10 Beloved Books for Spring
Happy spring, friends! As a mom, spring has become my favorite season because we're able to soak up the perfect weather before the Texas summer heat sets in. This season also brings some of our favorite seasonal books, full of planting seeds and tending gardens and buzzing bees. Below you'll find 10 of our favorite books for spring. I hope these give your family some great ideas to celebrate the season! (Amazon affiliate links are used below, but check your local library first!)
5 chapter books to read aloud, recommended for ages 5-12:
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - A classic for spring! This is the story of orphaned Mary Lennox who comes to live at her uncle's house on the Yorkshire Moors. It's there that Mary discovers a secret garden, surrounded by walls and locked with a missing key. For a beautifully illustrated, unabridged version of the book, check this one out: The Secret Garden.
- A Beatrix Potter Treasury by Beatrix Potter - This treasury of Beatrix Potter's classic stories is perfect for little ones. Pick and choose your favorite tales, or read the whole thing through. Nothing says "spring" quite like Peter Rabbit's adventures in the garden!
- Little Pilgrim's Progress by Helen L. Taylor - This is our family's current read-aloud and my children are enthralled. It's a child-friendly version of the classic Pilgrim's Progress, with characters that are animals. It is gorgeously illustrated and contains spiritual metaphors that are truly connecting with my kids. I can't recommend it highly enough! (Just a word of caution: This story contains some intense parts. I would recommend this for ages 5 and up, but using caution for more sensitive children.)
- Charlotte's Web by E. B. White - If you've never read through an entire chapter book with your kids, Charlotte's Web is the perfect place to start. This is the classic and heartwarming story of an unlikely friendship between a pig and a spider, and you'll want to make sure you have a tissue for the end of the story. (And once you've finished the book, the movie is delightful!)
- The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White - This was one of the first books I read aloud to my children as we began our homeschool journey, so it will always hold a special place in our hearts. It's the story of Louis, a trumpeter swan who's unable to make a sound... but creatively finds a way to win the heart of the beautiful swan, Serena. You can also listen to the book, narrated by E. B. White himself, which is such a treasure!
5 picture books, recommended for ages 4-8:
- The Magical Garden of Claude Monet by Laurence Anholt - I am a loyal fan of anything Laurence Anholt creates, especially his series on great artists and composers. These are true "living books" - his stories make historical figures come alive!
- The Dandelion Seed by Joseph Anthony - Follow a dandelion seed on its long journey as it's blown by the wind. The illustrations in this book are exquisite, and the text is sparse but powerful.
- From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons - For nonfiction, there's no one like Gail Gibbons. We've collected many of her informative, simply illustrated books. Her books make scientific concepts like pollination and germination accessible to even the youngest readers with clear diagrams and engaging text.
- Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey - This book was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1941 and has won the hearts of children ever since. Follow Mrs. Mallard and her eight darling ducklings as they navigate the busy streets of Boston. Once you've read the book, you can watch this video about the Boston sculpture of the ducks.
- Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner - This book is part of a 5-book series by Kate Messner that helps readers see the busy world not only above the ground, but underneath.
