Lively Spring Picture Books to Read With Children
The winter is finally fading and spring has arrived! As tender plants push their way up to the sunlight and green colors creep up the droll landscape of winter, these lively books will remind your children of all the best parts of springtime.
Because of their sweet stories and beautiful illustrations, I enjoy reading this list of spring books to both my younger and older children. In my opinion, kids never get too old for picture books!
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Spring Picture Books
The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Margaret Wise Brown’s children’s books are so beautifully depicted in their bright and simple words. In this sweet story, the reader follows the busy springtime farm life and all the baby animals that frolic in the hay-filled stables of the big red barn.
- Brown, Margaret Wise (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 01/06/1995 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Publisher)
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
One of our favorite books! As a young girl, Miss Rumphius dreams of going to places far away as her grandfather once did. She travels the world from the city to great tropical islands but is not satisfied. When she was young her grandfather told her that to travel the world was quite an accomplishment, but she should also do something to “makethe world more beautiful”. Follow Miss Rumphius in this perfect book as she makes the world beautiful by throwing lupine seeds all about the town. In the next spring season, the seeds grow into an amazing array of spring beauty.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Cooney, Barbara (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 11/06/1985 (Publication Date) – Puffin Books (Publisher)
Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenad Pak
A young boy and his dog travel through the dreary winter days in the snow and ice. He greets each path that leads from winter to the arrival of spring as nature wakes, and everything turns into a warm and lush green haven of spring animals and flowers.
- Hardcover Book
- Pak, Kenard (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 02/18/2020 (Publication Date) – Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (Publisher)
The Trellis and the Seed by Jan Karon
One of our favorite spring books, these colorful illustrations show the plant growth of a tiny seed as the change of the seasons fades into the lively green of spring. Slowly, the plant crawls up the trellis, as its caretaker carefully tends to it. Watching a single seed grow into something so beautiful will inspire children to plant seeds of their own.
- God, religion, faith, Trellis and the seed, trellis, seed,
- Hardcover Book
- Karon, Jan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 04/14/2003 (Publication Date) – Viking Juvenile (Publisher)
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
After a long winter, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard search for a place to make their home. They lay and hatch their eggs next to the river. Mrs. Mallard shows the ducklings the city, from the wide river to the bustling streets. But when she tries to take her ducklings across the street, the cars make such a fuss that the policeman Michael runs over. He and the police stop the traffic so that Mrs. Mallard can continue to proudly show the city to her little ducklings.
- Hardcover Book
- McCloskey, Robert (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 72 Pages – 01/01/1941 (Publication Date) – Viking Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix potter
Beatrix Potter’s realistic sketches and bright tales of Peter Rabbit are good read-aloud books for young children. Peter and his sisters Flopsy, Mopsy, and CottonTail go out to pick blackberries, following their mother’s instructions. But she also says, “Don’t go into Mr. McGregor’s garden!” Naughty Peter ignores this command. Peter gorges himself on the vegetables in the garden, but whom should he meet but Mr. McGregor himself, who is not very happy to see the bunny thieving his perfect vegetables.
- One of the best-loved children’s books of all time.
- Contains 70 pages.
- Book measures 4.13″ x 5.51″
- Recommended for Ages: 3 years and up.
- Hardcover Book
Mossy by Jan Brett
Mossy is a turtle who crawls about the damp places around the pond. Plants and flowers grow on her shell into a beautiful garden on her back. She meets another turtle named Scoots who is immediately interested, never having seen a turtle like Mossy. But Dr. Carolina and her niece Tory, who are also amazed at her shell, take Mossy and put her in a museum. Winter passes by, and Mossy misses her home and the turtle Scoots. The young girl Tory notices that Mossy, the only living thing in their museum, looks very sad. Finally, Mossy is returned to her home at the pond.
- Hardcover Book
- Brett, Jan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 09/18/2012 (Publication Date) – G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
When Spring Comes Kevin Henkes
Before spring comes everything is different, and when it comes, so much changes. The trees that blossom, the rainy days, the little seeds that grow into plants — “You will feel it, you will smell it, you will hear it.”
- Henkes, Kevin (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages – 02/12/2019 (Publication Date) – Greenwillow Books (Publisher)
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
This picture book follows the life cycle of a seed. It begins in autumn as the wind blows the flower seeds into the air. The seed lands in a few places where it cannot grow like the icy mountains and the hot, dry desert. At last it lands on the earth and snow covers it during winter. Finally, spring arrives and the tiny seed begins to grow! It shoots its roots down in the soil as it also pushes up through the ground to the sun above. It grows beside bigger plants, but slowly, little by little, it becomes a large plant with a beautiful flower. It grows as tall as a house!
- Carle, Eric (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages – 04/01/2001 (Publication Date) – Aladdin (Publisher)
The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
In this sweet story, the bunny wants to run away and try all kinds of adventures, but as he tells his mother this, she replies that, “I will come after you for you are my little bunny.” Finally, the bunny decides to stay at home with his mother. The Runaway Bunny is a great addition to the many books that portray spring’s beauty, as well as a mother’s love for her child.
- Brown, Margaret Wise (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 48 Pages – 01/24/2017 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Publisher)
Spring Story by Jill Barklem
The mice of Brambly Hedge enjoy the joy of this happy spring as they have a wonderful time collecting berries and preparing for a birthday surprise on a lovely picnic blanket for the mouse Wilfred.
- Hardcover Book
- Barklem, Jill (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 01/24/2017 (Publication Date) – HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks (Publisher)
Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
When a little boy plants a carrot seed, his mother, father, and brother all tell him it will never grow. Nevertheless, the little learner continues to water it and pull up the weeds, and as spring grows, so too does the little carrot seed that he planted as he had hoped.
- Krauss, Ruth (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 05/19/2020 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Publisher)
Other Spring Resources for Kids
These lovely spring stories are perfect to read aloud to kids.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret Garden is a great read-aloud for middle or older kids. A little girl orphan, Mary Lennox, is sent to live with her evasive Uncle and discovers along with her cousin Colin a garden. The garden used to be Colin’s mother’s and is now neglected after her death. Mary, her cousin, and a country boy named Dickinson secretly bring new life back into the garden, restoring it to its original beauty and tranquility.
- Burnett, Frances Hodgson (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 384 Pages – 12/21/2010 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Publisher)
Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The theme of the season of spring comes up many times throughout the adventures of a mole, his friend Rat, and their impetuous companion, Toad. Follow their exploration through the English countryside, as they fall into qualms (mostly due to Toad’s foolhardy decisions) and stay beside him as he learns the value of responsibility.
- Hardcover Book
- Grahame, Kenneth (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 224 Pages – 03/06/2012 (Publication Date) – Union Square Kids (Publisher)
“Spring” from Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
It is finally spring and Frog is eager to wake Toad from his winter’s sleep. But his comrade is reluctant to get out of bed, and it takes a lot of convincing and a deceitful calendar to finally get his friend to join him through the adventures of spring and summer. Frog and Toad is a fun book for young readers, with its funny stories and tales of friendship.
- Frog and Toad Are Friends
- Lobel, Arnold (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 64 Pages – 02/18/2003 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Publisher)
Comment Your Favorite Spring Books!
What spring books would you add to this list? Comment below with your excellent suggestions!
You may also enjoy these similar book lists!
Delightful Picture Books to Read Aloud in Winter
