By Mary Westbrook, Children’s Librarian,
Free Library of Philadelphia
We are finally firmly in spring! The springtime brings along a lot of holidays like Easter, Passover and Mother’s Day. We have some fun books for each of those holidays that are perfect to share with your family. It’s also the season of America’s favorite pastime, baseball! Get into the swing of things with a couple baseball-themed books. All books are available at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
“I Love Matzah”
by Freidele Galya Sobah Biniashvili
and Angelika Scudamore
How do you like to eat your matzah? In this Passover board book for ages 2 and younger, we see a small child enjoying their matzah in many different ways! The rhyming text makes for a great read-aloud and the simple but colorful illustrations complement the text. Read it to your little ones during Passover.
Board Books
“Passover Family”
by Monique Polak
This board book introduces our littlest friends to Passover. With simple text and photographs, we learn what happens at the Passover seder. We see friends and family gather together to sing, eat, tell stories and more.
“Llama Llama Easter Egg”
by Anna Dewdney
Llama Llama is ready to celebrate Easter! With short, rhyming text and colorful illustrations, this is a book for which little ones are sure to ask for repeat readings. Llama Llama celebrates Easter with yummy treats and an egg hunt. It’s a fun Easter story for our littlest friends.
“Happy Easter, Little Pookie”
by Sandra Boynton
Little Pookie is ready to celebrate Easter. It’s springtime, and that means bunnies hopping and chocolate eggs. Little Pookie’s mom invites a friend, Bean, over to hop like bunnies, decorate eggs and get ready for the Easter bunny! With easy-to-read rhyming text and colorful illustrations, this is a fun read for your littlest ones.
Picture Books
“The Passover Guest”
by Susan Kusel and Sean Rubin
This historical fiction picture book, which recently won the Sydney Taylor Award, is about a family celebrating Passover during the Great Depression. Young Muriel’s family doesn’t have enough food to eat, especially during Passover. While wandering around, she encounters a magician. A miracle occurs for Muriel and her family, with a great Passover feast! This longer picture book serves as a good read-aloud for the whole family.
“Pick a Perfect Egg”
by Patricia Toht, illustrated by Jarvis
With bright illustrations and rhyming text, this Easter-themed picture book makes for a fitting springtime read. Follow along as children pick the perfect egg for decorating, hop along with friends to find eggs and wait for the Easter Bunny to leave treats at their house! This is a fun-filled book for the Easter season.
“Llama Llama Mother’s Day Present”
by Anna Dewdney
Many of our friends are probably familiar with beloved picture book character Llama Llama! This picture book is all about Mother’s Day and is based off the Llama Llama TV show. All of Llama’s friends have amazing presents for their mothers, but Llama isn’t sure what to do or make! Follow along as Llama finds a way to show his mother how special she is on Mother’s Day.
“Mama’s Sleeping Scarf”
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Joelle Avelino
This beautifully illustrated picture book is a love letter to the everyday things that remind us of our mothers. Chino’s mom wears a beautiful scarf while sleeping, but what happens to it during the day? Chino and her toy bunny play with the scarf, observing their family and feeling closer to mama. This read-aloud allows everyone to celebrate the mothers in their lives and the everyday things that remind us of them.
“Big Book of WHO Baseball”
by Sports Illustrated Kids
This big book of baseball players is a must for every fan. Learn about the 101 most important baseball players of the past and present in this book featuring colorful photographs. Is your favorite player in the mix? The text is easy to read, with a question/answer format that also makes it easy to navigate. Batter up!
“Hoggy at Bat”
by Ethan Long
Hoggy is new to baseball (preferring basketball) but he is determined to be the best! He aims for a home run but instead strikes out. The pressure is on to be the best baseball player, but is that really the way to have fun? Hoggy learns there is more to baseball than winning. This easy reader graphic novel is for beginning readers and baseball fans alike.
