I really love all of the seasons but I can’t help but to get super excited about springtime. After being cooped up in the house so much during the winter, the first signs of spring get me excited to get outside again. When it's not too wet, I love to hike through the woods with the boys looking for the first signs of spring. We look for new spouts, vernal ponds and wildflowers like Trout Lily, Spring Beauty and Dutchman’s Breeches that are only around for a few months before they disappear.
(Originally published at Kiddo Korner)
Of course, with the first sign of spring, we also start reading our favorite picture books about springtime. I’ve put together a list of 20 of our favorite spring picture books. Comment below with your favorites!
Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I’ve included the links to the books so you can easily get them for yourself. If you choose to click the link and purchase, I’ll get a small commission.
When springtime comes,
in his warm winter den
a bear wakes up
very hungry and thin!…”
Bear finds some roots to eat, but that’s not enough. He wants more! With his friends’ help, he finds some berries, clover, and fish to eat, but that’s not enough. Bear wants more!
How Bear’s friends help him to finally satisfy his HUGE hunger in a most surprising way will enchant young readers. Karma Wilson’s rhythmic text and Jane Chapman’s vibrant illustrations make Bear Wants More a perfect springtime read-aloud.
Kadir Nelson, acclaimed author of Baby Bear and winner of the Caldecott Honor and the Coretta Scott King Author and Illustrator Awards, presents a resonant, gently humorous story about the power of even the smallest acts and the rewards of compassion and generosity.
With spare text and breathtaking oil paintings, If You Plant a Seed demonstrates not only the process of planting and growing for young children but also how a seed of kindness can bear sweet fruit.
How does your garden grow?Book-loving Lola is inspired by a collection of garden poems that she reads with her mommy. She wants to plant her own garden of beautiful flowers, so she and Mommy go to the library to check out books about gardening. They choose their flowers and buy their seeds. They dig and plant. And then they wait. Lola finds it hard to wait for her flowers to grow, but she spends the time creating her own flower book. Soon she has a garden full of sunflowers and invites all of her friends for cakes and punch and a story amongst the flowers.
Lola is a beloved character that continues to shine for young readers. Her curiosity and love of books is infectious. Parents and children love sharing Lola’s stories.
Rosalind Beardshaw’s beautiful illustrations highlight Lola’s close-knit family and how they use stories and books to interact with their world. Lola’s brightly colored and growing garden is the perfect surrounding for this bright little girl.
This bright and colorful book goes through the steps of planting a garden – from choosing the seeds to enjoying the blooms. It’s sure to kick start your kiddos’ imaginations for their own spring garden.
The snow is melting, flowers are blooming, and a light rain is falling. Spring is finally here! Enjoy all the wondrous signs of the season with Maryann Cocca-Leffler’s exhuberant celebration of spring!
With soft-colored art, adorable children, and colorful outdoor scenes, LET IT RAIN is a continuation of Maryann’s delightful series all about the seasons.
One bright day, Mouse and Momma head outside to play. The wind blows in something feathery and plump (a bird), something wiggly and pink (a worm), and something green that hops and leaps (a frog). But before it’s time to go back inside, Mouse finds something with petals that’s soft and new…the prettiest flower he’s ever seen! Could it mean spring is finally here?
Available for the first time as a Classic Board Book, this seasonal story is perfect for even the youngest of readers.
Following a snow-filled winter, a young boy and his dog decide that they’ve had enough of all that brown and resolve to plant a garden. They dig, they plant, they play, they wait . . . and wait . . . until at last, the brown becomes a more hopeful shade of brown, a sign that spring may finally be on its way.
Julie Fogliano’s tender story of anticipation is brought to life by the distinctive illustrations Erin E. Stead, recipient of the 2011 Caldecott Medal. This title has Common Core connections.
And Then It’s Spring is one The Washington Post‘s Best Kids Books of 2012.
One of Kirkus Reviews’ Best Children’s Books of 2012
On a windy spring day, what do Bear and Mole decide to do? Why, fly a kite, of course! But first they have to build one. They design, measure, and finally construct their kite. With a zoom, zoom, zoom the kite soars up, up, up in the air. But when a storm rumbles in —SNAP!–the kite string breaks! The chase is on as the two friends tear after their kite and find it in a tree, protecting a nest of baby birds from the rain. This sweet story makes a perfect read-aloud for preschoolers.
When Floyd’s kite gets stuck in a tree, he’s determined to get it out. But how? Well, by knocking it down with his shoe, of course. But strangely enough, it too gets stuck. And the only logical course of action . . . is to throw his other shoe. Only now it’s stuck! Surely there must be something he can use to get his kite unstuck. An orangutan? A boat? His front door? Yes, yes, and yes. And that’s only the beginning. Stuckis Oliver Jeffers’ most absurdly funny story since The Incredible Book-Eating Boy. Childlike in concept and vibrantly illustrated as only Oliver Jeffers could, here is a picture book worth rescuing from any tree.
