• Interest Level: Ages 2-8
• Themes: Science, Seasons, Winter, Spring, Gardening, Animals
• Comprehension Strategies: Using Nonfiction Text Features, Asking and Answering Questions

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I love the springtime. No offense to fall and its beautiful colors, but I always look forward to watching nature come alive again as the weather starts to warm up. The new buds and blossoms on trees, bright green leaves, chirping birds and buzzing bees… it’s the best.

This year, my almost-4 year old has been showing more interest in gardening and observing nature. This may be due largely in part to his obsession with the PBS Kids show “Elinor Wonders Why,” about an inquisitive rabbit and her pals who learn something interesting about nature in every episode. It’s so cute, and if you have kids in the 3-5 year age range, I highly recommend it. My son was even inspired by one of the characters to make his own nature journal, where he now regularly draws observations of a lotus plant that we started from a seed a couple months ago.

This is a non-exhaustive list of books about the springtime which I think are particularly beautiful and interesting for preschoolers and early elementary aged kids. Hope you and your budding nature enthusiasts enjoy!

Favorite Books About Spring

Abracadabra, It’s Spring!– Anne Sibley O’Brien

Simple, but vocabulary-rich text combined with large flaps to lift and reveal something that changes in the springtime make for a fun and interactive book for little ones to love.

Bloom Boom!– April Pulley Sayre

This book has absolutely stunning photographs of spring wildflower blooms. I’m partial to the California poppies of course, but all of the wildflower close-ups are gorgeous.

Flower Garden– Kathryn Hewitt

I love this story about a little girl getting a window box garden ready for her mother’s birthday. It shows how you can grow a beautiful flower garden even in a city apartment.

The Tiny Seed– Eric Carle

This one is an Eric Carle classic for good reason. The story of a tiny seed’s exciting and perilous journey, and its growth into a flower is one that I’ve read many times with my kindergartners and my own kids, and it never gets old.

Wake Up!– Helen Frost and Rick Lieder

Another book with beautiful photography, this book is full of questions that evoke a sense of wonder and excitement. Pictures of plants, bugs, and baby animals show the beauty and rebirth of springtime.

Let’s Look at Spring– Sarah L. Schuette

This book is a great book for introducing children to nonfiction. It has text features like a table of contents, chapter titles, and a glossary, and its simple decodable text and easily identifiable photographs make it very accessible for young readers.

A Butterfly is Patient– Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long

This book is one of a series (A Seed is Sleepy and An Egg is Quiet are also excellent this time of year) that features realistic drawings paired with a lot of interesting information and vocabulary. The layout, typeface, and illustrations are so aesthetically pleasing, I have honestly been thinking of photocopying and framing some of the pages.

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring– Kenard Pak

I love the call and response style of writing that Kenard Pak uses. While this book could also be filed into the “winter” theme, it does a really great job of showing the stark contrast between the two seasons. The author describes the elements of winter in such a way that I could really clearly visualize and feel its cold bleakness, and then as the pages turn, the winter cold begins to give way to more sunlight, greenery, life, and growth. The poetic text might be a little advanced for young preschoolers, but I think anyone aged 4 and up can understand enough to enjoy this one.

Honorable Mentions, because I am indecisive-

Spring is Here- Taro Gomi

Little Cloud- Eric Carle

Planting a Rainbow- Lois Ehlert

The First Tulips in Holland- Phyllis Krasilovsky

Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit- Il Sung Na

Butterfly Butterfly- Petr Horáček