Spring Into Reading: Book Ideas for Kids

The blossoms all around mean more than spring’s arrival – they also mark the perfect time to explore spring books with your little one. Reading aloud each day for 15 minutes (or more!) can make a BIG difference for your child who is deaf or hard of hearing. As your little learner hears the rhymes, repetition, and words from books, their brain will make strong connections which will grow into strong listening, talking, and reading skills!

Spring into action with this list of great springtime books to read with your child!

Make the most out of storytime by incorporating helpful techniques and strategies shared by Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) professionals. Whether enjoying a spring morning, smelling fresh flowers, or listening to the birds, give these tips a try as you read aloud with your little one.

“Bright Baby Touch and Feel Spring Book” by Roger Priddy 

Ages 0-12 months

Chicks, bunnies, and flowers make an appearance in this delightful book for babies. Your baby will love to interact with the engaging touch-and-feel pages while you read aloud.

Try this: Use the Play-By-Play LSL strategy and describe the pages. Repeat words and add some new, different vocabulary to build your baby’s language. For example, instead of saying “This is soft” try saying

• “Ohh, the chick is so soft.”
• “It’s fluffy! The chick feels so nice.”
• “You like touching the little chick! Feel how soft!”
• “The chick is chirping! Chirp, chirp!”

“Baby Loves Spring” a Karen Katz Lift-the-Flap book 

Ages 0-2 years

Look for baby robins, wiggly worms, raindrops, and more! The flaps in this book make it easy for you and your baby to explore all things spring. Flaps bring an element of surprise and help keep your curious little one engaged while you read the book.

Try this: Talk about the object or picture that is covered. Say the name and make the Learning to Listen (LTL) sound or imitate the sound the object makes:

• “Pitter-patter” for raindrops,
• “Tweet-tweet” for the birds,
• “Hop-hop-hop” for the frogs.

Encourage your baby to vocalize or attempt to imitate the sound with you. LTL sounds lay the groundwork for your baby to start talking!

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle 

Ages 0-5 years

An oldie but a goodie! Little ones love this classic that follows the life cycle of a butterfly as he eats his way through food each day of the week. Interactive and rhythmic, this book has repeatable lines for you to enjoy with your child.

Try this: When reading aloud, pause and wait to let your child complete the sentence. “On Monday, he ate through one…..*pause*... apple! Yes! He ate one apple!” Predictable books recited over and over allow young children to participate as you read the story again and again. This helps them begin to understand early literacy practice, remember sentences, and gain confidence in their reading ability.

You can also try the Hear It Before They See It LSL strategy to talk about the next scene before you turn the page. For example, you can say “The caterpillar is VERY hungry. I bet he would like to eat some strawberries!” Then, turn the page to see the strawberries. “Oh! Look at those red, yummy strawberries!” This allows your little one to practice their listening skills by hearing the words before seeing the pictures.

“I Believe in Bunnycorns” by Danielle McLean and illustrated by Prisca Le Tonde 

Ages 1-5 years

What’s a Bunnycorn? Bunnies with a unicorn horn! Experience them hop their way through a glittery, rainbow world! This fun, colorful book has great rhythm and rhyme to make reading aloud exciting. Rhythm and rhyme help little ones hear the sounds and syllables in words — which are important for reading, listening, talking, and learning!

Try this: Be a Drama Mama or Dramatic Daddy as you read! Place special emphasis on all the unique words as you read and rhyme. Get silly and have fun with it! For example, see how you can emphasize the sounds and rhyme using a sing-song voice in this sentence: “Flowers bloom for bunnycorns. And chicks go cheep-cheep-cheep! Daisies dance and bees go BUZZzzzz. The world awakes from sleep!”

“Planting a Rainbow” by Lois Ehlert 

Ages 2-5+ years

What makes a rainbow garden? Lots of colorful flower seeds and beautiful bulbs are used as a mother and daughter plant a rainbow garden together. This book is a great way to practice early preschool concepts like colors, sizes, and shapes!

Try this: Take advantage of the illustrations as you flip the pages and talk through what you see. Slow down to make time for conversation! Ask questions, or use these phrases to get started:

• “I see a flower that’s the same color as the sun…” then pause and give your child time to find the flower.
• “Look at how tall the blue flower is! It’s the tallest.”
• “Let’s find all the circles together on this page. There’s a yellow circle, a purple circle. I’m looking for an orange circle. Where is it? I need your help to find it.”
• “Look at all the flowers on this page! Let’s count together. One, two,...” then pause to let your child continue counting.

Get creative as you talk about what you see in the book. There are all kinds of tips and ideas to try when reading with your little one!

Don’t Miss a Season of Reading

Regardless of the time of year, reading aloud is a wonderful way to bond with your child. When you read aloud with your little one who is deaf or hard of hearing, you’re helping them build a strong foundation for talking, reading, and writing. This also develops their thinking skills, creativity, understanding, and more.

It’s never too early to start! Make it a habit to read for 15 minutes a day and grow your child’s brain for learning and love for reading. Keeping a curious child’s attention for storytime may seem challenging sometimes, but these techniques can help you keep your little learner engaged.

Watch the video below to learn more tips on how to make reading a reality for your busy little one this spring and all year long!

How to Get a Busy Toddler to Sit Still for Storytime

Download a printable version of this resource here.