The award-winning, bestselling husband-and-wife team of Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek collaborate for the first time since their acclaimed picture book Birds. Before spring comes, the trees are dark sticks, the grass is brown, and the ground is covered in snow. But if you wait, leaves unfurl and flowers blossom, the grass turns green, and the mounds of snow shrink and shrink. Spring brings baby birds, sprouting seeds, rain and mud, and puddles. You can feel it and smell it and hear it—and you can read it!
Kevin Henkes uses striking imagery, repetition, and alliteration to introduce basic concepts of language and the changing of the seasons. And Laura Dronzek’s gorgeous, lush paintings show the transformation from quiet, cold winter to the joyful newborn spring. Watch the world transform when spring comes!
Egg is a graphic novel for preschoolers about four eggs, one big surprise, and an unlikely friendship, by Caldecott Medalist and New York Times-bestselling author Kevin Henkes. Egg is not only a perfect Easter gift, but also a classic read-alone and read-aloud that will appeal all year long.
This masterful and stylistically original picture book introduces young children to four eggs. One is blue, one is pink, one is yellow, and one is green. Three of the eggs hatch, revealing three baby birds who fly away. But the green egg does not hatch. Why not? When the three birds return to investigate, they’re in for a big surprise! What will happen next? With a compelling mix of comic-like panels, wordless pages and spreads, and a short text featuring word repetition, surprise, and suspense, Egg is an ideal book for emergent readers, as well as for sharing in a group. Egg is sure to inspire creativity and storytelling in preschoolers, as they anticipate the page turns and determine their own endings! Kevin Henkes is the bestselling author of Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Waiting, and Kitten’s First Full Moon, among many other beloved titles.
Is this the year you’ll be able to catch the Easter bunny in action? Start an Easter tradition with this fun and funny children’s book, from the New York Times bestselling creators of How to Catch a Leprechaun!
“I’ve been working long and hard
with all my peeps and crew.
We’ve made the eggs, and now I’m here
to bring them all to you!”
#1 New York Times bestseller!
Author and artist James Dean brings us along for a hippity-hoppity Easter adventure with the coolest cat around—Pete!
Pete jumps in to help the Easter Bunny in Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure—which comes complete with a poster, stickers, and a set of punch-out card.
When Pete wakes up Easter morning, ready to check out his basket of goodies, he discovers the Easter Bunny needs a little extra help. Our favorite groovy blue cat puts on his bunny ears and finds a way to collect, paint, and hide the eggs all in time for Easter!
New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Tad Hills brings our favorite feathered friends out to celebrate spring in this sturdy board book. Duck & Goose have lots of ideas about how to find the Easter Bunny, but will they succeed? Preschoolers won’t be able to resist this latest board book featuring Duck & Goose, lots of colorful eggs, and the Easter Bunny.
Join Mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie as he goes on an Easter egg hunt! Who is hiding eggs in Mouse’s house? This adorable board book combines an engaging Easter theme with a story about colors!
This board book with sturdy pages is perfect for toddlers, who will enjoy the simple introduction to colors and counting. Each page has one or two sentences and points out a different color and number of eggs.
Starring the ever-popular Mouse, this is a colorful and fun addition to a little one’s Easter basket.
A delightful illustrated picture book for readers ages 3 and up, God Gave Us Easter features the adorable polar bear Little Cub, talking with her father and learning about God’s design for the Easter season and what it really means.
“God loved us so much he wanted us to always be with him too. That’s why God knew he’d need to give us Easter.”
As Little Cub celebrates Easter with Papa, Mama, and her brother and sister, she begins to ask her papa questions about this very special day of the year. Papa lovingly explains God’s plans for his children, while taking Little Cub on a memorable walk through her stunning Arctic world, and he shares how Easter came about in clear, simple terms that even the littlest cubs can understand.
Oliver is a tabby cat who is always the center of attention.
Marshmallow is a baby rabbit who moves into Oliver’s home.
At first Oliver does not welcome Marshmallow, but the little bunny’s charms are impossible to resist. This is the true story of how Oliver and Marshmallow become friends.
Clare Turlay Newberry’s lifelong passions for cats and for drawing come together in this elegantly illustrated book, winner of the 1943 Caldecott Honor.
Celebrate the beauty of springtime with Little Blue Truck! Young fans will love finding all sorts of baby animals beneath the flaps in this delightful novelty board book. Beep! Beep! Peep!
Peter Cottontail is out sick, and there’s only one dinosaur who’s up to the task of delivering his eggs on Easter: T. Rex! All T. Rex has to do is work on hopping—without the wiggle. He keeps breaking all the eggs! Join T. Rex and his friends as he saves the day in a very special way. Will practice make perfect?
This bright, tactile board book celebrates a first encounter with the most cheerful season: spring! Bold, simple illustrations and textures show what a child first sees, hears, touches, and feels. And no matter how windy or wet it may be outside, this child ends up safe and dry in Mommy’s arms. The second in this series of four seasonal offerings.
