Spring is an amazing time of the year! Everything is coming back to life, we are able to get outside more, and do some much needed spring cleaning. I love finding and reading seasonal books, but the themes of renewal, fresh blooms, and outdoor fun are the best to read after a long cold winter. Reading books for the current season helps my children get excited for the spring time activities and remind them of some of our family’s spring time traditions. Below I will be sharing the ultimate spring book list, which I have separated into board books, picture books, resource books, chapter books, and read-alouds. I hope you can find a few reads that are perfect for your family.
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Spring Board Book List
If your family is blessed with a little baby, you know the value of a collection of board books! Board books are durable, wipeable, and interactive books that are safe for little babies to throw, be teething on, and drench in slobber. I appreciate that board books have a variety of lift-the-flaps, touch-and-feel, and fun rhyming stories.
- Spring In The Forest by Rusty Finch – This board book has beautiful illustrations and colors that keep toddlers and young children engaged. The pages are very thick and the Flaps in this lift-the-flap book are sturdy enough for toddlers to not easily rip. As a homeschool mom I appreciate the simple facts about the changing of the season.
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/LVTd - Little Blue Truck’s Springtime by Alice Schertle—This board book has very cute illustrations and is incredibly fun to read. My kids love a story with a lift-the-flap option, and the Little Blue Truck is simply an enjoyable spring read for toddlers.
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/TLEEb - Backyard Bugs by little hippo books – Be prepared for this board book to be your toddlers favorite! My toddlers loved a sensory touch-and-feel book at this stage and Backyard Bugs has many textures to explore! This very colorful book will keep your kids happy to explore during a car ride, story time, or before dinner!
Shop here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/zHtUB6 - Garden Time by Jill McDonald – When I think about spring, I think about gardening! This board book teaches toddlers all about gardening! I appreciate the simple facts about how plants grow and how gardening will help put food on the table. Garden time has beautiful illustrations and does a great job explaining gardening in easy to understand text for toddlers.
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/3lfje - Down by the Bay by Raffi – This board book is a hilarious version of the classic song about strange events that happen down by the bay, where the watermelons grow…I love a sing song or rhyming book to read to toddlers. Singing is an amazing way to support their speech and listening development. Beautiful illustrations ad interactive lift-the-flap pages will make Down by the Bay your toddlers favorite!
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/5jATwEF - We’re Going on an Egg Hunt by Martha Mumford – The last board book I wanted to recommend is a fun Easter lift-the-flap book! We’re Going on an Egg Hunt is a cute story that will surely get your kiddo excited for your own egg hunt!
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/fZI1
Spring Book List – Picture Books
Picture books have a variety of beautiful illustrations, funny and engaging stories, and inspire us to draw or learn more about what the author has introduced us to. For spring I like to find themes like nature, weather changes, baby animals, flowers, and Easter.
- Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak – a beautifully illustrated book that explains the end of winter and early spring changes. This picture book series has vividly stunning pictures that are enjoyable for preschoolers and adults! Goodbye Winter,Hello Spring will be a springtime favorite in your home every year!
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/iQcIFTy - Worm Weather by Jean Taft – A wonderful rhyming book that is worth adding to your kids library! I will never forget when we were stuck inside one spring with days and days of rain and my children kept running outside to save the worms from the flooding backyard. Spring is Worm Weather indeed.
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/mhrIZ0L - Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner – it’s absolutely perfect for spring! The illustrations are so beautiful and whimsical, and I know your kids will be totally fascinated by them. What I love most is how it combines fun with learning – it’s all about gardening, and the way it explains things is super easy for little ones to understand. The story flows through the seasons, which makes it perfect for this time of year, and the repetition in the text is great for helping the kids remember key facts. It’s one of those books that feels like a gentle lesson without them even realizing it!
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/RjmDq - Busy Spring: Nature Wakes Up by Sean Taylor – In this picture book about spring, join two children and their father as they explore their backyard and discover all the amazing ways nature comes alive after its long winter nap. From blooming flowers to chirping birds, it’s a beautiful journey that captures the magic of the season!
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/gbAPfAh - When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes – A picture book all about how spring wakes up the world! The illustrations are beautiful, showing everything go from cold and quiet to full of flowers and green grass. The simple, repetitive text is perfect for little ones and really helps them see and feel the magic of the season. It’s the perfect spring read for any kid!
Shop Here 👉🏻https://geni.us/VBDRxR - Easter on the Farm by Phyllis Alsdurf – A picture book that celebrates that spring is here, and the farm is waking up to new life! A young girl meets baby animals, helps prepare the garden for planting, and collects pussy willows by the marsh. As they get ready to host a community Easter egg hunt on the farm, the family also decorates eggs with natural dyes and makes funny gifts from egg shells and grass.
Shop Here 👉🏻https://geni.us/INPit
Resource Books for Spring
One of my favorite books to invest in are resource books. These are children’s encyclopedias, nature guides, or activity books. Having a variety of topics on hand are the perfect way to encourage my homeschoolers to chase rabbit trails, peruse fun facts, or gauge their interest in a subject. I enjoy picking up a few seasonal favorites to grow our collection over time. For spring I wanted topics on gardening, bugs, and nature since we tend to spend more time outside after a long cold winter.
