Science
A Raising Butterflies Kit for the Classroom: A Conservation ConversationMarch 14, 2024
Picture books are an amazing way to learn about the world and can be an invaluable tool for introducing children to the changing seasons. This fantastic spring picture book list is compiled of 20 titles that introduce seasonal signs, what plants in the spring are doing, and what animals in the spring are up to. By reading some of these books to your students you are supplementing your science instruction with children’s literature. This technique can help generate interest and motivation, provide context, encourage communication, and connect science information in real-world context (Mahzoon-Hagheghi, 2018, 41). Read this spring picture book list to get some amazing titles to introduce the season to your students!
Picture Books About Signs of Spring
Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak
Reading age: Preschool – 2nd grade (4-7 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1
Kenard Pak brings to life the seasonal transition from winter to spring through the eyes of a young boy taking a walk through the forest and town. He spots signs of the turning seasons such as earlier sunrises, snow turning to slush, new leaves, waking animals, budding flowers, and more. Written as a conversation between the main character and everything they encounter, this is a wonderful book to share with your early childhood readers. *Bonus- Like this book on the spring picture book list? This book belongs to a series that includes all of the seasons children experience during their school year!
A New Beginning: Celebrating the Spring Equinox by Wendy Pfeffer
Reading age: 1st – 4th grade (6-9 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): 1-ESS1-2, 3-ESS2-1, 3-ESS2-2
Wendy Pfeffer shares the arrival of spring with a focus on days growing longer in this picture book about spring. She shares the reason for the seasons including the tilt of the Earth. Pfeffer also explains how the Northern Hemisphere experiences spring starting in March. She mentions different ways that animals and plants get ready for their growing and reproduction seasons. Included in her writings is the history and importance of the planting of crops in the spring in this lengthy, but thorough book about spring. *Bonus- Like this book on the spring picture book list? This book belongs to a series that includes all four seasons of the year!
Spring is Here! by Heidi Pross Gray
Reading age: Preschool – 3rd (2-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, 3-ESS2-1
Heidi Pross Gray simplifies the signs of the spring season in this repetitive and relaxing story. She includes characteristic signs of spring such as waking animals, new leaves, wild flowers, seeds being planted, rain, and more. This is a great introduction to the spring season for your early childhood learners and the pictures are absolutely lovely! *Bonus- Like this book on the spring picture book list? This book belongs to a series that includes all four seasons of the year!
Reading age: Kindergarten – 3rd grade (5-9 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, 3-ESS2-1, 3-ESS2-2
Linda Glaser shares the cycles of nature through this spring picture book. She shares signs of spring similar to the other books on this list such as rain, new leaves, flowers blooming, and waking animals. Glaser also introduces less frequently discussed signs such as buds opening, the smell of spring, the ground thawing, and migrating birds coming back. If your focus is on the patterns of weather and its effects on plants and animals, this book is a great option for elementary children of all ages. *Bonus- Like this book on the spring picture book list? This book belongs to a series that includes all four seasons of the year!
Spring for Sophie by Yael Werber
Reading age: Preschool – 3rd grade (4-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1
Yael Werber introduces the signs of spring through the senses of the main character, Sophie. Sophie really wants to know when spring arrives so she asks her parents how to tell. Her parents suggest ways she can use her senses – so she listens for the call of the birds, she uses her feet to feel for soft ground and mud, she watches for the snow to melt, she smells the air for the smell of Earth and rain, and she tastes the rain as it falls. This spring picture book is a wonderful introduction to the transition from winter to spring for your early childhood learners. They will be able to relate to the impatience Sophie feels as well as the desire to explore the world through their senses.
Reading age: Preschool – Kindergarten (2-4 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1
Jean Taft uses rhyme and rhythm to introduce signs and weather of spring. Focusing on rain, the children in the book notice worms, dress for the weather, jump in mud, experience a thunderstorm, and a rainbow. If you’re looking for a book for your weather unit, this is a great option for your early childhood learners! They’ll love the play on words and the silly things the children in the story do.
Picture Books About Plants in the Spring
The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller
Reading age: Kindergarten – 3rd grade (5-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): 1-LS1-1, 2-LS2-2, 4-LS1-1
Ruth Heller introduces the concept of why plants have flowers. She uses rhyme to write about pollinators and their interactions with flowers. Heller explains that the flower’s job is to make seeds that travel to new places to grow more plants. She also introduces the needs of plants including water, sun, and air. As a bonus, she shows off plants that are carnivorous. This is a great book to help your students investigate pollination during the spring season.
