Book Ideas for the Beginning of Spring

There are so many great books to choose from that focus on spring. The beginning of spring is a great time to talk about the changes in the seasons - weather, plants and animals, clothing, etc. These three books all have one thing in common: the main characters are all out looking for that elusive "spring."

 Hopper Hunts for Spring, by Marcus Pfister
Hopper is a young bunny who excitedly goes out to look for where his new playmate, Spring, lives. On the way, he checks in with other animals who share with him signs of spring. His new friend Bear offers to bring him back home where Mother tells Hopper that Spring is not a person.

Finding Spring, by Carin Berger
Instead of beginning his long winter's nap, a little bear named Maurice goes off in search of spring. He think he has found it when he brings back a snowflake to his den. When has wakes up again, spring seems to have disappeared. His mother suggests going back out to look for spring again, and this time Maurice notices all the changes that have happened since his last visit.

Are You Spring?, by Caroline Pitcher
Una should be napping in the den with her mother, but she decides to go out and find spring instead. Along the way, she meets other animals who tell her when she will know spring has arrived. Una has quite a scare when she meets a wolf, but her mother brings her home and they spend the winter listening to her tell stories about the coming of spring.






Any of these three books are great for working more closely with analyzing characters.
- How would you describe each character?
- How are the characters alike and different?
- How does the character respond to the challenge?

The illustrations in the books also add more details to the story, allowing readers to see how the illustrations support the text - and even extend it.

FREEBIE! I made these ideas super easy to use in your classroom by creating the response sheets you'll need to use one or all of these books. You can download these response sheets for your classroom by clicking on the image above.

Each book also shows different signs of spring, making them a perfect fit for an activity about the beginning of spring! Have students draw the setting of one of the stories, adding in as many details from the text as they can. Students can label the various signs of spring, as well.

This time of year is also the perfect time to say goodbye to winter and hello to spring! After reading one or more of these books, ask students to brainstorm their own signs of spring.

Next, create a T-chart listing things we say goodbye to in winter and the corresponding thing we say hello to in spring. Have students turn their ideas into sentences, add some cute drawings and use them as a bright and fun spring display!

Everything you need for the "Goodbye, Hello" writing activity is available in my TpT store. Just click on the image below to see what else is included.

It's so much fun to bring out new spring books at this time of year. These three books are the perfect stories to start things off. You can pin the image below so you'll remember these great books!