- Backyard Bugs: An Identification Guide to Common Insects, Spiders, and More by Jaret C. Daniels – This informative book is a staple for any back yard bug enthusiast. The illustrations are great for all ages and has a wonderful sections for kids to read and learn about various Backyard Bugs.
Shop Here 👉🏻https://geni.us/hkODB - The Secret World of Plants: Tales of More Than 100 Remarkable Flowers, Trees, and Seeds by Ben Hoare – A stunning and vibrant resource book that illustrates amazing information about plants and trees! We love having a resource book like this on hand as nature comes back to life in the spring.
Shop Here 👉🏻https://geni.us/PM69 - The Encyclopedia of Weather and Climate Change: A Complete Visual Guide By Juliane L. Fry – This resource is packed with interesting information about meteorology. My kids really enjoying have the big illustrations and explanations about the weather. In the spring we see a lot of rain and storms and I love that we can pull out a resource to learn more about what is happening right outside our window!
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/dzBPib - Nature School: Lessons and Activities to Inspire Children’s Love for Everything Wild By Lauren Giordano – Realistic illustrations that have extremely well done infograpghics and fun facts. This is one of the books you leave out on the table and see what inspires your kids to ask more questions about the world around them.
Shop Here 👉🏻https://geni.us/jLXwtkF
Chapter Books for Spring
My oldest is 11 and likes to walk up and down the aisles of the library before making a personal reading decision. However, I do assign books for him to read that might be relevant to what we are learning in history, science, or language arts. He always comments about the books I assign being interesting or inspiring and try to have a few options that are – not assign necessarily but available for him to read. Since these are not assigned reading I like to find fun seasonal picks!
- The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall – If you haven’t read a book in the Penderwicks series you are seriously missing out. The Penderwicks in Spring is about fun and family and friends (and dogs), and what happens when you bring what’s hidden into the bright light of the spring sun. It’s one of those really well written books that make you get involved with the characters. Highly recommend for all ages children and adult alike!
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/D0GI - The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden By Karina Yan Glaser – A heartwarming story that your kiddo will enjoy because of how relatable the characters are and the wonderful illustrations. When catastrophe strikes their beloved upstairs neighbors, the Vanderbeeker children set out to build the best, most magical healing garden in Harlem—in spite of a locked fence, thistles and trash, and the conflicting plans of a wealthy real estate developer.
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/PJUV - The Maloneys’ Magical Weatherbox By Nigel Quinlan – The Maloney’s are an interesting family full of fun, magic and quirks that make them even more like-able. The Maloney’s Magical Weatherbox is full of fantasy and action! There is a bit of something for everyone in this charming little book full of many layers. Neil and Lizzie’s Dad is a Weatherman. But not the boring kind that you see on TV. He’s one of the people who make sure that the Seasons change every year. But this year the Autumn hasn’t arrived. Who is stopping it. Why? And can Neil and Lizzie help their father bring in the Autumn before it’s too late?
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/CE3d8 - A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home By Henry Cole – Beautifully illustrated with hundreds of black-and-white drawings, A Nest for Celeste is a short novel that tells the story a mouse living in the 1800s and his friendship with John James Audubon’s young apprentice. While enjoying this sweet and appealing story, young readers will also learn about nineteenth-century plantation life and the famous naturalist who was known for his paintings of birds and American wildlife.
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/noVAuA
Spring Read-Alouds for the Whole Family
Read- alouds make family reading more memorable and I can think of no better way to share our time than reading something that is all about the changing of the seasons giving us an opportunity to connect with characters and discover new spring time traditions. I like our seasonal read alouds to be light hearted and memorable especially in the spring when we are more likely to take our reading outside!
- The Secret Garden By Frances Hodgson Burnett – This Read aloud is told with a fairy – tale- like language that helps your children see the sights, sounds, and smells of the countryside. As a mom I appreciated the encouraging message of how our minds when filled with positivity, fun, and wisdom can make a beautiful life out of any situation.
Shop Here 👉🏻 https://geni.us/0iaZhMZ - The Trumpet of the Swan – An inspiring read -aloud that inspires children with lessons of live,beauty, honor, and hard work. My kids enjoyed the illustrations, little jokes, and characters. Curl up this spring with a classic about overcoming obstacles and the joy of music.
Shop Here 👉🏻https://geni.us/W9tbKBB - James and the Giant Peach By Roald Dahl – An easy fun read-aloud that has a great flow and is easy to understand for all of your kids. ames meets a bunch of oversized friends—Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybug, and more. With a snip of the stem, the peach starts rolling away, and the great adventure begins!
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There are many options for springtime reading and I encourage you to visit your local bookstore or library and peruse the shelves to discover a new springtime favorite. We love reading the same seasonal books every year and my kids always look forward to when we pull the spring books out! What are your favorite spring books to read with your kids? Join our homeschool group to jump into the discussion! You can find more book lists, morning basket inspiration, homeschool discussions, and educational deals!
If you are looking for some more spring time fun consider looking at our March morning basket theme all about bugs!