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May is typically when we expect to see flowers in bloom thanks to April’s showers! Many of the books we’re reading this month are about flowers, seeds, and animals. It has been so fun to read these books and then see my children spot some of their subjects in nature. I hope you enjoy these reads as much as we do! Click the Download Here link below to download a printable list of these titles to bring with you on your next library visit!
1. A Color of His Own
I’ve enjoyed Leo Lionni’s books because of his style of art. This one is about a chameleon who tries to find a color of his own and ends up finding a friend along the way.
2. A Place for Butterflies
Filled with beautiful illustrations, this book teaches children about butterflies and how to care for them. Many of the pages include sidebars with fun facts about different types of butterflies and caterpillars.
3. A Seed is Sleepy
This book incorporates lovely illustrations with facts about seeds. Children will learn different attributes of seeds and some basic scientific facts about seeds as they read this book. This is one of our May reads that we were able to read for free as an ebook on Hoopla!
4. All About Bible Animals
This is a fun book with interesting and fun facts about the animals mentioned in the Bible. You can read my review here.
5. Amazing Animal Alphabet
If you’ve seen my other book lists, you may be aware that I’m a big fan of alphabet books! They are simple, useful tools for helping little ones learn the alphabet in a fun way. This one is from the kindergarten curriculum we use and features a different animal whose name corresponds to each letter of the alphabet.
6. Baby Animals
This is a sweet book about different kinds of baby animals and their activities. It’s a fun read for springtime when so many baby animals are born.
7. Birds, Nests, and Eggs
This book is an encylopedia of sorts detailing facts about different kinds of birds, their nests, and their eggs. My girls have loved using this as a reference for different birds we’ve spotted in our neighborhood.
8. Blueberries for Sal
This is a sweet classic tale about Sal who goes blueberry picking with her mother. Sal becomes lost and ends up following a mother bear whose baby has become lost and is following Sal’s mother. In the end, both babies end up with their mothers and are full of blueberries from the day’s expedition.
9. From Seed to Plant
As we’ve been home schooling, I’ve begun to enjoy Gail Gibbons’ educational picture books. This one helps children learn the life cycle of a seed and explains how plants grow. We borrowed this book via Hoopla which offers it in ebook format with audio and auto turning pages. We streamed it to our projector so my girls were able to watch the book as it was read aloud to them by the narrator.
10. Inch by Inch
This is another Leo Lionni book we’ve enjoyed this month and this one was also borrowed via Hoopla. On Hoopla, the story is told via a video that uses the illustrations and words from the book. I think my girls felt like they were getting extra TV time but I appreciated that the time was used for literary purposes so consuming the book this way felt like a big win.
11. Miss Maple’s Seeds
This is a sweet, fictional story that teaches children facts about seeds. In it, Miss Maple collects orphan seeds each year and learns to identify each one so she can help them grow.
12. Monarch Butterflies
This is another of Gail Gibbon’s picture books we’ve enjoyed this month. I purchased a used copy for us and my girls greatly enjoyed learning about the life cycle of the monarch butterfly. Since reading this book, their excitement about seeing butterflies has increased which has been sweet to see.
13. Mossy
This book by Jan Brett is the perfect spring read. In this story, readers encounter Mossy, a turtle who grows a garden on her shell. She befriends another turtle only to be placed in a museum before she has a chance to get to know him. The museum curator’s niece eventually notices how sad Mossy seems, so they decide to release her back into her natural habitat where she is happy once again. I love the illustrations in this book and Jan Brett books will always be special to me because my mom often read them to me when I was a child.
14. My First ABC Book of Bible Verses
This is another alphabet book we are reading in May. This feels like a perfect May read because of the bright floral illustrations. I love the resources produced by Jonathan Gibson, and this book is no exception. I primarily purchased this book to help my five year old prepare for kindergarten. I love that as she’s learning the alphabet, she’s learning the Bible too.
15. Ox Cart Man
I fell in love with Barbara Cooney’s works in third grade and although she is only the illustrator of Ox Cart Man, it is no exception. This book is about a pioneer family who works in different ways throughout the year. The book concludes in May making it the perfect addition to our May book basket.
16. Rosie’s Walk
I have fond memories of my mom reading Pat Hutchins’ The Doorbell Rang to me and my sisters when we were children so I was excited to find this other title by Pat at a thrift store. This story is about a hen named Rosie who goes on a walk around the farm. The story details where she goes with words but the pictures show a fox who is chasing after her and keeps running into obstacles. My girls thought the illustrations were pretty funny and enjoyed this book.
17. The Bee Tree
This book by Patricia Polacco is another that was featured in the kindergarten curriculum we use. This tale is about Mary Ellen and her Grampa. They begin to search for a bee tree after Mary Ellen declares boredom with books. As they venture out, friends and townspeople join them on the way. They eventually discover the tree and bring some honey home with them. The story concludes with Grampa placing honey on Mary Ellen’s book to teach her that books are where she can discover adventure, knowledge, and wisdom. I love this so much because it reminds me of Psalm 119:103, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
18. The Carrot Seed
We found a copy of this book for $.25 at a thrift store and it has quickly become one of my favorite children’s books. This story is about a boy who plants a carrot seed and tends to it faithfully even though his family tells him it will not grow. In the end, the seed does produce a carrot. I view the metaphor of the story as one of faithfulness. The Carrot Seed is a great teaching tool for helping kids understand that success often looks like faithfulness rather than results and sometimes, there are results too.
19. The Reason for A Flower
The lovely illustrations in this book teach children about how flowers and other plants come to be. It was neat to read this and learn facts about different types of plants and their origins.
20. The Secret Garden
This version of the book is an adaptation of the classic version. The story is about Mary who goes to live with her uncle upon the death of her parents and stumbles upon a garden that’s been closed due to her aunt’s death occurring in it. As she finds a way into the garden, she makes a friend and learns that she has a cousin. All 3 enjoy the beauty and life giving effects of the garden.
21. The Sower
This book is an allegory of sorts that teaches children about The Sower (Jesus) who planted people and a garden. The fellowship of the people with The Sower was disrupted by sin but The Sower became the seed as He was buried and raised to give His people new life. This is a lovely picture book that is a must read for Christian families with young children. The illustrations are beautiful and even the speckled paper in the book pairs well with the story. This book is normally $16.99 on Amazon but at the time of this writing is on sale for $3.99!
22. The Tiny Seed
This book is another title we’re reading in May that is also available on Hoopla as an audiobook and video. This story is about a tiny seed that survives harsh conditions and becomes an incredibly tall flower that produces more tiny seeds.
23. Waiting for Wings
This is a lovely picture book by Lois Ehlert. I enjoy Lois’ illustrations and this fun book teaches little ones about the life cycle of a butterfly and various types of butterflies.
24. What’s Inside A Flower
This book uses rich illustrations to help children understand the scientific processes involved in a flower’s growth. You can watch a read aloud of this book by its author for free on YouTube.
25. Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know
This sweet story by Melissa Kruger helps little ones understand that wherever life takes them, it is most important that they know and love Jesus. This is another book in our May book basket that can also be found as a free read aloud on YouTube. You can read my review of this book here.
