May is the most beautiful month of the year, a month alive with warm color. The flowers and trees are in full bloom, and even the sun joins this rhapsody be emitting warmer rays.
– Lillian Berliner
We hope you enjoy these beautiful books with your children in the warmth and beauty of spring!
Friendship
The Rabbit Listened, by Cori Doerrfeld
When something sad happens, Taylor doesn’t know where to turn. All the animals are sure they have the answer. The chicken wants to talk it out, but Taylor doesn’t feel like chatting. The bear thinks Taylor should get angry, but that’s not quite right either. One by one, the animals try to tell Taylor how to act, and one by one they fail to offer comfort. Then the rabbit arrives. All the rabbit does is listen . . . which is just what Taylor needs.
Lost and Found, by Oliver Jeffers
What is a boy to do when a lost penguin shows up at his door? Find out where it comes from, of course, and return it. But the journey to the South Pole is long and difficult in the boy’s rowboat. There are storms to brave and deep, dark nights.To pass the time, the boy tells the penguin stories. Finally, they arrive. Yet instead of being happy, both are sad. That’s when the boy realizes: The penguin hadn’t been lost, it had merely been lonely.Combining biblical text with a beautiful story line and wonderfully charming, full-color illustrations, this book will help make Christ the focus of your celebrations this year.
Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes
Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect—until her first day of school. “You’re named after a flower!” teases Victoria. “Let’s smell her,” says Jo. Chrysanthemum wilts. What will it take to make her blossom again?
Invisible Boy, by Trudy Ludwig
A simple act of kindness can transform an invisible boy into a friend…
Meet Brian, the invisible boy. Nobody in class ever seems to notice him or think to include him in their group, game, or birthday party . . . until, that is, a new kid comes to class.
When Justin, the new boy, arrives, Brian is the first to make him feel welcome. And when Brian and Justin team up to work on a class project together, Brian finds a way to shine.
The Tiny Seed, Eric Carld
Eric Carle’s classic story of the life cycle of a flower is told through the adventures of a tiny seed. Everyone will cheer for the seed’s progress as it floats across the sky, nestles in the ground, and finally grows into the giant flower it was always meant to be.
In Like a Lion Out Like a Lamb, by Marion Dave Bauer
Rattling windows with the roar of a late-winter storm, March shows up like a lion– wild and messy, muddy and wet. In rhythmic, exuberant text, Newbery Honor-author Marion Dane Bauer conveys the changeable nature of spring weather, as the lion makes way for the lamb—with a huge sneeze!—as the trees and flowers spring into bloom.
The Curious Garden, by Peter Brown
One boy’s quest for a greener world… one garden at a time.
While out exploring one day, a little boy named Liam discovers a struggling garden and decides to take care of it. As time passes, the garden spreads throughout the dark, gray city, transforming it into a lush, green world.
The Wind Blew, by Pat Hutchins
The wind blew, and blew, and blew! It blew so hard, it took everything with it: Mr. White’s umbrella, Priscilla’s balloon, the twins’ scarves, even the wig on the judge’s head. But just when the wind was about to carry everything out to sea, it changed its mind!
Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms: A Springtime Book For Kids, by Julia Rawlinson
Fletcher enjoys the sunny weather and the warmth of spring. But when he stumbles across snowy flakes gently floating to the ground, he spreads the news of winter’s return to all his friends. But spring is full of wonderful surprises for Fletcher and his friends.
Seeds and Trees, by Brandon Walden
In Seeds and Trees, discover a young prince who gathers seeds both green and dark from those he encounters, and then gifts them forward. He faithfully plants and waters all those seeds daily, but comes to realise that the dark trees harm the green ones. With the help of a kind friend he discovers he can cut down, uproot, and then replace those dark trees with green seeds, creating a beautiful vibrant garden.
Nonfiction
Reasons for the Seasons, by Gail Gibbons
Why is there winter in the Southern Hemisphere at the same time there is summer in the Northern Hemisphere? In summertime, why is it still light out in the evening? With simple language appropriate for young readers, non-fiction master Gail Gibbons introduces young readers to the four seasons and explains why they change throughout the year.
chapter books
Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White
Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte’s Web, high up in Zuckerman’s barn. Charlotte’s spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur’s life when he was born the runt of his litter.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame
Rat, Mole, Badger and the preposterous Mr Toad (with his ‘Poop-poop-poop’ road-hogging new motor-car), have brought delight to many through the years with their odd adventures on and by the river, and at the imposing residence of Toad Hall. Whether the four friends are setting forth on an exciting adventure, engaging in a comic caper, or simply relaxing by the River Thames, their stories are among the most charming in all English literature.
The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodges Burnett
Born in India, the unattractive and willful Mary Lennox has remained in the care of servants for as long as she can remember. But the girl’s life changes when her mother and father die and she travels to Yorkshire to live with her uncle. Dark, dreary Misselthwaite Manor seems full of mysteries, including a very special garden, locked tight for 10 years. With the help of Dickon, a local boy, Mary intends to uncover its secrets.
The Wheel on the School, by Meindert DeJong
Why do the storks no longer come to the little Dutch fishing village of Shora to nest? It was Lina, one of the six schoolchildren who first asked the question, and she set the others to wondering. And sometimes when you begin to wonder, you begin to make things happen. So the children set out to bring the storks back to Shora. The force of their vision put the whole village to work until at last the dream began to come true.
