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Books About Spring

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Best Children’s Books About Spring

As the mornings grow lighter and green shoots start to peep through, why not celebrate the changing of the seasons with some Spring-themed books for children? Spring is a season of new beginnings, growth and new life, and our booklist is full of stories that capture the wonder of this magical time of year.

From charming tales about animals waking up from hibernation, like Little Bear’s Spring and books about seasonal life cycles like Pip and Egg, to books about springtime weather and enjoying the natural joys of the new season like Hello Spring, our selection has something for everyone to enjoy. This Spring booklist is recommended for parents, teachers and librarians looking to inspire a love of reading and an appreciation for nature in young children.

From tadpoles and bunnies to daffodils and blossoms, our list of recommended children’s books about Spring will breathe new life into your Spring storytimes all season long.

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Best Springtime Stories for Children

Julia Donaldson
 & Lydia Monks
Picturebook
The Rhyming Rabbit loves to make up entertaining poems, inspired by everything he sees, but the other rabbits don't appreciate his talent for rhyme. Sad and lonely, the Rhyming Rabbit sets off one starry night all on his own - will he ever find someone to share his poems with?The Rhyming Rabbit is a clever rhyming adventure from the stellar picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, creators of What the Ladybird Heard . With brilliant rhyming verse and bright and distinctive illustrations, this story is a delight to read aloud.
Alex Latimer
 & David Litchfield
Picturebook
From standout author, Alex Latimer, and bestselling illustrator, David Litchfield, comes a beautiful picture book about finding - and holding on to - friendship. One bright afternoon, Pip met Egg.Pip is a seed from a glorious tree, and Egg is a bird's egg from a nearby nest. When Pip and Egg first meet, they are almost the same size and shape - like two peas in a pod.But as their friendship grows, so do they - for Pip this means growing roots, but for Egg?Well, Egg grows wings, and she can't wait to use them. Though Pip wishes he can follow Egg on her adventures, his roots are strong.So he watches his friend fly away.But true friends always find their way back to one another, and there are no truer friends than Pip and Egg.And if there's one thing they learn, it's that the circle of life will always lead them back to each other.This lyrical, reassuring story that children will love features lush illustrations filled with warmth and emotion, and teaches children about the value of friendship.
Alice Hemming
 & Nicola Slater
Picturebook
A fantastically fun springtime picture book from the creators of The Leaf Thief. Hello sunshine! Hello lovely leaves. Nice to see you back.Squirrel is so excited. It's spring and the most perfect flower has started to blossom - and Squirrel has decided the flower is HIS.After what happened to the leaves in autumn (THEY ALL DISAPPEARED), Squirrel's not taking any chances. . . He MUST keep the flower safe, and he needs his best friend Bird to help him!But perhaps Squirrel wants to protect the flower a little too much. . . After all, even flowers want a little space sometimes.Join Squirrel and Bird as they discover and explore the wonderful nature of spring . . . and learn a few things along the way.A laugh-out-loud book about the changing seasons, with extra information in the back for especially curious minds.Perfect as a companion reader to children learning about seasons in school.A brilliant picture book that explores feelings, moods and times where we feel out of control.
Angela McAllister
 & Christopher Corr
Picturebook
At the end of winter, a girl named Spring awakes from her slumber in the snow.She travels through the forest and finds a little bird that has fallen from a tree.The bird is so cold and weak that Spring can hardly hear its heartbeat, so she turns it into a rabbit with thick, soft fur so it will be warm.To show their gratitude, birds gather eggs which Rabbit collects in a beautiful basket. Spring tells Rabbit to give them to the children so that they will know Spring is here.This beautiful tale shows young children how the Easter Bunny came to be.
Nick Butterworth
Picturebook
A hilarious story in the 9-million-copy best-selling classic series from highly regarded author Nick Butterworth! The Fox is playing hide-and-seek with Percy and the animals of the park. He's got a great hiding place in Percy's workshop but hasn't noticed that there is a pot of strong glue dangerously close by and soon finds himself in an embarrassingly sticky situation! What can Percy do to help? Includes a surprise fold-out page! Percy and his animal friends have delighted readers around the world for over thirty years!

Children's Books about Spring Weather and Changing Seasons

Sean Taylor & Alex Morss
 & Cinyee Chiu
Picturebook
In this uplifting picture book about spring, follow two children and their father through their backyard as they discover all the different ways nature wakes up from its long winter sleep.Spot the busy creatures and plants as the tale unfolds, then learn about how each responds to the increasing daylight and warmth that usher in the season.Co-authors Sean Taylor (picture book author) and Alex Morss (ecologist, journalist, and educator) offer an inviting introduction to the science behind spring. The yard is bright, birds are singing, the bees are buzzing and there are tadpoles in the pond! What is all the commotion about?In each colourful scene, the family discovers a different sign of spring – a bird collecting twigs for its nest, a fox snuggling her cubs, a caterpillar feasting on leaves… After the story, annotated illustrations explain the spring behaviours of various plants and animals.Inspire an appreciation for the natural world in this joyous exploration of spring.Edited by Emily Pither.
Lizzie Scott
 & Stephanie Fizer Coleman
Non-fiction
Young children can explore and discuss the season of spring with this beautiful non-fiction picture book. Very simple text, high frequency and decodeable words and strong art-to-text matching make this a perfect book for early readers. It also features questions to encourage readers to relate the information to their own experiences.It is part of the series 'I Love the Seasons' which helps young children aged 4+ to discover the seasons. The books are great for seasonable topics and projects in the early years.
Jo Lindley
Picturebook

Hello Spring captures the reader straight away with gorgeous illustrations that create a bright, happy feel. Readers are greeted with a magnificent map of the ‘Season Isle’ showing places the friends may go on their adventures together.

