About the Holiday
Yesterday we celebrated the spring equinox, which means that spring is officially here! With the coming of longer and warmer days, we’re looking forward to the return of vibrant color on trees and in gardens, birds, bees, and butterflies flitting here and there, all the fun activities the outdoors provides, and, of course, the books that bring cheer and meaning to the season.
Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House for sharing a digital copy of this book with me!
Little Bunny, Spring Is Here!
By Deborah Marcero
Little Bunny and Field Mouse are walking through the woods. Little Bunny doesn’t see much evidence of spring, yet, and wonders when it will come. Looking at a tiny green shoot, Field Mouse has some good news. “I think spring is coming, Little Bunny,” she says. Little Bunny is excited and wants to go off to find it.
Text and Illustration © 2025 by Deborah Marcero. Courtesy of G.P. Putnam’s Books for Young Readers.
They meet up with Duck, who’s still wearing a winter hat but offers to join the search—leaving someone else behind in the tall grass at the edge of the pond. In a cave they find Black Bear awake and ready to explore. A short walk in the rain brings them to the welcome shelter of Chipmunk’s hollow log. Soon, the rain stops, the clouds disperse, and the sun rises high in the sky. The five friends scan the surrounding hillside, where pale green leaves appear on tree branches, turning darker along with the grass that carpets the meadow.
The rain has also brought bubbling water to the river, and glowing rainbows to the sky. In a blink “Flowers bloomed” and “Bees zoomed! Birds sang.” In fact, “Spring SPRANG!” Little Bunny celebrated. “Spring is here, everyone! And so it was.”
Text and Illustration © 2025 by Deborah Marcero. Courtesy of G.P. Putnam’s Books for Young Readers.
Adorable in every way, Little Bunny, Spring Is Here! will delight little ones with its cute characters, sweet friendships, and magical landscape that blooms in time-bending quickness. Deborah Marcero’s engaging storytelling ushers in spring with repeated phrases that youngest readers will love joining in on. After the rain brings a transformation, Marcero invites little ones to welcome spring’s beauty with lively, two-word rhyming verses. Little Bunny’s final announcement of spring’s arrival is one we all can cheer.
Marcero’s bright and charming illustrations provide surprises on every page as the group of endearing friends goes searching for spring. Wise little readers will have fun recognizing and pointing out the signs of spring, such as tadpoles in the pond, those “April showers,” and blossoms galore before Little Rabbit and the rest of the gang discover them. And don’t forget to look for hearts among the leaves and flowers. Adults and kids will also share a giggle as the little tadpoles line up in the pond for their turn to use Black Bear’s snout as a diving board as, in a bound, each instantly transforms into a frog.
A lovely, multilayered board book, Little Bunny, Spring Is Here! is a perfect read aloud as well as a terrific take-along choice for spring and summer outings to invite kids to find signs of the changing seasons. The book is highly recommended for home, preschool, and library collections.
Ages Birth – 3
G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 2025 | ISBN 978-0593698969
Deborah Marcero is the author and illustrator of the picture book bestsellers In a Jar, which was called “stunning” in a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and “beguiling” by the Wall Street Journal, and Out of a Jar, which was an Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year and was called “simultaneously simple and profound” in a starred review from School Library Journal. She also wrote and illustrated the picture book My Heart Is a Compass and the Haylee and Comet emerging reader series. Learn more at deborahmarcero.com and follow her on Instagram.
Celebrate Spring Activity
Bunny Candy or Organizer Jar
A little bit of candy makes Easter or any spring day sweeter! With this Sweet Bunny Candy Jar, you can give a child, a friend, or even yourself a special treat that will make you hoppy!
Supplies
- Printable Hat Rim and Bunny Ears Template
- Baby food jar (I used a Beech-Nut Naturals jar)
- White fleece, 8 ½ inches by 11 inches
- 1 piece of colored foam
- Small piece of pink foam or felt for nose
- Googly eyes (I used oval)
- Medium pom-pom
- Multi-surface paint, purple (for the hat)
- Fabric glue (I used Fabric-Tac)
- Black ultra-fine or fine tip permanent marker
- Large nail or ice pick
- Hammer
- Scissors
Directions
- Remove label from baby food jar
- Clean and dry jar and lid
- Trace the hat rim template onto the purple foam
- Cut out the rim of the hat and remove the center
- Trace the ears template onto the white fleece and cut out
To Make the Body and Face
- Cut a 2-inch wide by 7-inch long strip of white fleece
- Glue the strip of fleece to the jar under the lip and leaving about ½ inch of glass showing at the bottom
- Glue on the googly eyes
- Cut a little nose from the pink foam and glue to the face
- Make the mouth with the permanent marker on a little piece of fleece, cut out and glue under the nose
To Make the Hat
- Paint the lid with the purple paint. Let dry.
- (Adult Needed) With the nail or ice pick and hammer, make a hole on either side of the lid to insert the ears. You can make the hole a little bigger with a phillips head screwdriver
- Flip the lid over and hammer the edges of the hole flat
- Trace the hat rim template onto the purple foam and cut out
To Insert the Ears
- Pinch the end of one ear together and push it through one hole in the lid.
- Pull it through the hole a bit to form the ear
- Repeat with the other ear
Finish the Bunny
- Add the foam rim to the lid
- Glue the pom-pom to the back of the jar for the tail
- Add M&Ms, jelly beans, or other small candy
You can purchase Little Bunny, Spring Is Here! from these booksellers
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop (to support your local independent bookstore)
Picture Book Review
celebratepicturebooks.com 