Children's Picture Books for Spring

Here are 5 children’s picture books about spring, that show the fun of planting a garden, and enjoying the flowers and vegetables that result.

1. The Gardener
During the Depression, young Lydia is sent to the city to stay with her Uncle Jim, a reserved, somber man, “until things get better.” She brings her love of gardens with her. The text, in the form of Lydia’s letters home, and the double-page artwork by David Small joyously illustrate how Lydia creates gardens that transform both the neighborhood and her relationship with Uncle Jim. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1997. ISBN: 0374425183)


2. City Green
What happens when a diverse group of city neighbors works together to rid their street of a litter-filled vacant lot? How young Mary, Miss Rosa, and their neighbors transform the vacant lot into a community garden of flowers and vegetables makes an interesting and realistic story. Author and illustrator DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan’s artwork in watercolor, pencils, and crayons captures the transformation of the lot. (HarperCollins, 1994. ISBN: 068812786X)

3. The Garden of Happiness
Barbara Lambase’s oil paintings, alive with the rich color and movement of city life in a diverse neighborhood, add drama to Erika Tamar’s story of a little girl named Marisol and a new community garden. When Marisol plants a seed she’s found, it grows into a giant sunflower, to her neighbor’s delight. Her sadness when the sunflower dies in the fall is forgotten when Marisol sees the beautiful mural of sunflowers that teen artists have created. (Harcourt Brace, 1996. ISBN: 0152305823)

4. The Surprise Garden
Three young children plant a “surprise garden,” using seeds of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. Since they don’t know what kinds of seeds they have planted, they have no idea what kinds of plants will grow in their garden. Carefully watering and weeding the seeds, they create a lush vegetable garden and enjoy a bountiful harvest. (Scholastic, 1999. ISBN: 0590100769)


5. Growing Vegetable Soup
Author and illustrator Lois Ehlert’s cut-paper collages are bold and colorful. The story of a father and child’s vegetable garden project is told in rhyme. While the text of the story is brief, each of the plants, seeds, and gardening tools illustrated is labeled, making this a book that’s fun to read aloud and then read through again identifying everything. The story begins with the planting of seeds and sprouts and ends with delicious vegetable soup. (Voyager Books, 1990. ISBN: 0152325808)

You can find any of these children's picture books and more in our online store.

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Picture books for older readers?

Carol Hurst's describes on her Children's Literature website how to deal with the increasing numbers of picture books aimed at older and more sophisticated readers. The challenge is for teachers and librarians to make those encounters more meaningful and enjoyable.

She offers several techniques, including storyboarding, and drawing pictures as a group.
Students are also encouraged to find the picture book they loved most or remember best from when they were little. Then each should find a picture book they've discovered more recently that they really like, and compare them with the picture book from their childhood.

Another activity has students scan the Internet to find websites of various authors and illustrators of children's picture books. Students choose an author or illustrator of picture books whose work they admire. They construct an exhibit of the artist and his or her work.

You can read more about Picture books for older readers here.

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Picture books blog

Check out Anastasia Suen’s Picture Book of the Day blog.
She says children’s books have always been part of her life. She is the author of over 100 books.
She started her blog after speaking at a teacher’s conference. She brought new picture books and talked about how to use them in the classroom. The teachers were so responsive that she decided to create a blog about picture books!

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"Where The Wild Things Are" picture book to movie?

Dave Eggers' adaptation of the children's picture book Where The Wild Things Are is expected next year. There is a clip floating around the internet, some people say it's a fake. What do you think? See this clip here.

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Women and Caldecott prize, not so much?

Check out this great discussion here on women not winning the coveted Caldecott prize.
Roger Sutton, The Horn Book editor, couldn't help noticing that only five of the twenty-three artists included are women. He took a look at the past Caldecott winners, and saw that there were only four women in the last 23 years!
Let us know your thoughts!

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The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Hugo is an orphan, clock keeper, and thief, who lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station. His survival depends on anonymity. But when he meets an eccentric girl and a bitter old man, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are in jeopardy.
A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret has more than 300 pages of original drawings. It combines elements of picture book, graphic novel, and film, in a stunning, cinematic tour de force from a boldly innovative storyteller, artist, and bookmaker.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick has won the 2008 CALDECOTT MEDAL for the most distinguished American picture book for children.

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Writing a Picture Book

While many people talk about writing a picture book, very few people actually ever do.
"What do I write about?" and "Where do I start?" are questions people commonly ask.

A great place to get some of these answers is the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. Their website is http://www.scbwi.org/

If you would love to write books for children, and share your knowledge and experience with them, give it a try. Maybe one day soon, we will feature your published picture book right here on our website picture-books.net

Share your beliefs, your passions, and your thoughts with a child. Write a picture book!

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