Spring has sprung however you wouldn't know it here. I saw snow mixed in with our April showers today. I however love spring. I love seeing the world come back to life after the long winter. I love seeing the blooms and thinking about things like gardening, getting outdoors and for my family, Easter. What do you think about when spring comes? Today I am sharing four books with you that are perfect for celebrating spring and Easter. We will start with the books for just spring. The first is Alfred Blooms by Carrie Kruck and illustrated by Carmen Mok. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
From the Publisher:
Shy Alfred wants to befriend the girl whose yard is filled with other kids and flowers but he doesn't know how.When Alfred sees Lulu’s magical yard filled with flowers and friends, he’s sure that if he can cultivate a beautiful garden, friends will flock to join him. Alfred tries but nothing grows in his brown patch of dirt. Determined to make one last attempt, Alfred heads to the store to buy fresh flower seeds. As he hurries home, he sneezes—and the seeds fly everywhere! And this time they begin to grow wherever they land—in his pockets, in his hair, even in his ears! A very discouraged Alfred gets stuck in the mud. But the aroma of warm blueberry muffins coming from a nearby bakery reminds him of Lulu’s favorite treat and, tucking the flowers under his hat, he heads there. Alfred shares muffins with Lulu and finds out that he doesn’t need a garden; time spent together is the best way to make a friend.
This charming friendship story is sensitive and delightful with just a touch of whimsy.
From Me:
This is such a fun and whimsical book. Alfred is the shy boy who wants friends. He sees Lulu's yard full of beautiful flowers and friends and he hopes he can grow a beautiful garden so the friends will come to his yard as well. However, he does not really have a green thumb. He tries one more time with some wildflower seeds, but a sneeze makes them fly everywhere and all over Alfred. He goes to get some muffins to bring to Lulu's and notices a wildflower growing in his hair. He tucks it under his hat but by the time he gets to Lulu's house he has flowers growing all over him. Lulu takes one of the flowers and plants it in her garden. She also tells him how she loves spending time with him every Friday. It is a wonderful tale of friendship and how each perspective is very different.
I was that shy child, and Hazel was too, so I can completely relate to this book. As the shy person the perspective is often self-doubt. Alfred has this. Yet the message in this book is how special each person is. Fridays are Lulu's favorite days because she spends them with Alfred. The message is there that we don't have to be perfect or try quite so hard but have to be ourselves and be kind. True friends won't care about perfection. I love how the flowers growing on him is so magical. Of course, they wouldn't grow that quickly, but it makes such a fun story. This book is a wonderful way to greet spring! And of course, to go with it one should plant some seeds.
Our next spring book is more of an adventure/activity book. It isn't completely spring, yet it reminds me of spring. It is Forest Magic for Kids: How to Find Fairies, Make a Secret Fort, and Cook Up an Elfin Picnic by Susie Spikol and illustrated by Renia Metallinou. It is recommended for ages 5 to 9.
From the Publisher:
Your enchanted guide to 50+ magical activities for everything from finding hidden flower fairies in your own backyard and making a special wizard staff to creating a tiny woodland village and making your own forest potions.“A delightful outdoor handbook to ignite curiosity and a passion for nature, this is a great resource for nature units as well as hands-on activities to bring a creative writing program to life.”―School Library Journal
Come discover the wild magic tucked into the nooks and crannies of forests, thickets, and meadows. Search for fairy dusted glow-in-the-dark mushrooms. Find secret worlds hidden in trees and uncover the tunnels, trails, and dens of gnomes and trolls, and mice and moles. Learn to listen to the forest, make sun-warmed pine tea, and wear an evergreen crown to an elf picnic.
Look inside to learn how to:
- Keep a secret notebook filled with maps, notes, and pockets for all your discoveries
- Go on a quest for wild treasures
- Follow a queen bumblebee to her castle
- Make your own forest teas and potions
- Become best friends with a tree
- Create tiny gnomes and build cozy gnome homes
- Seek where mushrooms grow after a fairy dance
- Carve a walking stick wizard staff
- Build your own hidden forest fort
From Me:
This is the kind of book Hazel and I would have loved when she was young! It has the magic, fairies, elves, pixie dust and more. It is full of crafts and activities including ones to get you outside! It has kids exploring nature and using their imagination. I love how it encourages kids to find magic in the natural world. Using sticks as magic wands, climbing trees, making small worlds and so much more! There are wonderful ideas, and I could see doing many with Hazel when she was young. Like making flower teas or elfin bread from the recipes in the book.
This book is perfect for the kids who complain about being bored. I can see it entertaining them for hours in the spring or summer. Send them outside and have them explore and find magic. It reminds me of how Hazel had an entire fairy world in our backyard. Different parts of the yard were various things from the fairy books she was reading. I love the fact that it has crafts and activities to keep the exploring and imaging. This book is perfect for getting them off screens and playing with nature.
