It’s that time again, to update the kids’ bookshelves with our favorite spring and Easter books for kids. Switching out the book stack and updating the shelf decor in our daughter’s room is one of my favorite markers of the seasons and holidays—this time for spring and Easter.
We still had our Valentine’s Day books on the shelves along with the heart garlands so it was about time we switched to spring and Easter shelf decor along with the spring books for kids. It was overdue, especially since spring is springing here in Vermont.
Spring Is Here
I remember when we first moved to our country home and the first spring we experienced here. I envisioned frolicking through the meadow, signs of spring all around us, and local Easter gatherings on the town green. And then I learned what spring is really about here in rural Vermont. MUD. So much mud.
Pretty picture of spring picture books instead of a sad pic of my car caked in mud.
Let me paint a picture. Every spring when the snow melts our dirt roads become impassable with 10″ (or deeper) ruts in the road. School buses can’t pick up kids, Teslas are abandoned and stuck in the middle of the road, neighbors park their cars on main roads and walk home, and the local community Facebook page is filled with comments on what is the best route to make it home without losing your muffler. All things that have happened this week.
I’m grateful that our road isn’t too bad and the walk to the main road is short. I like to hunker down during this early spring weather, trying not to drive in the mud, and cozying up with the kids reading books. It’s a great way to pass the time when we feel stuck at home and it’s cold and raining yet again.
So let’s get to it, the best spring books and favorite Easter books according to our family along with some shelf decor.
Spring And Easter Shelf Decor
I kept the spring and Easter shelf decor pretty simple this season. I love a good Easter banner/garland combo for the season. I’ve had the bird garland forever but the Easter banner I picked up this year from Target.
Adding garlands to the kids’ bookshelves is one of the simplest ways to decorate their room for a season. This is about the extent of my holiday decorating for the kids’ spaces except for Halloween and Christmas when we tend to be a little extra. But if Easter decorating is your thing, embrace it and go for it!
I also added some potted plants to the shelves. Both kids have been stealing our bedroom plants to bring in here. If you can’t beat them, join them.
Also, does anyone here remember Mr. Harry Elephante?! He’s back!
But let’s move on to the real stunners on the bookshelves, the spring and Easter books for kids.
Board Books
We’re still in the board books phase of life with a two-year-old, who’s VERY two with book ripping little hands. She’s also a book lover so it’s not uncommon to see her snuggled into the fluffy beanbag perusing books only to hear the familiar rip of paper followed by a sweet “sorry mommy.” But alas, here’s our board book list.
- Bunny Roo, I Love You by Melissa Marr (author), Teagan White (illustrator)
- E is for Easter by Greg Paprocki (illustrator)
- Eggs Are Everywhere by Chronicle Books (author), Wednesday Kirwan (illustrator)
- Llama Llama Easter Egg by Anna Dewdney (author)
- The Secret Garden – A Flowers Primer by Jennifer Adams (author), Alison Oliver (illustrator)
- Will You Be My Sunshine by Julia Lobo (author), Nicola Slater (illustrator)
Picture Books
Spring and Easter picture books are my favorite children’s books to read. I’m a garden lover and my happy place is digging in the dirt of my kitchen garden. This time of year the ground is still frozen but these spring picture books give me hope of warmer days.
- A Little Bit Brave by Nicola Kinnear (author, illustrator)
- Baby Animals by Garth Williams (author, illustrator)
- Baby Farm Animals by Garth Williams (author, illustrator)
- The Big Book of Blooms by Yuval Zommer (author, illustrator)
- Chickenology: The Ultimate Encyclopedia by Barbara Sandri (author), Francesco Giubbilini (author), Camilla Pintonato (illustrator)
- The Egg by Britta Teekentrap (author, illustrator)
- The Good Egg by Jory John (author), Pete Oswald (illustrator)
- Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak (author, illustrator)
- Happy Easter, Curious George by R.P. Anderson (author), Mary O’Keefe Young (illustrator)
- Lambslide by Ann Patchett (author), Robin Preiss Glasser (illustrator)
- The Little Rabbit by Nicola Killen (author, illustrator)
- Little Yellow Pear Tomatoes by Demian Elaine Yumei (author), Nicole Tamarin (illustrator)
- Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (author, illustrator)
- Our Easter Adventure by Emma Randall (author, illustrator)
- Pick A Perfect Egg by Patricia Toht (author), Jarvis (illustrator)
- The Secret Garden: A BabyLit Storybook by Frances Hodgson Burnett (author), Mandy Archer (adapter), Jane Newland (illustrator)
- The Serious Goose by Jimmy Kimmel (author, illustrator)
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (author)
- Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner (author), Christopher Silas Neal (illustrator)
- The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (author), William Nicholson (illustrator)
- We Are The Gardeners by Joanna Gaines (author), Julianna Swaney (illustrator)
Young Readers Books
We are raising little readers over here with both our kids obsessed with books. I’ve been amassing learn-to-read books for our eldest, who is in first grade, and I’m always securing a stack of season books for her shelves and book basket. The easy text is great for her grade level but older kids may be bored with the stories. Some of our favorite spring and Easter young readers’ books include:
- The Berenstain Bears Meet the Easter Bunny by Mike Berenstain (author, illustrator)
- Gus Grows A Plant by Frank Remkiewicz (author, illustrator)
- The Good Egg and the Talent Show by Jory John (author), Pete Oswald (illustrator)
- It’s Better Being A Bunny by Marilyn Sadler (author), Tim Bowers (illustrator)
- It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler (author), Roger Bollen (illustrator)
- National Geographic Readers: Seed to Plant by Kristin Baird Rattini (author)
- Uni Brings Spring (Uni the Unicorn) by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (author), Lissy Marlin (illustrator)
Spring and Easter Books For Kids Superlatives
And my favorite part of the book list and shelf decor posts, the superlatives. Without further ado.
