22 best kids' books for spring

Written and illustrated by Loryn Brantz, Disney-Hyperion (AGES 0-2).

Feminist Baby likes pink and blue, chooses what to wear, and doesn’t care what anyone thinks. And of course, she makes as much noise as she wants! This board book is a great way to introduce tiny tots to feminism and equality. $14, indigo.ca

Written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Adam Rex, HarperCollins (AGES 4-8). 
From the author that brought us The Day the Crayons Quit comes a laugh-out-loud story about the origins of this well-loved hand game. Rock comes from the Kingdom of Backyard, Paper is from the Empire of Mom’s Home Office, and Scissors hails from the Kitchen Realm. What will happen when these warriors meet? $22, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Elise Gravel, HarperCollins (AGES 8–12).

Olga loves science and animals, so when she discovers the species olgamus ridiculus, she must find out everything about him. When he goes missing, she knows what to do: Use the scientific method to find him! $16, indigo.ca

Written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen, Candlewick (AGES 5-9). 

Triangle tries to pull a trick on his friend Square, but things don’t exactly go as planned. Kids will love this humourous story and the perfectly geometrical illustrations. $22, indigo.ca

Written by Cary Fagan and illustrated by Zoe Si, Tundra Books (AGES 7-10).

Renata Wolfman (Wolfie) likes doing everything by herself. Friends only get in the way and she only has time for facts and reading. But when she meets the weird boy next door Livingstone Flott (Fly) she starts to realize that maybe there is something to this friendship thing… $20, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Matthew Van Fleet, Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (AGES 2+).

When a little baby chick decides he wants to learn how to dance, he turns to a friendly jazzy band of animals to teach him all the right moves. Tiny tots will love the sturdy pull tabs that make the different animals bounce in this board book. $27, indigo.ca

Written by Bill Richardson and illustrated by Roxanna Bikadoroff, Groundwood Books (AGES 5-9). 

Each night, there’s a peculiar thief that comes out to steal letters, changing the world as she goes along (bowls become owls when you take away the B!) But one day the Zs fight back so the other letters can escape! $18, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Anne Fleming, Groundwood Books (AGES 9-11).
When Kid moves to New York City with her parents for a six-month stint of dog-sitting and home-schooling, she meets her new lively neighbours and hears a rumour about a  goat that lives on the roof of her apartment building and can bring people luck. When she meets another home-schooled kid named Will— who’s scared of looking out windows since his parents died on 9/11—Kid and her new friend set out to uncover the truth about the goat and whether or not seeing it can turn things around in Will’s life. $17, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Ted Harrison, Tundra Books (AGES 0-3). 

A is for anorak, B is for bear and Z is for zinc mine. This board book will teach toddlers about all the different aspects of Northern life. $13, indigo.ca

Written by Emma Donoghue and illustrated by Caroline Hadilaksono, HarperCollins (AGES 8-12). 
From the writer of Room comes a kids’ story about a family called the Lotterys. They call themselves that because they won a lottery jackpot and moved into a mansion with their wnnings. The Lotterys are a little different than your average family though: They’re headed up by a lesbian couple and a gay couple who joined forces to create one large, rumbustious, multicultural family where each kid is home-schooled. For one of the kids, nine-year-old Sumac, life is perfectly normal! But when Grandpa comes to vist, the Lotterys are in for some surprises. $20, indigo.ca

Written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Rebecca Cobb, PanMacmillan (ALL AGES).

The Everywhere Bear belongs to Class One. He gets to spend quality time with each child in that classroom because someone gets to take him home every weekend. But one day, he falls out of a kid’s backpack and goes on an adventure of his own. Will he find his way back to the school? $23, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by R.J. Palacios, Random House Children’s Books (AGES 4-8). 
Over 5 million people have fallen in love with the middle-grade bestseller Wonder and have joined the movement to Choose Kind. Now younger readers can also meet Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face, and his beloved dog, Daisy. Auggie feels like a normal kid and does normal things, but he’s not always seen that way by his peers because his face is a little different. Families will love this story about teaching kindness and empathy. $25, indigo.ca

Written by Karuna Riazi, Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (AGES 8-12).

When twelve-year-old Farah and her two best friends get trapped inside a mechanical board game (think Jumanji) called The Gauntlet of Blood and Sand, they must defeat the game’s evil maker if they want to get out. $23, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Tyler Clark Burke, OwlKids Books Inc. (AGES 3-7). 

Bill has a terrible beak-ache! Since he’s a bowerbird—a type of bird that collects scraps to create elaborate colour-sorted nests—he hopes one of his friends might be able to give him an object that will alleviate the ache. $19, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Aaron Blabey, Scholastic (AGES 7-10). 

Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark and Mr. Wolf embark on their next Good Guy mission to save 10,000 chickens from a high-tech cage farm. However, they’ll be up against lasers, a feisty tarantula and more. What could possibly go wrong? $8, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Ian Falconer, Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books (AGES 4-8).

In the days leading up to her birthday, Olivia overhears her mom talking about her bad behaviour. Does this mean there will be no birthday? Is Mom sending Olivia off to military school instead?! $22, indigo.ca

Written by Margaret Atwood and illustrated by Duan Petricic, Groundwood Books (AGES 7-10). 

From a story of a boy running away from his relatives to make a friend with more refined tastes, to the tale of Wenda and her woodchuck companion, young chapter book readers will love this trio of some of Margaret Atwood’s fables. The stories’ fun wordplay makes them great for reading aloud or independently. $17, indigo.ca

Written by Lemony Snicket and illustrated by Lisa Brown, Roaring Brook Press (AGES 3-6).

Goldfish Ghost lives above a fishbowl that’s on a dresser in a boy’s room. But Goldfish Ghost is lonely and wants company, so one day he leaves the room to go find a friend. $25, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay, Groundwood Books (AGES 5-8).
What do trees talk about? Do snails have nightmares? Do mothers always tell the truth? These hilarious short stories tell us exactly what goes on in kids’ brains. $20, indigo.ca
 

Written by J.K Rowling and illustrated by Jonny Duddle, Bloomsbury (AGES 8-12).

Introduce your little wizards and witches to Newt Scamander’s magical beasts in this Hogwarts-approved textbook with a new foreword from J.K. Rowling. While Harry Potter fans will recognize some beasts like the Hippogriff, the Basilisk, the Hungarian Horntail, some in this book might even surprise them! $27, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Drew Brockington, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (AGES 6-10). 

When the world goes dark due to a global energy shortage, it’s up to the Catstronauts—Major Meowser, pilot Waffles, technician and inventor Blanket and science officer Pom Pom—to set up a solar powerplant on the moon. $23, indigo.ca

By DK Books (AGES 8-12). 

Teach kids all about influential women like Emily Dickinson, J.K. Rowling, Joan of Arc, Frida Kahlo and Malala Yousafzai. $21, indigo.ca

Read more: Learning to read: What age is the “right” age? 15 creative ways to get kids reading (that really work!) 100 best Canadian kids’ books of all time