Flowers Are Calling by Rita Gray
Reading age: Preschool – 2nd grade (3-7 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): 1-LS1-2, 2-LS2-2, 4-LS1-1
Rita Gray uses rhyme and rhythm to introduce how flowers “communicate” with animals that can pollinate them. Some of the pollinators mentioned in the story are hummingbirds, bumblebees, pollen wasps, beetles, bats, moths, butterflies and more. Gray also shares interesting facts about specialized flowers such as Monkshood, Trumpet Honeysuckle, Magnolia, Violet, Moonflower, Cardon Cactus and more. At the end of the book she mentions specific ways that flowers “talk” with pollinators including color, shape, pattern, smell, and time that they open. One of my favorite books about pollination, this is a great way to introduce the spring flowers in your classroom.
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
Reading age: Preschool – Kindergarten (1-4 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-LS1-1
Lois Ehlert uses her unique style to introduce the idea of growing plants. She starts with bulbs planted in the fall, then waiting throughout winter to plant her seeds in the spring. Ehlert shows off different plants that can be grown in a garden by separating them into color groups and showing off her “rainbow”. This could be a good introduction to spring colors or to starting a class garden.
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
Reading age: Preschool – 3rd grade (2-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-LS1-1, 2-LS2-2
Kate Messner strikes again with this lovely look at what is happening above and below the garden. She starts the book at the edge of winter and spring, sharing spring signs such as shining sun, melting snow, and mud. The main character and her grandma prepare the garden by removing last year’s plants and spread compost. Her grandmother talks about the invertebrates that are down in the dirt chewing last year’s leaves and helping the soil. They plant seeds that sprout, they water them, and then they harvest fruits and vegetables. During this time, animals pollinate, roots soak up water, worms tunnel, ants gather leftovers, and more. A beautiful look at how people, animals, and non-living things work together to make gardening possible.
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
Reading age: Kindergarten – 3rd grade (5-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-LS1-1, 1-LS1-1, 1-LS3-1, 2-LS2-2, 3-LS1-1
Dianna Hutts Aston personifies seeds and their hidden abilities in this lovely story. She gives seeds the attributes of being sleepy, secretive, fruitful, naked, adventurous, inventive, generous, clever, and more. Aston shares a variety of seed characteristics through this unique perspective such as plant life cycles, plant needs, traveling techniques of seeds, and seed types. The nature journaling aspect of the illustrations are striking and inspirational, a great way to introduce science notebooking to your students.
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
Reading age: Preschool – 4th grade (4-9 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-LS1-1, 1-LS1-1, 1-LS3-1, 2-LS2-1, 2-LS2-2, 3-LS1-1, 4-LS1-1
Gail Gibbons introduces the job of seeds (to make new plants) in this informational picture book. She shares that flowers are where most seeds are made and that flowers have different parts that help to make the seeds of the plants. The process of pollination is explained by diagrams of flowers as well as the introduction of different types of pollinators including the wind, bees, and hummingbirds. Gibbons also introduces how seeds travel from one place to another. This spring picture book would be a great introduction for plant life cycles, pollination, and how animals transport seeds.
How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan
Reading age: Preschool – 3rd grade (4-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-LS1-1, 1-LS1-1, 1-LS3-1, 2-LS2-1, 2-LS2-2, 3-LS1-1
Helene J. Jordan shares how seeds grow into different kinds of plants and how some seeds grow slowly while others grow quickly. She shares how children can grow bean seeds in egg shells and what those bean plants need to survive. To be able to see the different stages of your seeds sprouting, Jordan walks you and your students through a timeline of when to dig up your seeds and what to look for. Then she explains the different stages of the life cycle of a bean plant. This would be a great option for using literature to help you and your students conduct a spring experiment about seeds and the stages of plant growth.
Picture Books About Animals in the Spring
Reading age: Preschool – 3rd grade (4-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): 3-LS2-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-ESS2-2, 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2, 5-ESS1-2, 5-ESS2-1
Gail Gibbons gives a definition for the word “migration” and provides numerous examples of animals that migrate both on land and in water including elephants, penguins, tunafish, terns, the Admiral butterfly, the American robin, and more. She also introduces the idea that scientists are studying the triggers for animals to know when it’s time to migrate. Along that same note, she also brings up the fact that scientists are studying what tells animals to group together during migration. Gibbons goes on to share strategies that animals use to know where they should migrate including landmarks, the stars at night, seasonal changes, waterways, and more. This is a great overall introduction to the concept of migration which often occurs in the fall and the spring.
Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward
Reading age: Preschool – 3rd grade (4-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-2, 1-LS1-2, 1-LS3-1, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS3-1, 4-LS1-2
Jennifer Ward uses rhythm and rhyme to describe different ways that birds build nests. She introduces different bird species and their unique ways of providing safe locations for raising young. Pileated woodpeckers are introduced as having a cavity nest inside of a tree, hummingbirds are introduced as having a very small cup nest made of moss and spider webs, cowbirds are introduced as using other birds’ nests, and more. There are small informational paragraphs to the side that could be read to the class or saved for another time.
A Nest is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston
Reading age: Kindergarten – 3rd grade (5-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-2, 1-LS1-2, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS2-1, 4-LS1-1
Dianna Hutts Aston personifies nests in this lovely story. She gives nests the attributes of being noisy, welcoming, enormous or tiny, spiky, pebbly, papery, bubbly, hot, hidden, and more. Aston shares a variety of animals that make nests including birds, lampreys, yellow jackets, tree frogs, and more. The illustrations are beautiful and provide a lot of context for some of the lesser known animals that make nests.
Achoo! Why Pollen Counts by Shennen Bersani
Reading age: Kindergarten – 3rd grade (5-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS3-1, 1-LS1-1, 1-LS3-1, 2-LS2-2, 3-LS1-1, 4-LS1-1
Shennen Bersani introduces the importance of pollen by following a baby bear and its mom through their habitat talking with other animals about how they use pollen. A spider shares that she eats pollen that sticks to her web in the spring. A zebra butterfly shares that she eats pollen from flowers with her proboscis. Honeybees explain how they eat nectar and collect pollen to share with their young. There is also an explanation of inadvertent pollination by animals as they collect nectar from flowers. This is an engaging introduction to pollination and can create great conversation amongst your students.
A Wood Frog’s Life by John Himmelman
Reading age: Kindergarten – 3rd grade (5-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1, 1-PS4-1, 1-LS3-1, 1-ESS1-2, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS2-1, 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2
John Himmelman shares the life cycle of a wood frog in this wonderful story. Beginning with a mother wood frog laying eggs, the story follows along as an egg hatches into a tadpole, which then grows legs, and then climbs out of the water as a fully grown frog. Himmelman explains how this small forest frog doesn’t stay in the pond, but instead moves out into the forest where it can find the food and shelter that it needs. Interesting facts about the wood frog surface throughout the story including that he sleeps through the winter and that he calls in the spring for a mate. This story flows through the life cycle of the wood frog with the ebb and flow of the cycle of the seasons.
Noisy Frog Sing-Along by John Himmelman
Reading age: Preschool – 4th grade (4-9 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): 1-PS4-1, 1-LS1-2, 4-PS3-2, 4-LS1-1
John Himmelman introduces the concept of sound in this interactive book about frog sounds. In the Northern Hemisphere, male frogs call in the spring and summer as they look for mates to reproduce with. Himmelman uses onomatopeia words to give his a readers a chance to sound like frogs! Some of the frog species your students will get to imitate include bullfrogs, pickerel frogs, spring peppers, toads, tree frogs, and more.
The Secret Pool by Kimberly Ridley
Reading age: Kindergarten – 4th grade (5-9 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-1, K-ESS3-1, 1-LS1-2, 2-LS4-1, 2-ESS2-2, 2-ESS2-3, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS2-1, 4-LS1-1
Kimberly Ridley uses rhythm and rhyme to introduce a unique ecosystem that develops in the spring – vernal pools. This book is in the animals in the spring category because many spring animals rely on these temporary ponds for their survival. Ridley does an excellent job of introducing how the vernal pools are made, their role in the life cycle of forest frogs and salamanders, their importance as temporary stops for migrating birds, and more. There are small informational paragraphs to the side that could be read to the class or saved for another time. One of my absolute favorite picture books ever, this is a must read if you are studying water, life cycles, animals needs, or spring!
In a nutshell
Hopefully after reading this fantastic picture book list for spring you have found a wonderful book (or two or three…) to read with your class this season. Enjoy this wonderful season with warmer weather, flowers, and returning animals; it is sure to be one of your students’ favorite times of the year!
Bibliography
Mahzoon-Hagheghi, M.; Yebra, R.; Johnson, R. (2018). Fostering a Greater Understanding of Science in the Classroom Through Children’s Literature. Texas Journal of Literacy Education, 6(1), 41-50. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1183979.pdf
Have amazing children’s books about spring that weren’t listed? Include your favorites in the comments!
Looking for other articles about books to help you teach seasonal concepts all year long? Check these out!
“A Free Fall Picture Book List for Teachers with 16 Recommendations”
“16 Wonderful Children’s Books About Winter for Elementary Teachers”
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