Spring has officially sprung, and it’s time to celebrate. Sure, we’re stuck inside most the time, but the scenery is rapidly changing. These lovely books will help bring the outside in.
Synopses are provided by the publishers.
AGES 0 AND UP
SPRING IS HERE! (A CHANGING FACES BOOK), by Carles Ballesteros, Harry N. Abrams, Feb. 11, 2020, Board Book, $7.99 (ages 0-3)
Spring is here, and it’s time for bunnies to run, chicks to sing, lambs to munch clover, and ducklings to swim. Readers will delight in seeing animals’ faces appear and then change when the page is turned, thanks to the magical venetian blind element.
Spring is Here! is part of Abrams’ Changing Faces Book series. The interactive nature of it is so appealing that even my 6-year-old gets excited when one of these books enters our house.
BABY KITTEN: FINGER PUPPET BOOK AND BABY GOAT: FINGER PUPPET BOOK, by Chronicle Books and Yu-Hsuan Huang, Chronicle Books, Feb. 11, 2020, Board Book, $7.99 (ages 0-3)
Baby Kitten wakes up, purrs with mama, plays, climbs, meets a butterfly, and drifts off to bedtime with his brother and sister. And Baby Goat plays, climbs, meets new friends, and drifts off to bedtime with her loving family.
Both of these adorable board books features a plush finger puppet that parent and child alike will enjoy. I can particularly envision an older sibling reading to a younger.
AGES 2 AND UP
SEEDS, by Carme Lemniscates, Candlewick Studio, March 17, 2020, Hardcover, $14.99 (ages 2-5)
Some seeds are whisked away by the wind, while others are carried by creatures to their destinations. Once seeds find their spot, they go through breathtaking transformations, multiplying in number and size and thriving in even the most unseemly places. We humans plant seeds, too, and with care we can cultivate and nurture something wonderful, whether by sowing a seed in the earth or by choosing our own seeds of kindness to spread around.
Seeds is a gorgeous picture book. While the text is rather simple for my 6-year-old, she loves the book anyway.
AGES 3 AND UP
BEEHIVE, by Jorey Hurley , Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, Jan. 7, 2020, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 3-7)
With just one word on each page and the vivid illustrations Joey Hurley is known for, Beehive showcases the cycle of bees making honey. Detailed backmatter further explains this natural process.
Beehive is a bold and graphic picture book that’s a visual feast.
AGES 4 AND UP
ELSIE, by Nadine Robert and Maja Kastelic, Harry N. Abrams, Feb. 11, 2020, Hardcover, $16.99 (ages 4-8)
On nice and sunny Sundays, Elsie goes fishing with her six siblings. But she doesn’t quite fit in. They want to walk through the woods, but she wants to walk along the water. They like to cast their fishing rods directly into the water, but she prefers to use buttercups as bait. They eat their sandwiches, while Elsie feeds them to the ducks. But by the end of the day, Elsie’s siblings realize that though they may see the world differently, they can learn from their unique perspectives and love one another all the same.
This sweet picture book has a retro feel. The lovely illustrations are paired with a beautiful message.
IN A GARDEN, by Tim McCanna and Aimée Sicuro, Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, Feb. 18, 2020, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 4-8)
How does a garden grow? Follow along from seed to sprout to bud to flower as a garden blooms. Worms, ladybugs, millipedes, and more help a garden grow each season. Bonus backmatter features tons of cool facts about ecosystems and the symbiosis between plants and bugs.
Rhyming text paired with illustrations that mirror life, In a Garden is both educational and fun.
AGES 6 AND UP
SNAIL FINDS A HOME (PIX), by Mary Peterson, Aladdin, March 24, 2020, Hardcover, $15.99 (ages 6-9)
Snail is a merry little mollusk in his rusty bucket filled with strawberries. Strawberries are his favorite treat, but when he eats himself sick, his best friend Ladybug tells him he has to move away from the yummy red fruit. She takes him looking for a forever home, but Snail roams away from his friend and runs into a hungry Chicken. Rut-roh! Will he make it to his new home or be a tasty treat for this famished, feathered fiend?
Snail Finds a Home was an immediate hit in our house. My kindergartener was able to pick it up and read it on her own, and the laughs from the other room were nonstop.
