April Showers . . . Shan's Books for Spring!

Every year around this time, I break out the books on gardens and flowers to share with my kids at the library (and at home!). Here’s my current list of old favorites and new discoveries.

Planting a Rainbow
by Lois Ehlert

I return to this colorful picture book year after year for Spring. Perfect for toddlers through kindergarten age, this book describes planting a flower garden and watching it grow. It runs through the rainbow of various flowers, along with the flower names for older audiences. For a colorful look at spring and summer and a great display of gardening, this is my favorite.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 124
Interest Level: preschool thru early elementary
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 2.6 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 51031
Lexile: 170L
-- amazon (lap-sized board book)
-- amazon (regular sized book)

Fran’s Flower
by Lisa Bruce and Rosalind Beardshaw

A simple book for the preschool audience about how the main character Fran finds a plant and tries to care for it by trying to feed it her favorite foods (pizza, ice cream, etc). It’s only when she puts it outside in the sun, wind and rain that the flower blooms. The book is simplistic, but enjoyable for a young audience. (and there’s lots of alliteration).

Word Count: 192Interest Level: preschool thru early elementary
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 1.7 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 41003
Lexile: AD150L
-- amazon

The Rose in My Garden

by Arnold Lobel
Illustrated by Anita Lobel

A cumulative story that adds more and more flowers to a garden as the beautifully drawn pages turn. A delightful “walk” through a flower garden. Ages 4-6.

Word Count: 814
Interest Level: preschool thru early elementary
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.9 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 100778
Lexile: NP
-- amazon

The Curious Gardener
by Peter Brown

I got this for my son, since the main character’s name is Liam, but it’s a wonderful little book about gardens and cities for any child. Liam discovers a stubborn patch of wildflowers in an unexpected part of his dreary city and becomes a gardener who helps spread that greenery throughout the city. A great book about gardens, and a good read for earth day! Ages 4-8.

Word Count: 559
Interest Level: preschool thru early elementary
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.4 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 129632
-- amazon

The Carrot Seed
by Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson

This little classic shares and illustrator with Harold and The Purple Crayon, and has a similar simplicity. Pages are almost zen-like and fits the story of a boy who plants a carrot seed and waits for it to come up patiently. Everyone tells him it won’t grow, but the boy’s patience is rewarded ten-fold at the end of the story. Ages 4-8.

Word Count: 101
Interest Level: preschool thru early elementary
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 1.9 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 29233
Lexile: AD230L
-- amazon

La Semilla de Zanahoria
-- amazon

My Garden
by Kevin Henkes

This garden is more one of imagination than reality, as we take a tour through what one girl would do if she could design a garden her way. Marvelous and whimsical with classic Henkes illustrations. While this might not work to present the more realistic side of gardening, it fits with the theme. Ages 6-8.

Word Count: 282
Interest Level: preschool thru early elementary
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 2.6 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 136101
-- amazon

Quiet in the Garden
by Aliki

Aliki’s books always catch me by surprise and I nearly missed this lovely little one. Readers will learn about how a garden looks and sounds and the various creatures that may live in one. I’ve got to try a read aloud with this book this year! Ages 4-8.

Word Count: 456
Interest Level: preschool thru early elementary
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 2.6 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 12902
-- amazon

Inch by Inch: A Garden Song
by David Mallett and Ora Eitan

A familiar folksong transformed into a book. Ms. Eitan’s art style complements the words without overwhelming it. I love this little song and can’t wait to get a copy and read/sing it to my son. Ages 2-8.