Spring Book Recommendations

Foundation for Early Learning is delighted to feature a guest blog post from Sally Chilson, a librarian at Spokane Public Libraries, a member of the Early Learning Public Library Partnership. If you are interested in being featured in the Foundation's blog, please contact Joel Ballezza, Communications Manager at joel@earlylearning.org.

I love the promise of March! 
Seeing everything green up makes me think of my yard and garden and that enthusiasm finds its way into my story times.  Here are some of my favorite springy picture books and some activities you can share with a child or group of children in your life.

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert  I love sharing this book in the fall as well as the spring because it also talks about planting fall bulbs.  This is an excellent book to read when you are planning to plant or pick flowers together. 

Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert 
This is another of my favorites by this author.  If growing vegetables is more what you enjoy to do, Growing Vegetable Soup is the right choice before (or after) you head outside.

The Surprise Garden by Zoe Hall
Do you have a big pile of mixed up seeds?  The young people in your life love to sort!  Try giving them a garden plot of there own, like the Mom in this story, along with a handful of seeds and some colored markers.  Add pictures of what is growing and you have created a great investigational space that will be of interest all summer long. 

Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming 
Does your garden space have pests?  This title tells the story of a vegetable garden plagued by hungry rabbits.  How will Mr. McGreeley cope?  If your plants are being nibbled, this is a great segue to observing your space to see what is plaguing your plants and start a conversation with your little ones about what you might do to solve the problem.

All of these books can be a spring board to many fun and easy investigations into the world around us.  Placing a few seeds on a damp paper towel in a zip top bag  and putting it in the sun, or starting seedlings can be an amazing way to introduce little ones to the wonders of things that grow.  Need more titles?  Visit your local public library to find more books to nurture those little green thumbs.