeting a slew of new baby animals….bunnies, chicks, lambs, and more. Children get to lift the flap to see which newborn animal is hiding on each page.
What ‘Little Blue Truck’s Springtime Teaches Children: Beautifully illustrated by Jill McElmurry, Little Blue Truck’s Springtime is a picture book you will want to pull out and reread with your kids again and again. Children will learn about animal identification, counting, and matching parents to babies. They may also learn new vocabulary, for example, a ‘ kid’ is a baby goat, and a ‘piglet’ is a baby pig. Lift-the-flap books can inspire curiosity and develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Age recommendations: 1-5 years
The Great Oak Tree By Zoe Armstrong
This picture book for Spring is a testament to the life and resilience of an old oak tree. The story begins in Spring when the tree’s branches are bare, and the inquisitive blackbird asks why the tree is doing ‘ nothing’. Soon the tree will grow its leaves and acorns, providing shade, shelter, and food for the forest animals. The blackbird follows the oak tree’s journey into Summer, then Fall and Winter, then back to Spring once again. The story is about the importance of the still oak tree in our ecosystem, and the role it plays in each passing season. Amelia Videlo beautifully illustrates Armstrong’s whimsical and lyrical picture book.
What ‘The Great Oak Tree’ Teaches Children: In this Spring picture book, children will learn about the importance of trees in nature. As the oak tree endures the four seasons, children will observe the changes it undergoes over the course of a year. For younger readers, this book may be a lesson on the seasons in general. Kids will also learn about the relationships between plants and animals, as the blackbird and oak tree share their journey through the four seasons.
Age recommendation: 5-8 years
King For A Day By Rukhsana Khan
In Pakistan, the arrival of Spring is marked by the celebration called “Basant“. Also known as the ‘Kite Festival’, Basant is one of the country’s most notable celebrations. In ‘ King for a Day’, we follow a group of children through the streets of Pakistan as they run over the rooftops and through the streets to show off their colorful, handmade kites. Once the kites are launched into the sky, the iconic tradition begins, and the magic of the seasonal festival begins. The hero of the story is Malik, who uses a wheelchair. Readers follow Malik as he captures other kites, including the local bully Goliath’s kite.
What ‘King For A Day’ Teachers Children: This picture book by Khan is a beautiful bow to his native Pakistan and the tradition of Basant. The Kite Festival teaches kids how children in another country celebrate the arrival of Spring. Much different from how we celebrate here in North America. The story shares an important message about friendship, overcoming difficulties, and kindness. The story teaches children about diversity and inclusion. This Spring, I encourage you to share a story, such as ‘King for a Day’, with your children to broaden their world beyond our Western continent.
Age recommendations: 6-10
As I write this, the temperature in Southern Ontario has hit 20 degrees celcius. Spring MUST be here to stay…Dare I say it! The snow is officially gone from the lawn, the birds are chirping to my delight, and an evening thunderstorm is in the forecast. The trees are showing barely visible signs (but signs all the same) of change, days have gotten longer, and soon we will be thinking about planting gardens.
As your family gets excited for the arrival of Easter and long weekends, I hope you find time to snuggle up with a book. Whether you visit your local library, purchase books at a bookstore, or have your own collection of family favorites, reading is a great way to create teachable moments. These Spring picture books to read with your family are also a wonderful way to spark conversation and create memories. Cheers to Spring!
