Children's Book Suggestions | Spring Holidays

There are so many holidays in March & April that we could barely fit them on this month's display sign! Here are a few of our favorite books for the 8 holidays coming up:


March 11 | Ramadan Begins

March 19 | Nowruz (Persian New Year)

March 19 | Spring Equinox

March 23 | Purim

March 25 | Holi

March 31 | Easter

April 9 | Eid al-Fitr (Ramadan Ends)

April 22 | Passover

May 5 | Pascha (Orthodox Christian Easter)

Updated February 16, 2024
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Lailah's lunchbox : a Ramadan story
Faruqi, Reem
Paper Book
Lailah solves her problem with help from the school librarian and her teacher and in doing so learns that she can make new friends who respect her beliefs. This gentle, moving story from first-time author Reem Faruqi comes to life in Lea Lyon's vibrant illustrations. Lyon uses decorative...

A story exploring the dynamics of fasting in an elementary school environment. (Holiday Picture Book Age 7-10)

March 11 | Ramadan Begins

Moon's Ramadan
Kazi, Natasha Khan
Paper Book
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection A School Library Journal Best Book A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book A Bank Street Best Children's Book With radiant and welcoming art, Natasha Khan Kazi's debut picture book is a modern holiday classic that...

A moon's eye view of the monthlong holiday, which begins on the first night of the crescent moon and ends one lunar cycle later with Eid al-Fitr. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

March 11 | Ramadan Begins

Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr
Khan, Sara
Paper Book

Follow a family through a month of Ramadan activities, including Eid al-Fitr! (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

March 11 | Ramadan Begins

The gift of Ramadan
Lumbard, Alexis York
Paper Book
Sophia wants to fast for Ramadan this year. Her grandma tells her that fasting helps make a person sparkly--and Sophia loves sparkles. But when her attempt at fasting fails, Sophia must find another way to participate. This lovely multigenerational family story explores the many ways to take part in...

A family helps a child who's too young to fast find other ways to observe Ramadan. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

March 11 | Ramadan Begins

The monster in the bathhouse
Merabian, Sina
Paper Book
How to Catch a Monster meets Persian myth in this engaging picture book set in a lively Iranian bathhouse the day before the Persian New Year as three boys encounter something unexpected. The bathhouse is always busy the day before Nowruz. Everyone wants to be clean for...

Three small boys spot a monster in the bathhouse as they prepare for Nowruz celebrations. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-7)

March 19 | Nowruz (Persian New Year)

The wheel of the year : an illustrated guide to nature's rhythms
Cook, Fiona
Paper Book
A beautifully illustrated, interactive guide to ancient, nature-based holidays and customs. Through themed meditations, crafts, and rituals, young readers can learn about old and new ways of honoring the seasons--and create their own! Each "spoke" in The Wheel of...

A great resource for families who celebrate nature-based holidays with ties to pre-Christian European traditions, which includes activity ideas for the 8 major spokes in the Wheel of the Year--including Ostara or the Spring Equinox. (Holiday Book Age 8-12)

March 19 | Spring Equinox

And then it's spring
Fogliano, Julie.
Paper Book
Following a snow-filled winter, a young boy and his dog decide that they've had enough of all that brown and resolve to plant a garden. They dig, they plant, they play, they wait . . . and wait . . . until at last, the brown becomes a more hopeful shade of brown, a sign that spring may finally be...

My favorite spring readaloud, written by acclaimed children's poet Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner Erin E. Stead. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

March 19 | Spring Equinox

Happy springtime!
McMullan, Kate
Paper Book
When winter is at its coldest and darkest, take heart! Every day the sun shines longer, Spring is on its way! All winter, the days grow a little bit longer, The nights grow a little bit shorter, until the day becomes exactly as long as the night. On that day we...

A celebration of spring by the beloved author of I Stink! (Picture Book Age 4-8)

March 19 | Spring Equinox

Hello spring!
Rotner, Shelley
Paper Book
A vibrant celebration of the natural changes and human joys of springtime   A cacophonous celebration of nature's return to vibrancy after a long, quiet winter, Hello Spring! features bright, enticing photographs from award-winning National Geographic...

