Spring is all about change in the natural world around us. The best board books about spring can be very important for babies as they introduce them to this changing world. Developing awareness of nature and the natural world is very grounding. Spring brings new life, colors, and scents, and books can help babies explore and understand these changes. Reading stimulates a baby’s imagination, language skills, and cognitive development. Books with bright and colorful illustrations can capture a baby’s attention and encourage their curiosity.
Here are 3 of the best board books about spring that we recommend for reading with babies up to 3 years of age:
Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson
Here is one of our favorite books about the changes you see with the season. It is interactive and instructs the little reader to do minor tasks with each page, making them feel like they have a very important role in the tree’s life! Every page of the book asks the reader to tap it, shake it, jiggle it, or even blow it a kiss! It begins with a bare brown tree. But tap that tree, turn the page, and one bright green leaf has sprouted! Tap again—one, two, three, four—and four more leaves have grown on the next page. Pat, clap, wiggles, jiggles, and sees blossoms bloom, apples grow, and the leaves swirl away with the autumn breeze. The watercolor and collage illustration style is playful and bound to be a winner at every story time! Interactive storytelling helps a child keep what they are learning, so pick this book up as many times as needed!
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
Eric Carle books are classics! His are some of the best board books printed! Here’s one that features his colorful illustration and simple text that tells the story of the life cycle of a flowering seed! Perfect for reading in the spring when flowers are blooming! What better time to tell of the adventures of the seed that the flower comes from? In autumn, a strong wind blows flower seeds high in the air and carries them far across the land. The sun burns some seeds, some fall into the ocean, and birds eat some of them, but some seeds survive and grow into giant flowers! When autumn returns, the flower sends its own seeds into the wind to start the process over again! This is also a great message of small beginnings, greatness, and many chances to start over! For a child who is rapidly growing and learning how to walk, talk, and communicate, this is a perfect message!
When Spring Comes: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Dana Smith and Teagan White
What can you look forward to in the spring? What are the things to look out for when spring is approaching? This book is perfect for the curiosity of a baby. Before spring comes, the trees are dark sticks; the grass is brown, and snow covers the ground. But if you wait, leaves unfurl and flowers blossom, the grass turns green, and the mounds of snow shrink and shrink. Spring brings baby birds, sprouting seeds, rain and mud, and puddles. You can feel it and smell it and hear it—and you can read it!
Caldecott Medalist and Newbery Honor author Kevin Henkes uses striking imagery, repetition, and alliteration to introduce basic concepts of language and the changing of the seasons. Laura Dronzek’s gorgeous, lush paintings show the transformation from a quiet, cold winter to the newborn spring!
If you are looking for 3 of the best board books to introduce the season of newness to your baby, look no further!