Now we will look at Easter themed books. The first is from the Pea Series by Keith Baker. It is Hap-Pea Easter by Keith Baker. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8. It takes a look at spring as well as some Easter traditions.
From the Publisher:
Keith Baker’s New York Times bestselling peas have some Easter fun in this picture book filled with eggs, chicks, candies, bunnies, and more!Hap-pea Easter! Hap-pea Spring! What surprises will it bring?
From sprouting flowers and gentle showers to eggs decorated every which way, there’s plenty of excitement to be had on Easter with the peas! And there might even be an appearance from everyone’s favorite bunny…
From Me:
This is a fun and simple book. It begins looking at spring and things that appear in the spring like showers, flowers, longer days, and Easter eggs. The peas have a wonderful time decorating Easter eggs. They make them all sorts of colors and designs.
And of course, the eggs are hidden for Easter day. The peas are fun and cute. I love how there are different characteristics for them from their hats or hair or even the one in a wheelchair. This is a fun book that can introduce spring and Easter to younger children. It is fun and colorful. The words are simple, and kids will love the illustrations and the rhymes.
Our final book is a special one. It shares a bit about the beautiful Ukranian pysanky and is a coloring book! The book is The Magic of Pysanky: A Ukranian Egg Coloring Book by Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou and illustrated by Nguyen Cao Tien. Now I have loved so many things from Daria. Her music is amazing as well as her tutorials for diy instruments and more. Hazel grew up learning quite a bit from Daria and my reviews of her creations. This book is recommended for ages 6 to 18 but adults will love the coloring pages as well!
From the Publisher:
Discover the wonderful world of pysanky - Ukrainian eggs - with this beautiful coloring and information book. Learn about this ancient and meaningful folk art pictured in full color illustrations of traditional eggs plus a coloring page version of each. 18 fun facts, including where to find the largest Ukrainian egg make this an educational and creative coloring journey into this lovely Spring and Easter tradition.This all ages and adult coloring book is suitable to anyone who loves to color. Designs in the book range from simple and easy to intricate and complex. The full color page shows the egg in it’s traditional form and the coloring page allows your imagination to create a brand new masterpiece, all your own! Plus, we've included an additional set of single-sided pages so you can use any medium to create even more pysanky art!
The Magic of Pysanky, A Ukrainian Egg Coloring Book makes a great gift or activity to celebrate Spring or Easter. It's perfect in an Easter basket as well as a fun addition to a homeschool lesson on Ukraine or folk arts of the world. And it's wonderful for self care as the practice of coloring; at any age, is relaxing and serves to reduce anxiety, stress and tension.
Scroll up and grab your copy of The Magic of Pysanky, A Ukrainian Egg Coloring Book today!
Reasons Why You Will LOVE This Coloring Book
You can instantly become a folk artist and carry on a beautiful tradition that has existed for more than a thousand years!
This relaxing coloring activity allows you to disappear into the beautiful patterns and shapes that make up delightful Ukrainian egg designs.
We’ve included 18 beautiful traditional egg designs plus a bonus Ukrainian Easter Basket and coloring page illustration.
Use your favorite coloring pencils, markers or gel pens to create your own magnificent work of art!
Great for Easter baskets, gifts or a travel activity.
Wonderful for all skill levels, from beginners and experts.
EXTRA BONUS! TWO FULL SETS OF UKRAINIAN EGG DESIGNS!
There are two complete sets of coloring pages in this book.
The first set has a color version of the egg on the left and a black and white coloring page on the right. You can be inspired by the full color version or use it to inspire your own colorful creation. It’s best to use colored pencils with this set to avoid bleed-through onto the pages.
The second set of coloring pages are the same eggs but on single-sided pages. This gives you an extra opportunity to color your favorite eggs as well as create frameable art for any or all of the images. Use any medium on these page, such as markers or gel pens because there will be no issue with bleed-through between the pages and the designs!
From Me:
This book has fun facts and pages to color as well as the same designs in color. It shares a bit of Daria's own family history and how she became to love pysanky. She was lucky to have a grandmother to show her how to make them. The designs are beautiful, and the facts are informative and interesting.
I love how Daria is sharing a piece of her own culture with the world. I know I have always been fascinated by pysanky. This book shares a bit about the traditions of it as well as how they are made. Plus, it gives the reader a way of making their own by coloring the beautiful illustrations! It would be a fun book for a family to check out to get into the spirit of Easter. The pages can be colored. The facts can be read and then it will be time to color your own eggs and perhaps even try creating some pysanky!
Happy Spring!! I hope you will check out these books to celebrate the season as well as learn a bit about different cultures and traditions of Easter!
