Rachel’s Reads: Spring Edition Spring has arrived! Flowers are blooming, trees are budding, and the birds are chirping away. Nature is calling us outdoors to enjoy the delights of spring. After a visit to the park or a walk on the Greenway, grab one of these sweet spring-themed stories to share with your little one. And keep an eye out for The Happy Day in Free Little Libraries around town!
Finding Spring by Carin Berger
When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes
The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss
And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano
Maurice is a bear cub getting ready for his first winter hibernation. His mama tells him it is time for bears to sleep. Maurice, however, has heard about something called spring, and he is determined to find out what it’s all about. He slips out of his family’s cave and heads out on an adventure. Children will giggle out loud over Maurice’s silly mistaken conclusions before cheering him on when he finally finds what he has been searching for. Maurice’s quest is illustrated with whimsical paper collages that are worth poring over all on their own.
Waiting for spring is hard. In the winter, dead grass and bare trees are everywhere we look. We long for green grass, blossoming trees, and bright flowers. When Spring Comes reflects that longing and reassures readers that the wait for spring will be worth it in the end. Bright, cheerful paintings illustrate the beauty we have to look forward to when our waiting is finally done.
This Caldecott Award-winning story from 1949 is worthy of the prize. It’s winter, and all the animals of the forest are sleeping. Suddenly, a smell begins to awaken them. The bears, the field mice, the squirrels, the groundhogs, and even the snails are all roused from their sleep, and they set off to find the source of that wonderful new scent in the air. What they find brings joy to all the forest. Detailed and sweet pencil drawings bring the animals to life on each page of this classic book.
Everything is brown, but a young child and his dog are looking ahead to green. They plant a seed together and wait. They wait and worry. Has too much rain fallen? Or too little? Could the seed have been eaten by birds? But one marvelous day, the brown disappears, and green arrives in its place. This sweet tale is taken to the next level by Fogliano’s beautiful language and turns of phrase. This is a book not to be missed.
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Family • April 2020
The Reasons for the Seasons by Gail Gibbons Why do we have seasons? Why are winters cold and dark while summers are sunny and warm? If your child is curious about how the seasons work, then this is the book for you. Gail Gibbons is a prolific writer and the queen of nonfiction picture books. She has a knack for clearly explaining complicated concepts to kids. In this volume for elementary-aged children, Gibbons explains how the earth’s rotation around the sun on its axis creates each distinct season. Characteristics of each season are also explored as the book celebrates winter, spring, summer, and fall.
