It’s no surprise that I have a slight obsession with children’s books. And I reeeeeeeeeally like seasonal books. Especially spring. I love the colors and illustrations. I love celebrating Easter with baskets of treats and teaching my boys about the promise of eternal hope.

Research shows that reading books from birth helps your child gain understanding of vocabulary (receptive language) and builds important connections in the brain. When a child understands vocabulary, he or she has the foundation to use these words (expressive language) in order to communicate their wants and needs. Studies also show that children who are frequently read to know more words by the age of two then children who have not been read to regularly.

I’ll try not to be so speech therapist mom nerd but it’s my hearts desire to teach parents how to interact with their children so they build their language and communication. These are some of our (my) faves:

Spring by Gerda Muller: Wordless picture books are great for narrative development. I’m going to get a little grad school….narrative skills improve academic and social success. You tell the story and have your child retell the story (fictitious narrative). Let the illustrations spark creativity and imagination as you create your story structure. Don’t forget internal state terms such as emotion!

Peek-Inside… by Usborne Books: The farm and the garden books are wonderful for this season. The Peek-Inside series is interactive with flaps and holes. Perfect for toddlers!

God Gave Us Easter by Lisa T. Bergren: “God loved us so much he wanted us to always be with him too. That’s why God knew he’d need to give us Easter”. The series is a little lengthy but Berger’s keeps the text simple for littles to understand the meaning of Easter.

Good News! It’s Easter! by Glenys Nellist: This is a new one for us. It’s going in Dane’s Easter basket. It’s a whimsical story about new beginnings and the gift of salvation. Each colorful character finds new life. As the book ends, Jesus is the example of new life as He rises from the tomb to overcome death. And repetitive, predictable, rhythm and rhyme!

Other spring favorites: Little Blue Truck’s Springtime, We Are The Gardeners, That’s Not My Chick, Planting A Rainbow, The Tiny Seed, What Makes It Rain, Bunny Roo I Love You, The Runaway Bunny, and so much more!

We (I) would love to know your faves too!