Short, poetic text and engaging photos of kids playing in nature introduce readers to the natural wonders of spring. (Children's Nonfiction Age 4-8)

March 19 | Spring Equinox

Snowman - cold = puddle : spring equations
Salas, Laura Purdie
Paper Book
Poetry + Math + Science = A new way of looking at spring Math meets metaphor in this eye-opening exploration of spring. Each clever equation is a tiny, perfect poem that prompts readers to look at the ordinary and see the miraculous. Can you look at an egg in a nest and see a...

Poetry and math combine in this concept book about the changes that occur as spring brings warmer weather. (Children's Nonfiction Age 4-8)

March 19 | Spring Equinox

Purr-im time
Waldman, Jenna
Paper Book
"A welcome addition for secular and religious collections alike." --School Library Journal "Filled with movement and joy" --Kirkus Reviews "Upbeat . . . (these) kitties clearly live in an active, exuberant Jewish community" --Publishers Weekly A PJ...

A trio of adorable kittens celebrate Purim with costumes, sweet treats, and other traditions. (Holiday Picture Book Age 3-6)

March 23 | Purim

Festival of colors
Sehgal, Kabir
Paper Book
Learn all about Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors, in this lush picture book from bestselling mother/son duo Surishtha Sehgal and Kabir Sehgal. Spring is here, and it's almost time for Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors. Siblings Mintoo and Chintoo are busy gathering flowers...

A brother and sister duo prepare for Holi, including harvesting flowers and crushing the dried petals to make colorful powder to toss during the celebrations. (Holiday Picture Book Age 2-8)

March 25 | Holi

Holi hai!
Soundar, Chitra
Paper Book
"Soundar's clear, concise text provides an excellent introduction to Holi and its significance, as well as a beautiful story about love and forgiveness, making it a great choice for reading alone or sharing with family."--Booklist Celebrate the...

A young girl struggles with disappointment when she isn't able to toss her favorite color in the Holi celebrations. (Children's Picture Book Age 4-8)

March 25 | Holi

We're going on an egg hunt
Hughes, Laura (Illustrator of children's books)
Paper Book
A perfect story for Easter and springtime, this delightful read-aloud also features ten lift-the-flaps! We're going on an egg hunt. We're going to find them all. We're REALLY excited. Hooray for Easter Day! Join a family of bunnies...

An Easter egg hunt twist on the classic rhyme "We're Going on a Bear Hunt." (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

March 31 | Easter

Minerva Louise and the colorful eggs
Stoeke, Janet Morgan.
Paper Book
Minerva Louise, the feather-brained fowl Publishers Weekly called "unquestionably a star," is enjoying springtime on the farm . . . until she finds some very peculiar eggs. Blue eggs, pink eggs, striped and spotted eggs.And they're in the strangest places--which hen is laying her eggs on top...

The Amelia Bedelia of fictional chickens solves the mystery of colored eggs on the farm. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

March 31 | Easter

Pick a perfect egg
Toht, Patricia
Paper Book
The creators of Pick a Pine Tree and Pick a Pumpkin return with another seasonal celebration, one that deserves a spot in every Easter basket. Pick a perfect egg with care-- Choose a white one nestled there. Gather more and softly...

A sweet story that walks children through the process of dying Easter eggs. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

March 31 | Easter

Bear finds eggs
Wilson, Karma
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller Bear and his friends hunt for missing eggs in this new picture book adventure in the bestselling series. Mama Meadowlark can't find her eggs! Bear and his friends pitch in to help and search high and low. Each time they find...

The protagonist of Karma Wilson's beloved Bear books joins his friends for an egg hunt in their forest community. (Holiday Picture Book Age 3-7)

March 31 | Easter

Max's chocolate chicken
Wells, Rosemary.
Paper Book
Max and his sister Ruby go on an egg hunt and vie with each other for the prize--a chocolate chicken.

In possibly the greatest Easter book of all time, Max can't keep his bunny paws off the chocolate chicken prize for the Easter egg hunt winner. (Holiday Picture Book Age 3-7)

March 31 | Easter

Is this . . . Easter?
Yoon, Helen
Paper Book
What's the deal with all the eggs? With her trademark visual humor and comic timing, Helen Yoon takes a look at a puzzling holiday tradition. Look, an egg! An egg left by a bunny! What does that mean? It means it's time to celebrate . . . Easter! Or is it time to celebrate...

