Springtime for Little Readers

April showers bring May flowers, and after this cold winter I think we’re all ready for some warmth and sun! Spring not only brings a time of regrowth, but also holidays to celebrate with family and friends. Here are some children’s books about Easter, Passover and spring to share with your little ones. All books are available to check out from the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Board Books

“One Good Night ‘til Easter”
by Frank Berrios and Ramon Olivera

It’s almost Easter, and these children are excited for all the fun it will bring! Making treats, visiting with family, an egg hunt and more. With simple rhyming text, this board book is perfect for your littlest readers. The illustrations are cute and have a pastel color scheme. Perfect for spring!

“The Spring Book”
by Todd Parr

In this delightful board book, all the things we love about spring are celebrated! Whether it’s the blooming flowers, the holidays or the warming weather, this is a perfect book to celebrate it all! This book is also available as a picture book, making it a perfect book for the whole family to enjoy.

Picture Books

“A Persian Passover”
by Etan Basseri and Rashin Kheiriyeh

Ezra and Rosa are excited to help prepare for Passover. Ezra has a special job to do—bring his family’s flour to the synagogue to use for making the matzah. When a mistake happens, Ezra wonders what can be done! This picture book tells a tale of a Seder in Iran in the 1950s. A unique story of siblings celebrating Passover.

“Pippa’s Passover Plate”
by Vivian Kirkfield and Jill Weber

Pippa is getting her home ready for Passover. She is cleaning, preparing a meal and setting the table. However, her Seder plate is missing! With fun, rhyming text we search along with Pippa for her very important plate. Our little mouse gets her happy ending, and we get to see all the essentials on Pippa’s Passover plate.

A great read-aloud for the whole family!

“More Than Enough”
by April Halprin Wayland and Katie Kath

This gentle, lyrical story follows a Jewish family preparing for Passover. They visit the market, prepare their Seder plate and think of all their blessings. Using the refrain “Dayenu,” the family embraces thankfulness as they share this time with one another. A beautiful picture book full of warmth that’s perfect for celebrating Passover with family.

“First Notes of Spring”
by Jessica Kulekjian and Jennifer Bower

Juniper is ready for spring to wake up! She decides to audition for an orchestra that says goodbye to winter and hello to spring. She is sad when her loud music is rejected. However, when she enters the woods, she finds other loud music players! Together, they decide to wake up spring. A fun, colorfully illustrated picture book to make anyone excited about welcoming spring.

“Spring Stinks”
by Ryan T. Higgins

Everyone is excited for spring, especially Ruth the Bunny! She is excited to share the wonderful smells of spring with Bruce. However, Bruce is unimpressed with the smell of flowers and grass. In fact, Bruce thinks spring stinks! Come along on a fun spring journey as grumpy Bruce finds fault with all things spring.

“When Spring Comes”
by Kevin Henkes

This picture book takes us from the end of winter, with melting snow and bare branches, to the first signs of spring. Follow along as we see snow melting, baby birds singing and green start to sprout from the ground. Immerse yourself in the sounds, smells and feels of spring. A fun read-aloud for the whole family, especially those who are ready for warmer weather!

Easy Readers/Chapter Books

“Happy Easter, Tiny” by Cari Meister and Rich Davis

Tiny, a not-so-tiny dog, loves Easter! When the park announces an egg hunt just for dogs, Tiny is very excited. However, what happens when Tiny can’t find a single egg? With sparse text, this easy reader is perfect for beginning readers to try on their own. They’ll be eager to find out if Tiny has a happy Easter!

“Amelia Bedelia Hops To It”
by Herman Parish and Lynne Avril

Young Amelia Bedelia is so happy it’s finally springtime. She loves the warm weather, the blooming flowers and especially all the baby animals! Her class will be hatching chicks, but the incubator breaks. Amelia suggests a springtime fair to raise money. In typical Amelia
Bedelia fashion, things go wrong, go sideways and go hilariously right! This easy chapter book will have newly- independent readers
laughing along to Amelia Bedelia’s hijinks!