March and April Read Alouds

As spring is finally here, I decided to gather up favorite spring themed books for your early childhood classroom!  The following books focus on themes of weather, caring for the Earth, and gardening.

I am including Amazon links so that you can easily see the book cover and find it. I’d encourage you to first check your school or local library as I’ve been enjoying our local library so much lately! While it is so easy to click and buy books, I’m loving checking out books again. Yay for local libraries! I will also say that in a pinch, most (if not all) of these books have nice read-alouds available on Youtube.

Thunder Cake (1997) Patricia Polacco – This well-known book from award-winning author Patricia Polacco is sure to capture your young children’s attention.  The main character in the story is afraid of the thunder, but her grandma comforts and distracts her by making their Thunder Cake together.  Perfect to pull out on a thunder-storming day or during your weather studies.

Worm Weather (2015) Jean Taft – This book is great for your younger learners.  Simple phrases describe stormy weather.  Beautiful illustrations on every page.  Bonus points if you can see some real worms outside, or bring them into a compost bin!

The Earth Book (2010) Todd Parr – I was so excited when I was first introduced to this book, and then incorporated it into kindergarten lessons about the Earth!  It’s the perfect compliment to your Earth Day theme. Great for brainstorming before launching into a writing response.

We are all Connected (2022) Gabi Garcia – This rhyming book is a great social-emotional book to add to your classroom or home.  The focus is kindness and celebrating our connection, as well as helping care for nature.  Your children will especially love the vivid illustrations. This one is going in my home library!

Planting a Rainbow (2003) Lois Ehlert – Pairs wonderfully with a lesson on gardening, or even planting your own seeds.  Young children love to learn about growing and planting, especially when they get to take part!

My City Speaks (2021) Darren Lebeuf – Tour the main character’s city with sensory descriptions and strong vocabulary.  A great way to introduce strong vocabulary words to your learners while inspiring them to notice what is all around them.  

As always, thanks so much for stopping by. I love getting to share some of my early childhood ideas with you. Let me know what books I have missed!