A group of dogs debates the age-old question: are eggs for eating or are they for painting? (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

March 31 | Easter

Here comes the Easter Cat!
Underwood, Deborah.
Paper Book
This New York Times bestseller brings acat with flair to spare, an Easter Bunny with a job to do, and a hilarious break from sticky-sweet Easter fare-for fans of Patrick McDonnell, Mo Willems'sElephant and Piggie, and Ben Clanton's Narwhal and Jelly. Why should the Easter...

A cheeky cat makes his case for taking over for the Easter bunny. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

March 31 | Easter

First words of Easter
Marie, Madeleine
Paper Book
Introduce your little one to the story of Easter with this colorful first words primer. Perfect for curious little ones, this book tells the story of Easter in bite-sized pieces. Short sentences and colorful illustrations guide children through the momentous story-...

A concept book that uses the Easter story to teach simple words to babies and toddlers. (Board Book Age 0-2)

March 31 | Easter

Petook : an Easter story
Houselander, Caryll.
Paper Book
The birth of new chicks underscores the joyous message of new life.

Illustrated by the wonderful Tomie dePaola, this modern folktale celebrates the Easter story. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

March 31 | Easter

The night before Eid : a Muslim family story
Khalil, Aya
Paper Book
Celebrate the end of Ramadan with this luminous Muslim family story about faith, history, and delicious foods. On the night before Eid, it's finally time to make special sweet treats: Teita's famous ka'ak. Zain eagerly unpacks the ingredients from his grandmother's bulky...

An Egyptian-American family prepares for the feast that marks the end of the month-long Ramadan holiday. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

April 9 | Eid al-Fitr (Ramadan Ends)

The Passover guest
Kusel, Susan
Paper Book
Sydney Taylor Award Winner A girl's kindness to a mysterious magician leads to a Passover miracle. Beautifully illustrated and deftly told, this story full of hope, tradition-- and just a touch of magic-- is a new Passover classic in the making. It...

A young girl in 1930s Washington, D.C. experiences a bit of Passover magic in this historical fiction tale. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

April 22 | Passover

An invitation to Passover
Olitzky, Kerry M.
Paper Book
When Hannah's extended family isn't able to join her for their traditional Passover seder, she invites her diverse group of friends to experience the holiday with her. From Ha-joon's Korean kimchi, to Monique's hymn lyrics, each friend brings a bit of their own culture to the celebration. And with...

A group of diverse classmates join their Jewish friend Hannah for a Passover seder at home. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

April 22 | Passover

Welcoming Elijah : a Passover tale with a tail
Newman, Lesléa
Paper Book
Winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award and the National Jewish Book Award, Welcoming Elijah by celebrated author Leslea Newman, unites a young boy and a stray kitten in a warm, lyrical story about Passover, family, and friendship. Inside, a boy and his family sit around...

A boy preparing to welcome Elijah for the Passover celebration finds a stray kitten outside his home. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

April 22 | Passover

Beni's tiny tales : around the year in Jewish holidays
Zalben, Jane Breskin
Paper Book
Join Beni and his family as they celebrate a year in Jewish Holidays, including all their favorite craft activities, recipes, songs, and stories for each occasion. The perfect gift book that gives all year long. Chronicling a full year of Jewish festivities--from...

Jane Breskin Zalben introduces a new generation of her Beni stories with Beni's children, nephews, and nieces with stories, recipes, and activities for each of the Jewish holidays--including Passover. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

April 22 | Passover

P. Zonka lays an egg
Paschkis, Julie.
Paper Book
When dreamy hen P. Zonka starts laying eggs, the other chickens are in for a spectacular surprise! Extraordinary hen P. Zonka spends her time taking in the beauty around her- the shiny green of the grass, the buttery yellow of the dandelions, the deep blue of the sky. The other...

A farmyard chicken lays a spectacular egg inspired by the Ukrainian egg decorating tradition. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

May 5 | Pascha (Orthodox Christian Easter)

Rechenka's eggs
Polacco, Patricia.
Paper Book
Old Babushka, known throughout all of Moskva for her beautifully painted eggs, is preparing her eggs for the Easter Festival when she takes in an injured goose. She names the goose Rechenka, and they live happily together until one day when Rechenka accidentally overturns a basket, breaking all of...

A beloved Ukrainian-American illustrator pays homage to art of pysanky in this story about a grandmother who takes in an injured goose while preparing eggs for Easter. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)

May 5 | Pascha (Orthodox Christian Easter)


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