Books about little animals in springtime
One board book, one with flaps and one that won the Caldecott Medal for “the most distinguished American picture book for children.”
One of my favorite things about toddlers is how they slow down the seasons. Yes, they slow down pretty much everything else too, but the way they stop to observe the world around them is a good reminder for us to do the same.
If you, too, are taking walks around the backyard to check how little sprouts are blooming, taking a few extra minutes on the way to school to watch a baby squirrel run across the driveway, and fielding questions about why the windshield wipers don’t reach all the way to end of the windshield and leave raindrops at the corners, you are not alone!
Spring and the Easter season sport no shortage of books about all those little changes taking place and the little animals coming out of hiding. Here are a few of my family’s favorites:
“Make Way for Ducklings” written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey
This book was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1941 for “the most distinguished American picture book for children,” and that is simply the best way to describe this read. It tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard (ducks, of course), who fly around Boston looking for a good place to raise their ducklings. After finding the perfect place, they have to navigate busy city streets to get there.
I don’t know how I haven’t read anything by McCloskey until this past week, but I wholeheartedly recommend “Make Way for Ducklings” and can’t wait to read his other children’s books. I love how McCloskey describes Mr. and Mrs. Mallard in such a dignified way, and the illustrations are captivating—even in black and white. The book seems long, but there isn’t much text on most of the pages. Both my two and four year old adore this story! We have read it about three times a day for the past week.




“Little Blue Truck’s Springtime” written by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry
Another season, another Little Blue Truck book! Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are once again taking a drive up the road. They will meet lots of baby animals being born around the farm along the way! With flaps, baby animals and many opportunities to practice counting, this is a sweet Spring book for toddlers.




“You’re My Little Honey Bunny” written by Nicola Edwards, illustrated by Natalie Marshall
The entire series of “You’re My Little…” books illustrated by Natalie Marshall is adorable, and this one is perfect for Easter. With bunnies, lambs, chicks and a few Spring flowers, your little one (I think this is best for ages 0-2) will be ready for Spring in no time.




Honorable mentions:
“The Fuzzy Duckling,” reviewed in “3 cute counting books for toddlers”
“Over in the Meadow,” reviewed in “Not-your-typical books about animal sounds”
“And why should not a child's story submit to the same standards of' good honest writing as any real literature? But in the case of' children's literature, these standards must be born of' the knowledge both of' what children understand and want at different ages and what is good writing. But most of' all this knowledge will be born of a deep sympathy and amusement for the things that children love: bugs and germs and policemen and the newest machines in the streamlined world—and always and forever to the deeper gamut of' emotions to which all people on the earth are subject whatever age.” —Margaret Wise Brown, “Writing for Five Year Olds”