MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS by Robert McCloskey We can't have a Spring Series without McCloskey's Make Way For Ducklings. Mr. And Mrs. Mallard are looking for the perfect place to build their nest, but they keep running into obstacles. Will they find a safe spot for their little ducklings? McCloskey's endearing drawings are a delight for children and parents alike!

MUDPIES AND OTHER RECIPES by Marjorie Winslow This is a recipe book for making mud pies! How precious is that? I don't know about your kids, but mine have spent hours concocting all kinds of "deliciousness" from their playhouse kitchen! When I found this book, I couldn't pass it up. The black and white illustrations are priceless! Alongside Activity- Grab several varieties of dirt, a pail of water, moss, pine needles, leaves, pebbles, etc and mix up a delightful batch of something!

DIARY OF A WORM by Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Harry Bliss. Ever wonder what goes through the mind of an earthworm? Diary of a Worm is a hilarious look into an earthworm's day. Get ready for some great laughs!

NORTHWIND by Gary Paulsen For all the upper elementary and older kids who loved the book Hatchet, Northwind will not disappoint. Leif is an orphaned boy who lives with sailors. When Cholera strikes and people start dying, Leif and another small boy are loaded into a canoe and told to head north. This book tracks that journey and many near death experiences.  Author Gary Paulsen passed in 2021, and Northwind was published in 2022. There is a substantial amount of author's notes in the back sharing adventures Paulsen had as a boy that he wrote into Leif's story. It is truly amazing. It also becomes very clear how Paulsen was such a genius at writing adventure/survival novels. Heads Up- D--- is used approx 3 times. Several people die due to cholera and there is some decent description of what infected people went through. Several life threatening situations. Leif is obviously Scandinavian ( most likely Norwegian) and looks to Odin for guidance.

OTIS AND THE TORNADO by Loren Long WEATHER WORDS AND WHAT THEY MEAN by Gail Gibbons With all the changes in weather that March and April bring, it's a great time to discuss tornadoes and weather words in general.  Otis and the Tornado is a gentle way to introduce your child to big storms and tornadoes. Otis is a very sweet tractor that cares for the animals on a farm. Loren Long develops a very caring tractor character in spite of dealing sometimes with difficult animals and situations. Gail Gibbons' Weather Words and What They Mean helps kids to understand what weather terms they may hear a forecaster or adult say. It can also help them expand their vocabulary when describing different degrees of wind or storms they may encounter. Alongside Activity- Track the weather with your child for a week or month on a piece of paper. Write the date, the temperature, and draw a picture of what's happening in the sky (sun, blue skies, cloudy, etc.) Use your new vocab to describe the conditions!

"STAND BACK," SAID THE ELEPHANT, "I'M GOING TO SNEEZE!" by Patricia Thomas. Illustrations by Wallace Tripp. In honor of spring and allergies here is "Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!" Written in rhyming verse the animals are all in a panic, because the elephant has announced that he has to sneeze. They all remember what happened the last time he did. Get ready to giggle! This book is tons of fun!

WATERCRESS by Andrea Wang. Illustrated by Jason Chin. Watercress by Andrea Wang is a powerful read set in rural Ohio. Wang writes from her personal memories of picking watercress alongside country roads with her immigrant parents. It's a book of desiring to fit in but receiving a glimpse into her parents' past. Watercress won the 2022 Caldecott Medal. Heads Up- It is clear (though they don't come right out and say it) that in the mother's past a brother died due to famine. Alongside Activity- see if you can get your hands on some watercress. Talk to someone who has a clean spring. Chances are there may be watercress around. Tuck a little on a corner of a sandwich to try. It does have a strong taste, so start slowly!

I MUST BETRY YOU by Ruta Sepetys Just finished Ruta Sepetys I Must Betray You. Set in Romania during the time of Nicolae Ceausescu's dictatorship, this book gives you a good look at the hopelessness of Communism. What becomes so heartbreaking is not being able to trust anyone. Informers are everywhere. An especially good read as we see what Russia is doing to the Ukraine, and we move towards socialism in this country. Ruta Sepetys is a historical fiction author that is considered a "cross over" author. This means her books appeal to teens and adults alike. Heads Up- Nothing major- a couple minor cusswords and brutality for not following the government.

THE IMAGINARIES: LITTLE SCRAPS OF LARGER STORIES by Elizabeth Winfield Martin The Imaginaries: Little Scraps of Larger Stories by Emily Winfield Martin (author of Snow and Rose) is a book to ignite the imagination. Martin uses a whimsical watercolor picture and a simple sentence to begin the idea of a story that could be launched a million different ways by a child. In our homeschool we always meet at the beginning of our day for prayer, scripture, and reading of some sort. From my oldest to my youngest they enjoy coming up with an explanation of the picture during that time. We keep it lighthearted, and it is always so interesting how each child will come up with a different idea for what is happening! It's a fun activity for sparking the imagination!

By Phoebe Dunn This little series of books by Phoebe Dunn about kids and their baby animals is so cute! Real life photographs follow a child interacting and caring for their pets. Very well done and great for spring!

SNOW AND ROSE by Emily Winfield Martin Every child has their "go-to" books. This would be one of Annie's. She received this book in her Christmas box when she was 10 and still enjoys it. Emily Winfield Martin was "enchanted and haunted" by Grimm's Snow White and Rose Red, so she wrote and illustrated her own version. Snow and Rose grow up in the lap of luxury, but one day their father takes a trip and never returns. They must leave their beautiful home and move to a cottage in the middle of an enchanted wood, and the adventure unfolds. Winfield's endearing watercolors make this tale all the more magical.

THE UNWANTEDS by Lisa McMann The Unwanteds has been around for a few years now, but one of my girls just picked it up. The Kirkus Review on the front of the cover compares it to "the Hunger Games meets Harry Potter," but I would say it is a less intense version of both. It is a dystopian novel where every year a group of kids are unwanted because of several different reasons but largely creativity. Everyone thinks the Unwanteds are being put to death, but actually they're rescued and taken to another "world" where their creativity is encouraged and magic is taught (no actual spells are written in the book). At some point the two worlds have to collide, and there are consequences. Overall, I find this to be a pretty mediocre book, until we get close to the end and unwanted kids want to take revenge on family members (for walking away from them when they were deemed "unwanted") by desiring to kill them. Sometimes it works out for the kid, sometimes it backfires on them. I also don't get excited about one of the worlds being led by a High Priestess (it's a terminology thing for me). This really seems to just be for show as she is not worshipped or leading any form of worship. This is the only book I have read in the series, so I can't speak for the rest of the series.