Who doesn’t love the fresh air, bold colors, and clear skies of spring? It’s a season of birth, of new beginnings and new stories to tell.

For children, it’s a time to learn about the beauty of nature and the importance of preserving the environment. For teachers, it’s a time to give them the tools they need to understand and appreciate their surroundings.

There’s no better way to do that reading a beautifully illustrated picture book. These four books take the cake when it comes to springtime lessons. Try one this season and see how much your students start to love spring.

The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin

Some vegetables are so delicious-looking, you just want to take a bite. Others aren’t so appealing. These are the vegetables the main character in this story has to plant during spring.

The young Chinese-American gardener envies her neighbor’s beautiful flower gardens and the wonderful smells. She dreams of having her own someday, not the ugly-looking garden she and her mother tend to. But when her mother harvests their ugly plants for soup, it’s the neighbors that come running to get a taste. The girl then starts to realize how beautiful her garden really is.

Many of us desire to be like others and to have the things other people possess. But seeing the beauty in what we have allows us to see the beauty all around us.

The Ugly Vegetables delivers that message perfectly.

and then it’s spring by Julie Fogliano

Patience, as they say, is a virtue. And if one book teaches you the value of patience, it’s this one.

And then it’s spring follows a young boy and his dog as they prepare for the arrival of spring. But the boy doesn’t just anticipate spring coming . . . he does something about it. Fed up with the dull brown of winter, he begins to plant seeds and start his own garden.

Soon the rain comes and slowly, the earth starts to change. Hope blossoms in the soil. The future looks bright. But still, the boys waits, and waits, and waits.

We want certain things in our lives to happen right away, but more often than not, we have to wait. This book captures the power of taking action, then relinquishing control when there’s nothing more we can do. It takes time for things to mature and it’s up to us to understand the power of patience.

Waiting can be difficult, but, like a garden, it yields fantastic results.

The Thing About Spring by Daniel Kirk

We’ve talked about waiting for spring to come, but what if you didn’t want it to come at all? That’s exactly how Rabbit feels when he notices spring around the corner.

To him, winter is the coolest season ever. As spring approaches, Rabbit starts saving up snow in an effort to preserve it, not liking the change the season brings. It’s up to Mouse, Bird, and Bear to convince him that springtime is way more fun than he ever realized.

Getting off the holiday high that happens during the winter season can be difficult for some children. The lesson of The Thing About Spring is that change is good. We may not realize it at first, but every season is special in its own unique way.

All we need to do is see it.

When the Rain Comes by Alma Fullerton

In life, there are many obstacles that prevent us from achieving our dreams. It takes perseverance to break through those obstacles. That’s what this book is all about.

Set in Sri Lanka, it centers on Malini who is now old enough to help plant her community’s rice crop. When the driver of the ox-cart bearing the crop’s seedlings takes a break, she watches over the precious cargo in his absence. Rain begins to pour and a flash flood causes her to separate from the driver and her loved ones.

During such a crisis, her family tells her to stay safe by seeking higher ground. Instead, Malini chooses to help protect the ox, cart, and seedlings inside, risking her own life in the process.

It’s a harrowing tale, but one of immense courage and determination. Seeing Malini persevere in the face of adversity is empowering. Most children won’t likely have to rescue a whole community’s crops, but it might encourage them to take on greater responsibility as they grow up.

If Malini can do it, so can they!

There are four seasons in total, but spring is the only one that captures the spirit of youth and renewal. Learning more about it can provide children with a new perspective on life. It can also help them appreciate the world around them.

Let spring inspire your students by utilizing these great seasonal reads!