Nothing says the month of May like kids proudly returning home with containers of dragonflies, introducing their friends to lightening bugs and chasing butterflies with butterfly nets. Your children will love reading about the fascinating world that surrounds them. I hope these fun and informative books encourage them to run outside and engage in some serious bug watching.
Becoming Butterflies by Anne Rockwell
In this book a roomful of students set up a growing station for caterpillars. The author and illustrator cover the entire butterfly life cycle as the kids in the class experience what is happening.
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
A funny, exuberant story about a group of villagers chasing bees to a bee tree. I love the energy in Patricia Polacco’s illustrations. The Bee Tree offers parents and teachers an opportunity to talk with children about where honey comes from.
Hey, Little Ant by Phillip Hoose
This story presents a moral dilemma to kids: to kill or not to kill an ant. Hey, Little Ant has an entertaining format; a boy and an ant debate in rhyme whether or not the boy should step on the ant. In the end, the reader is left to decide what the boy should do.
With spring in full bloom, it’s a wonderful opportunity to teach young ones about nature and the cycle from seedling to growing flowers and plants. Here are some charming books that teach some of the beginning concepts of gardening. Appropriate for the preschool years through kindergarten, these delightful books are bound to inspire some home gardening projects and budding green thumbs!
Plants Cant Sit Still by Rebecca E. Hirsch
Although they can’t run around like some animals can, plants can move quite a bit. Sunflowers follow the sun, tendrils can creep around, and seeds can shoot. A deeper look into the life of plants.
The Dandelion Seed by Joseph Anthony
This beautiful story teaches about seeds, cycles, and courage thru the story of a dandelion afraid to let go.
How A Seed Grows by Helen Jordan
This book follows the path of an acorn that turns into a mighty oak tree. Because of the young ages that the book targets, it provides simple explanations of scientific concepts and eases the child in with beautiful watercolor illustrations.
Mother’s Day is coming up this month – these are a few favorites centered on a Mother’s love. I hope you find a new one to enjoy and share with your own children this Mother’s Day and beyond.
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
In this beautiful classic, a new mom cradles her baby and sings to him a special lullaby.
“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.”
As he grows older and older, she continues to sneak into his room, and “if he’s really asleep, she rocks him back and forth, back and forth, and as she rocks him, she sings…” The words and pictures are touching and sweet. Get out the tissues for this one!
If I Could Keep You Little by Marianne Richmond
This is a sweet book about the bittersweet experience of watching our children grow up. Parents muse about keeping their children little, but how that would also mean missing all the special joys of watching our children as they grow up and gain independence.
The unofficial start to summer – Memorial Day! Memorial Day Books for children are a wonderful way to introduce the conversation about how men and women have served our country throughout the decades and how they continue to support our freedoms today. Teach them there is more to this holiday then the beach and barbecues!
Memorial Day Surprise by Theresa Golding
A Mom tells her son that there is a “big surprise” at the Memorial Day Celebration. As the boy watches the parade, he asks if each part of the parade is the “surprise” – from the marching band, to waving flags, to children riding their bikes with red, white and blue streamers, and to firefighters in their truck. Mother always tells him that the real surprise is even more special. At the end of the parade, people stand and applaud. The boy then sees his grandfather, a veteran, being pushed in a wheelchair. His surprise is realizing that his grandfather is a hero.
Let’s Get Ready For Memorial Day by Lloyd Douglas
A girl’s class prepares for Memorial Day by learning about the holiday from their teacher and making flags, and later she goes to a war memorial with her father to honor those who died.
Thank you for sharing