Spring is in the Air!

Spring is in the air!  Some of my perennials are starting to bloom and so are new spring books!  Here's a list of some titles I've recently read that will prove to be wonderful reading experiences with your child as you celebrate the new season.

The Night Gardener by Terry Fan
Everyone on Grimloch Lane enjoys the trees and shrubs clipped into animal masterpieces after dark by the Night Gardener, but William, a lonely boy, spots the artist, follows him, and helps with his special work.  This is just a tremendous imaginative piece of artwork within the pages of a book.  Every bit of detail is given to ever single leaf on each tree...which absolutely amazes me!  Each turn of the page reveals a new topiary surprise!

No, No Gnome! by Ashlyn Anstee
Gnome cannot wait to help his friends harvest the school garden! But his eagerness and excitement get him into trouble, leaving them all saying 'No, no, Gnome!".  Who knew that Garden Gnomes actually did some work?  It may not be the best work, but I think he learns his lesson.

When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes
Animals and children alike watch as the world transforms from the dark and dead of winter to a full and blooming spring.  Just look at those darling spring kittens!  Henkes really has a way with drawing the sweetest of creatures.  That's why I love his illustrations so much.

Peep and Egg: I'm Not Hatching by Laura Gehl
Peep can't wait for Egg to hatch. They will have so much fun together! But Egg isn't quite ready...yet.  With simple illustrations and a message teaching the lesson that it's OK to let go of old ways and try new things, it makes for a perfect book for toddlers.

Knitting Stories

In honor of our upcoming annual Mitten Tree and winter, it would be appropriate to share books about knitting, yarn, and keeping warm.  Here's a list of some fun and sweet stories to share with a little one you love this season:

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
With a supply of yarn that never runs out, Annabelle knits for everyone and everything in town until an evil archduke decides he wants the yarn for himself.  Also, check out the audio/kit version of the book too!

Knit Together by Angela Dominguez
A sweet story of a mother and daughter drawing and knitting together, ending with a collaborative creation.  Artsy moms and their kids will appreciate this ode to arts-and-crafts.

Knit Your Bit: A World War I Story by Deborah Hopkinson
When his father leaves to fight in World War I, Mikey joins the Central Park Knitting Bee to help knit clothing for soldiers overseas.

Knitty Kitty by David Elliott
Knitty Kitty is knitting a scarf, a hat, and some mittens for her kittens, but when night falls and the snow comes down, the kittens request a blanket to keep them warm Knitty Kitty has a better idea.

Made by Raffi by Craig Pomranz
As a shy boy, Raffi is a loner and teased at school until one day he discovers knitting and decides to make a scarf for his father and a cape for the prince in the school play.








The Mitten String by Jennifer Rosner
Ruthie Tober's family is known for the beautiful, warm mittens they knit so when she and her mother meet a deaf woman and her baby and give them shelter, Ruthie decides to design very special mittens for them.

Snowy Sunday by Phyllis Root
One very snowy Sunday, snowflakes as big as balls of wool are falling on Bonnie Bumble's farm. The cow, the duck, the hens, and even Spot the dog are all shivery and cold. Bonnie doesn't like seeing all of her farm animals freezing.  So she gets busy with needles and wool and knits and knits--hats and scarves, beak-warmers and tail-warmers.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

We've all heard the old English proverb growing up, "April Showers Bring May Flowers"...or at least I did growing up.  And while we're still in the rainy season, why not cheer up with some of these picture books with stories about rain that will result in some happy endings.

Blue on Blue 
by Dianne White
In this poetic picture book, a family experiences a thrilling seaside thunderstorm, from the wind and first drops of rain to the messy mud after the sun returns. With gentle, rhyming text and vivid artwork, this depiction of nature's stormy patterns turns a storm into a celebration

Rain! 
by Linda Ashman
As an old man grumbles his way through a rainy morning, spreading gloom, his neighbor, a young child, spreads cheer while hopping through 
puddles in frog-themed rain wear.  I really love the collage illustrations 
and the facial expressions on the old man!  







Toad Weather 
by Sandra Markle
On a rainy day, Ally's mom asks her to come outside where, amidst the oil slicks, dripping awnings, and splashing cars, they find a toad migration taking place.







Where Does Kitty Go in the Rain? 
By Harriet Ziefert 
Take a trip outside in the mud as a little girl steps out into her rainy yard in search of her missing kitten. During her hunt, she discovers a series of charming garden denizens on the way to finding Kitty. After celebrating the glories of a rainy day, the book ends with a heartwarming reunion between girl and cat!

Spring Has Sprung!

Well, it is officially spring here in the Pacific Northwest!  And with Spring Break coming to an end and April about to begin, it's only appropriate to read some books about spring!  Here's some wonderful picture books to explore the start of the spring season together with a little one on your lap.

Crinkle, Crackle, Crack: It's Spring! by Marion Dane Bauer

Follow the big brown bear and other woodland animals on a cold, moonlit walk to investigate noises and sights while observing the arrival of spring. This is the perfect book to watch and follow the steps of the winter thaw transforming into a new season.







Finding Spring by Carin Berger

Instead of hibernating, a little bear cub goes out in search of spring.  Read to see if he found it!  And hooray for flowers!









Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlinson

Fletcher the Fox loves everything about spring!  He loves listening to the birds sing, smelling newly bloomed flowers, and playing chase with butterflies.  Then suddenly, Feltcher sees something he never expected to see in Spring.  What could it be?

Flowers are Calling by Rita Gray

In this rhyming poetic picture book, explore the wonders of natural cooperation between plants, animals and insects.

Sun Above and Blooms Below: A Springtime of Opposites
by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky

A class takes a springtime field trip to a farm to see chicks hatch and discover many opposite things in their surroundings.  This is also a fun book to look at and point out all the different shapes and patterns through the collage-like illustrations.

The Thing About Spring by Daniel Kirk

As his friends Bird, Mouse, and Bear celebrate the arrival of spring, Rabbit finds more and more things to dislike about the change of seasons.  Then at last, he admits that spring can be full of pleasant surprises.  Whoo-hoo!