Best Nonfiction Spring Books
This one is a tie between Chickenology and The Big Book of Blooms. While I love the beautiful illustrations of springtime blossoms in The Big Book of Blooms the kids are obsessed with all the great information about chickens in Chickenology. Chickenology is certainly a fun book, who doesn’t love learning about giant chickens? And it’s full of colorful illustrations to keep even our two-year-old entertained.
Best Gardening Books
This is the category I am here for. Both Rowan (age 7) and I adore Little Yellow Pear Tomatoes and We Are The Gardeners. In fact, I grow little yellow pear tomatoes specifically for Rowan because of this book. It’s a cute story about the natural world and growing food as a family.
We Are The Gardeners is a story about becoming a gardener, graduating from house plants to planting tiny seeds for a kitchen and flower garden. It has themes of persevering through adversity with that “try try again” attitude which I am here for.
Best Book For Change Of Seasons
I love a good the seasons change, nature wakes, warmer weather is here type of book. The kids and I both adore Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring. It’s a springtime book all about the fading of winter into spring.
Most Classic Books
What’s a superlative list without a most classic books category? We picked two, The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Velveteen Rabbit.
We are big fans of Beatrix Potter around here. So much so that our youngest is named Beatrix. And The Tale of Peter Rabbit, a story about a country bunny who gets himself in a pickle, is a favorite. We have a few versions of the book, but I highly recommend the Beatrix Potter anthology. It is worth it.
The Velveteen Rabbit, while a classic, is not a favorite right now with our children. I adore the story, but the storyline with a sick child is hard for our eldest.
Best Little Golden Books
Beatrix, currently age two, is in a hardcore Little Golden Books era and two of her favorites for spring books are Baby Farm Animals and Baby Animals. They are both great books but if I’m being honest, it’s all about the baby rabbit and the little pup for her. Oh…and the kittens. Can’t forget the kittens.
Best Easter Egg Hunt Book
Pick A Perfect Egg, one of the new Easter books this year, is an excellent Easter egg hunt book and a great addition to our book collection. Although my children haven’t read it yet since it’s going in an Easter basket. I adore it.
It’s the story of a little girl who visits a farm and picks the best eggs to take home for decorating. It’s not a traditional Easter egg hunt book but all about picking the perfect eggs.
The book is worth it just for the beautiful illustrations of colorful eggs. Jarvis, the illustrator, is oh-so talented.
Best Easter Books
Our Easter Adventure, a story of the Easter bunny, is the best Easter book in our Easter books for kids collection. The book is about a group of children who follow a trail of Easter eggs to discover the Easter bunny’s home. It’s a great story with stunning illustrations.
Favorite Beginner Reader For Older Children
Our favorite beginner reader book is an Easter book, The Berenstain Bears Meet the Easter Bunny. It’s a great tale for older children that follows the Berenstain Bears as they celebrate Easter. We love many of the Berenstain Bears’ young readers’ books since the misadventures of Papa Bear are a favorite.
Best Board Books
For young children and our littlest readers, this award is for you. Our favorite spring board book is Will You Be My Sunshine. It’s such a cute story of a mouse parent caring for their child mouse. It’s a heartwarming story and a wonderful read for both moms and children alike.
Our favorite Easter board book is Eggs Are Everywhere. If I’m being honest, I think the kids like it best because it has one of those interactive spinning wheels that you change the illustrations with.
Kid’s Choice
Onto the kid’s choice awards featuring our children’s favorite books for springtime reading. Beatrix, our youngest currently age two, really likes The Little Rabbit. It’s a sweet story of Ollie and her little bunny who set off exploring after the springtime rains subside. The story and their adventures become magical.
Rowan, currently age seven, is obsessed with We Are The Gardeners. It’s the perfect book for her budding interest in gardening. So much so that she’s been asking for her very own flower garden. The gorgeous illustrations of the sweet story are also a bonus.
Dad’s Choice
The Dad’s choice award goes to Lambslide. The story follows the hard work of three little lambs to make their big dreams of a lambslide come true, with a little help from the farmers and fellow farm animals. Colby digs the misinterpretation of “landslide” to “lambslide.”
Mom’s Choice
And the coveted, Mom’s choice award goes to We Are The Gardeners. But we’ve talked about it enough, so runner-up for my favorite spring book goes to Up In The Garden Down In The Dirt.
It’s a beautiful book that follows a young girl and her grandma through a year of planting. I adore the themes of plant growth and life after a long winter. And any book involving a little girl gardening is a winner. If my girls do nothing but become kind readers and gardeners, that’s enough!
Pack Those Easter Baskets
So here’s to spring and Easter season celebrations! If you’re like me, packing those Easter baskets with books, I hope this list helps you find that perfect gift for fun Easter baskets. While there’s nothing wrong with an Easter basket filled with lots of treats, stuffed Easter bunnies, and jelly beans (mmm jelly beans), I’m a sucker for ones filled with the best books for the season.
So happy Easter and happy springtime reading!
Pssst…So tell me, what are your favorite Easter books for kids? What about your favorite spring books for kids? Do share in the comments below. I love adding your favorites to our book wishlists!