This is the perfect book to help children to understand seasonal changes that may happen in Springtime. The feeling of spring is evoked through a rich range of vocabulary and beautiful phrasing throughout, such as ‘Butterflies flitting and birds swooping, a dazzling symphony of colours.

As well as weather and seasons, Hello Spring could also help to teach children about the importance of friendships.

Best Books about Springtime Animals, Life Cycles and Nature

Elli Woollard
 & Briony May Smith
Picturebook
Little Bear's Spring is a glorious reminder for children and adults of just how wonderful the natural world is, and that, sometimes, the unlikeliest of friendships are the best kind. Little Bear has just woken up from his long winter sleep. But when he pokes his head out of the den, the world around him is vast, white and silent. The only thing he sees is a smooth little stone, just as alone in the snowy wilderness as he is. He nestles it in tight to his fur and off they go in search of friends. Little Bear's Spring is a lyrical story about friendship, with a gentle introduction to spring and what happens to the natural world when the seasons change. Written by star picture book author Elli Woollard and illustrated by Briony May Smith, whose artwork brings a sun-dappled springtime landscape to life with breathtaking beauty.
Benji Davies
Picturebook
Meet Tad.She's the smallest tadpole in a big pond, and lives there with all her tadbrothers and tadsisters.Although something else lives there too... BIG BLUB! And when everyone else starts to disappear, Tad starts to wonder if Big Blub will get her too...Or is everyone else going somewhere else; somewhere better? And if so, will Tad ever get there too?A big story about a tiny tadpole - about growing up, branching out, and taking a leap into life.Winner of the 2020 Oscar's Book Prize and from the award-winning creator of The Storm Whale and Granddad's Island, Tad is the perfect story for everyone who's ever grown up, or still has a way to go...
Lucy Cousins
Picturebook
Follow four adorable insect friends as they look for a good place to live. A delightful picture book from the award-wining author and illustrator Lucy Cousins. Four insect friends are looking for a place to live - one that has flowers for Bee, leaves for Ladybird, a pond for Dragonfly and dead wood for Beetle. But - oh no! - with dangers all around, a good place is not so easy to find. This story brings the natural world to joyful and vibrant life for young readers, inviting them to consider what they can do to help make our planet a good place for all living creatures
Jess French
 & Duncan Beedie
Picturebook
Bella Loves Bugs tells the story of a day in the life of a girl who is passionate about bugs, as she goes off to Forest School where she always has many creepy crawlie adventures with her fellow nature hero friends! The book is packed with facts about bugs , some of which Bella regularly spots, but also includes the bugs she dreams about seeing one day - different insects from all over the world. Bella makes a magical moth trap, spies a butterfly laying an egg and shows her friends how to hop like a grasshopper! Follow Bella as she shares her love of bugs - discover how many bugs might be lurking in a pond, see how awesome ants are, and be amazed by mighty stag beetles. With an engaging and lively narrative from Jess French and fun, and warm illustrations from Duncan Beedie this book will help ignite a love and appreciation for nature, right on our doorsteps.
Britta Teckentrup
 & Patricia Hegarty
Picturebook
Wherever we may choose to roam, We need a place to call our home. Follow a little bear as he discovers a host of animal homes and more in this beautiful die-cut picture book that explores what home looks like for different kinds of creatures.

Best Books about Springtime Plants, Seeds and Flowers

Ruth Brown
Picturebook
A simple story to introduce the idea of seed dispersal and life cycles. It tells the story of ten seeds, only one of which survives to grow into a lovely sunflower and produces new seeds to start the cycle again. The illustrations are full of detail and the text is an accessible introduction to seed science for young children.
Kate Petty
 & Axel Scheffler
Picturebook
Discover the joy of growing things in this non-fiction nature picture book series from Axel Scheffler and the National Trust Sam loves big, yellow sunflowers, so when his friends Worm and Ladybird suggest he grows his own, he soon plants some seeds in his garden. Join Sam as he watches them grow, with fun flaps to lift to see what's happening underground and a big sunflower pop-up surprise. With a gentle story and simple facts to explain how plants grow, children will be inspired to get outside and follow the helpful tips to plant their very own sunflowers. Featuring artwork from bestselling The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler, this new nature series from the National Trust is one for all the family to treasure!
Laura Knowles
 & Jennie Webber
Non-fiction

Follow the journey of a tiny sycamore seed as it becomes a sapling and then grows over time to become an enormous tree that houses all sorts of life. This is a gentle and lyrical text with beautiful illustrations.

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