April Picture Books
Spring is finally here! The birds are chirping and my tulips are blooming. The books on my April read-aloud list are guaranteed to put a spring in your step! They celebrate Earth Day and Easter. There are also books about gardening and birds and flowers.
KENYA’S ART BY LINDA TRICE
Kenya’s class is on spring vacation and their teacher asked them to write a report about how they spent their time. But vacation is almost over and Kenya hasn’t done anything worth noting. A late visit to a museum’s recycling exhibit and a walk through her neighborhood with her daddy inspire Kenya to use her old, broken toys and other items to make art with her family. Now she’s prepared to teach her whole class how to Recycle! Reuse! Make Art!
DIG IN!
Explore all of the creepy, crawly, dirty, muddy, green, and growing things that can be found outside in the garden. From pill bugs to worms to leafy green sprouts, young readers will love discovering the muddy garden habitat within the pages of this book—and outside in their own backyards!
UNDERGROUND BY DENISE FLEMMING
What young child doesn’t love playing in the dirt? And who hasn’t wondered what goes on in the lives of all the creatures who live underground?
THE EASTER BUNNY’S ASSISTANT BY JAN THOMAS
Who knew the Easter Bunny had an assistant? Well, in this picture book, he does, and he is a skunk. When the Easter Bunny sets out to teach Skunk the ways of Easter egg dyeing, in five simple steps, they immediately run into problems.
EARTH DAY EVERY DAY BY LISA BULLARD
On Earth Day, we find ways to help the Earth. Trina plants trees with her class. She forms an Earth Day club with her friends. What can you do to make every day Earth Day?
THE EASTER EGG FARM BY MARY JANE AUCH
Mrs. Pennywort’s hen, Pauline, can’t seem to lay eggs like the others. . . . Until she finds some inspiration, and a strange talent.
THERE ONCE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A CHICK! BY LUCILLE COLANDRO
A wacky new Easter version of the classic “There Was an Old Lady” song! This time, the hungry old lady swallows a chick, some straw, an egg, some candy, a basket, and a bow!
FLETCHER AND THE SPRINGTIME BLOSSOMS BY JULIA RAWLINSON
Fletcher loves everything about spring: listening to the birds sing, smelling just-opened flowers, and playing chase with butterflies. But then Fletcher sees something he never expected to see in spring: snow.
GOODNIGHT, VEGGIES BY DIANA MURRAY
As the sun begins to set, the tomatoes are tuckered out, the cucumbers are calm, and the beets are simply beat. But what’s got them all so exhausted? Celebrate the turning of day to night in this perfect bedtime ritual for plants—and humans—everywhere!
NESTING BY HENRY COLE
In this black-and-white picture book highlighted with robin’s egg blue, the reader will follow two robins as they build a nest with twigs and grass. Then mother robin lays four beautiful blue eggs and will keep the eggs warm in the nest until they hatch into four baby robins.
HERE COMES THE GARBAGE BARGE! BY JONAH WINTER
This New York Times Best Illustrated Book is a mostly true and completely stinky story that is sure to make you say, “Pee-yew!” Teaching environmental awareness has become a national priority, and this hilarious book (subtly) drives home the message that we can’t produce unlimited trash without consequences.
PLANTING A RAINBOW BY LOIS EHLERT
This educational and enjoyable book helps children understand how to plant bulbs, seeds, and seedlings, and nurture their growth. Lois Ehlert’s bold collage illustrations include six pages of staggered width, presenting all the flowers of each color of the rainbow.
UP IN THE GARDEN AND DOWN IN THE DIRT BY KATE MESSNER
Up in the garden, the world is full of green—leaves and sprouts, growing vegetables, ripening fruit. But down in the dirt there is a busy world of earthworms digging, snakes hunting, skunks burrowing, and all the other animals that make a garden their home. In this exuberant and lyrical book, discover the wonders that lie hidden between stalks, under the shade of leaves…and down in the dirt.
CURIOUS GEORGE DISCOVERS RECYCLING BY H. A. RAY
Curious George wants to help clean up the planet, and recycling seems like a good place to start—but where does he begin? Follow along with George as he learns about what recycling is, how it works, and what else he can do to reduce his monkey paw print.
BIRDS BY KEVIN HENKES
With a fine eye for detail, a girl observes and describes birds—their sizes, their colors, their shapes, the way they move and appear and disappear, and how they are most like her. She imagines what it would be like if clouds looked like birds, or if she could ask the birds questions. Though she can’t fly, the girl can do one thing birds do—she can sing.