Spring has sprung, and here are some great books to help celebrate this growing and blossoming season. All of these are picture books and are good for younger children, except for the nonfiction books. Those books are good for all ages.

Maisy's Nature Walk, by Lucy Cousins , will take youngsters on a walk through spring with flowers bursting with colors and small critters coming to life. Cousins has her trademark splashes of colors and interactive pages that make this science adventure not to be missed!

Thank You, World, by Alice B. McGinty, and illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, brings to mind the earthly changes no matter where you live and helps you appreciate all the world has to give.

Another great book that is specifically about the seasons is And the Good Brown Earth, written and illustrated by Kathy Hernderson. This particular book focuses on the planting season. Gram and her young grandson, Joe, prepare the earth by digging, hoeing, planting, weeding and all of the activities that it takes to prepare a garden.

Sticky Burr: Adventures in Burrwood Forest, written and illustrated by John Lechner, greets the reader with seed pods, stick houses and sticky burrs, all of which are found at this time of the year. But in this wooded area, there is much to find where friends “stick” together.

Arabella Miller's Tiny Caterpillar, written and illustrated by Clare Jarrett, showcases another amazing phenomenon. Along with the renewed cycle of spring, comes the story of Arabella's little creature who seems to eat — and eat with the rhythm of life. “He ate and ate and grew and grew, for that's what caterpillars do. On sunny days and in the rain, he shed his skin time and again.” Here is an oversized book with the colors of the season that capture the essence of spring.

Another species of animals that change their form as the season progresses is the frog. Frances Barry is one of the most creative presenters of stories for young children. One of her books that I reviewed a few years ago, Duckies Rainbow , opens in a unique and intriguing way. Little Green Frogs begins with eggs hatching into tadpoles and changing on the turn of every page. But what makes this book so different is the way the pages are packaged to open. By the time you open the last page, the fully grown frogs are on a large extended lily pad.

Her other new book, Big Yellow Sunflower, teaches in a similar manner about the growth of this plant and how it opens into a full sunflower at the end.

On the Farm, by David Elliott, and illustrated by Holly Meade, is another oversized book that celebrates the awakening of life on the farm as all of the animals seem more full of life as the season warms.

Three factual accounts that relate to spring are excellent for all ages. Kingfisher Young Knowledge published Weather, by Caroline Harris. It takes you through the many facets of changing weather and describes it in a simplistic form. The photos throughout are amazing.

Scholastic First Discovery has two great books on this subject of animals in spring. Ladybugs and Other Insects and Butterflies take you through the life progression of these insects and teach much about how they change and live.