There are so many things going on in the month of April! We celebrate April Fool’s Day, Easter, Passover, Earth Day, Spring and Poetry Month. Here is a fun list that covers a little bit of everything.
Ellie May on April Fools’ Day (Ellie May Chapter Books) by Hillary Homzie
(Grades 1-4) Quirky and funny Ellie May can’t believe her class is allowed to celebrate April Fools’ Day–so long as it’s done in good fun. She absolutely loves the idea of targeting a certain someone–the practically perfect Ava. Practicing on her parents and sisters, Ellie May begins to brainstorm harmless pranks. But her good intentions quickly turn the classroom and her home upside-down!
April Foolishness by Teresa Bateman (Grades K-2)
Grandpa’s no chump. The grandchildren have come to the farm for the day and they hurtle through the door with all manner of wild news: The cows are loose! The pigs are in the tomatoes! The sheep are eating the neighbor’s lawn! “Grandpa, oh, Grandpa! / The goats are all freed! / They’re running around / in a smelly stampede!” But Grandpa knows that it’s April 1st and he isn’t biting.
April Fools’ Mr. Todd! (Judy Moody and Friends, Book 8) by Megan McDonald (Grades PK-2)
April Fools’ Day is Judy Moody’s favorite day of the year. And this year, thanks to an awesome present from her brother, Stink she’s got the perfect prank to play on her teacher Mr. Todd. But in all the excitement over spaghetti trees, April fish, and fools’ errands, Judy worries that something else will be forgotten by Mr. Todd and Class 3T altogether: April 1 also happens to be Judy’s birthday!
The Great Eggscape! By Jory John (Grades K-3)
Shel (an egg) isn’t a huge fan of group activities, especially when he’s made to be “It” for a game of hide-and-seek. Nevertheless, Shel doesn’t want to let his friends down, so he reluctantly plays, anyway. But after a morning of hiding and seeking, somebody’s still missing. Will the dozen egg friends ever be reunited?
Happy Easter from the Crayons by Drew Daywalt (Grades K-3)
Easter is the perfect holiday for crayons! They get to learn new shapes and decorate one giant egg together…but where will they hide it?! Blue Crayon has some ideas…
The Easter Bunny’s Assistant by Jan Thomas (Grades K-3)
Who knew the Easter Bunny had an assistant? Well, he does, and he is a skunk. When the Easter Bunny tries to teach Skunk the art of Easter egg dyeing, in five simple steps, they immediately run into problems. Skunk gets so excited by step 1—hard-boiling the eggs—that he emits an odor. It is not a small odor either. “Please try to control yourself,” says Bunny, but steps 2 through 3 are also exciting, so step 4 becomes necessary: “REMOVE SKUNK FROM ROOM (push if necessary).” Luckily, a nose peg for Bunny brings happy harmony.
Asteroid Goldberg: Passover in Outer Space by Brianna Caplan Sayres (Grades K-3)
What do you do when you’re caught in outer space over the Passover holiday? You get really creative with the Seder!
A Persian Passover by Etan Basseri (Grades PK-2)
Ezra and Roza are helping to prepare for their Passover celebration. Ezra is proud to be in charge of bringing his family’s flour to the synagogue to be baked into matzah in a traditional wood-burning oven. But when Ezra makes a mistake and the matzah is ruined, what will he and his sister Roza, do?
The Passover Guest by Susan Kusel (Grades K-3)
In the spring of 1933, young Muriel’s family cannot celebrate Passover properly because her father is unemployed and food is scarce. While walking, she spies a man in rags juggling on the Lincoln Memorial steps. Delighted, she gifts him with her last penny, and he urges her to hurry home to her seder. That evening, the stranger knocks at their door; they invite him in and are shocked to discover a magnificent feast to share with him and their hungry neighbors.
My Friend Earth by Patricia MacLachlan (Grades PK-2)
Earth, portrayed as a cherubic brown-skinned giant with long hair, makes her way through the seasons. After waking from a wintertime snooze, “My friend Earth” carries out her various duties.
What a Waste by Jess French (Grades 1-4)
Everything you need to know about what we’re doing to our environment, good and bad, from pollution and litter to renewable energy and plastic recycling. This environmental book will teach young ecologists about how our actions affect planet Earth. Discover shocking facts about the waste we produce and where it goes. Did you know that every single plastic toothbrush ever made still exists? Or that there’s a floating mass of garbage twice the size of Texas drifting around the Pacific Ocean?
Trees Make Perfect Pets by Paul Czajak (Grades K-3)
When a young girl chooses a tree as a pet, she won’t be dissuaded or discouraged by people’s comments. And there are many, starting with her family members when Abigail makes her wish for a pet tree known before blowing out her seven birthday candles. But she neutralizes them all with clever counterarguments. At a nursery, Abigail chooses “Fido,” a dogwood in a gray pot, and the two are inseparable.
What Does It Mean to Be Green? By Rana DiOrio (Grades K-3)
What does it really mean to be green? The answers might surprise you! From turning off the water while you brush your teeth to walking to the park instead of driving, and even recycling or reusing old artwork, there are all kinds of things kids can do to help keep the earth clean and healthy! With lots of amazing facts and helpful tips, readers will learn all about how their small choices can make a big difference–kids can change the world!
Robins!: How They Grow Up by Eileen Christelow (Grades 1-4)
Narrated by two “teenage” robin brothers just a few months old, this book offers an intimate view of a bird family’s story. First, Dad chooses and defends his territory. After Mom’s arrival, she builds a nest and lays four eggs. A squirrel devours one, but the others hatch. Mom and Dad feed their hatchlings “about 350 insects and 14 feet of worms—each!” Two weeks old, the three fledglings leave their nest and learn to feed, bathe, and preen themselves. A hawk captures one to feed his babies. Finally, at five months, the surviving two brothers fly south with their flock.
When Green Becomes Tomatoes by Julie Fogliano (Grades 1-4)
This collection of nearly fifty poems begins and ends on “march 20” with a blue bird on a flowering tree branch (and with the same poem). In between are poems for days throughout the year.
