It’s spring, a time of year filled with colorful flowers, rain puddles for splashing, baby animals, the sound of birds singing, and fresh green leaves and grass. The wonders of spring can be brought into your early learning classroom through books about the season for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. In this article, we share some of our favorite books to enjoy with early learners.
This engaging book, written for babies and toddlers by Roger Priddy, includes simple and colorful pictures to celebrate the arrival of Spring. Little ones will enjoy the touch-and-feel textures of the chicks, bunnies, and flowers for a fun sensory and literary experience.
Do you have Frozen fans in your class? In this touch-and-feel board book, children can pet ducklings and rabbits as they welcome Spring with a familiar character, Olaf! This book, from the Disney Book Group and Storybook Art Team, is a fun way to explore the season with simple text and colorful pictures. A free video read-aloud is available on Youtube.
This book is written by Caldecott Medalist and recipient of the Newbery Honor, Kevin Henkes, and illustrated by Laura Dronzek. The sweet story takes a look at how winter transforms into spring, from the changing colors of the grass to the blossoming flowers. A free video read-aloud is available on Youtube.
Written by Il Sung Na, this book introduces adaptation, hibernation, and migration to explore what animals do when the seasons change. This book’s colorful, unique illustrations and its simple text will be enjoyed by toddlers who will want to read it over and over again. You can find a free video read-aloud of the book here.
For a fun, seasonal twist on the classic The Little Blue Truck story, the toddlers in your classroom might enjoy this story that features a familiar character. Written by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Jill McElmurry, this book includes sing-song rhymes and colorful illustrations of flowers and barnyard animals. A free video read-aloud version of the book can be found here.
Written by Julia Rawlinson and illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke, this book tells the story of a fox named Fletcher who notices signs of changing seasons. The colorful, watercolor illustrations and simple text will be enjoyable to read with a large group of children or for little ones to explore independently. A free read-aloud video of the story can be found here.
In a simple, cheerful story, written by Kenard Pak, a young boy observes how the season changes from winter to spring. He notices days becoming longer and greenery beginning to grow. This story’s beautiful illustrations will be enjoyed by young readers as they join this young boy in his colorful nature stroll. You can find a free video read-aloud of the story here.
From a squiggly tadpole to a fuzzy robin, this unique story is written by Jennifer Ward and illustrated by Susie Ghahremani. The book’s story and its illustrations introduce scientific concepts as it explores how animals begin life. With cut-out pictures on each page, young readers will enjoy reading this interactive story and guessing: what will hatch? A free video read-aloud is available on Youtube.
Written by Yael Werber and illustrated by Jen Hill, this story’s beautiful illustrations will allow children a fun and unique way to think about spring by engaging all 5 of their senses. Children will love using the tips from this story while they play and discover the arrival of Spring. You can find a free video read-aloud of this story here.
Recipes to Pair with Favorite Children’s Books 
