If cold weather hasn’t let up where you live yet, Sarah’s and my Spring and Easter-themed book haul will offer a little warmth and cheer. Our roundup includes some picks with beautiful illustrations, others with simple and sweet story lines, and one with a killer allegory on motherhood – possibly Sarah’s favorite book of all time. Keep reading for the full list and be sure to add your favorites in the comments below!
This blog post accompanies our segment in Episode 202 of the podcast. Listen here!
What We’re Reading Lately
Before we dove into children’s books, we mentioned what each of us has been reading. I recently finished the nonfiction read, The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction (affiliate link) by Meghan Cox Gurdon. This book has supercharged my commitment to the ritual of reading aloud to my children even after they become independent readers. The cognitive and emotional benefits are well worth it! Check out my Pinterest Board filled with titles I want to be sure to read with my kids as they grow up inspired by Gurdon’s book.
Sarah is back on a non-fiction kick, currently working her way through She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity (affiliate link) by Carl Zimmer while she waits for the library copy of Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup (affiliate link) by John Carreyrou to become available. The latter is the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, also the subject of the HBO documentary The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley AND the ABC Radio podcast The Dropout.
Katie’s Spring & Easter Picks
Amazon links are affiliates, which means if you click through and make a purchase you’ll be supporting The Mom Hour at no additional cost to you. Thanks!
Happy Easter, Biscuit (Alyssa Satin Capucilli) Readers go an an egg hunt alongside Biscuit, the dog. Adorable little flaps start on the inside cover!
Easter Bugs: A Springtime Pop-Up (David A. Carter) Bug obsessed or not, every child will love this pick for its trio of interactive elements: flaps, touch and feel, and detailed pop-ups. If you like this one, check out my favorite pick from Carter’s bug series – Feely Bugs. Its varied touch and feel textures are very unique from other touch and feel books I’ve seen.
The Itsy Bitsy Bunny (Jeffrey Burton) If your child is a fan of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” this book is a nice addition to your Easter book library. The words match nicely to the song’s melody.
The Little Rabbit (Nicola Killen) This book is a whimsical look into a child’s adventure with her toy rabbit who becomes real during a walk through the woods. It features beautiful picture cutouts that offer a peek into the next page’s Springy landscape.
Bunny Roo, I Love You (Melissa Marr) This is the sweetest read for before naps or bedtime. Every page has perfectly color-styled, frame-worthy illustrations perfect for spring that introduces you to a different mother and child animal pair.
Clifford’s First Easter (Norman Bridwell) This is a fun read with multiple flaps per page. Can’t go wrong with a classic character like Clifford.
Beatrix Potter Collection (Beatrix Potter) This classic collection is great to have out all year round but especially during Spring because of its iconic woodland characters. One of Sarah’s and my favorite titles is The Tale of Two Bad Mice because of its fun story about mice causing mischief in a dollhouse.
The Story of Easter (Patricia Pingry) Patricia Pingry writes a whole series of child-friendly nonfiction books on the topics of holidays and famous people throughout history. I first learned about her through The Story of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and love how she makes complex topics accessible for little ones.
Sarah’s Spring & Easter Picks
Amazon links are affiliates, which means if you click through and make a purchase you’ll be supporting The Mom Hour at no additional cost to you. Thanks!
Home for a Bunny (Margaret Wise Brown / Garth Williams) is a simple, poetic, and totally vintage/nostalgic story about a bunny in springtime looking for a home. I love Garth Williams’s illustrations in full color!
The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes (DuBose Heyward) is your new favorite anthem about motherhood and parenting. You’re welcome! (Here’s a great piece with more: A brown feminist Easter Bunny’s inspiring triumph, by Petula Dvorak/The Washington Post)
Make Way For Ducklings and One Morning In Maine (both by Robert McCloskey) are two collectible edition picture books we love in our house. Not technically about Easter or Spring, but both do such a great job celebrating people, animals, and the natural world cohabiting.
Love these book suggestions!! I’m starting to build our “Spring” library at home now because I have a 7 month old. I’m also looking forward to reading The Enchanted Hour myself. Thank you!!
thank you for the suggestions, just requested all of them from our library!!!