Books about gardening

Check out our giant list of garden books for kids!

Tops & Bottoms, by Janet Stevens

Rabbit’s family is in need of some income, so Rabbit approaches the lazy bear next door with a proposition: his family will do all the work in Bear’s weedy garden patch in exchange for a share of the produce. Bear agrees that Rabbit will get the bottoms, and Bear will get the tops. Of course Rabbit plants all root vegetables!  The next time around, Bear agrees that he will get the bottoms. But Rabbit plants lettuce.  Finally Bear demands both the tops and the bottoms, and Rabbit plants corn — and keeps the middles.  A wonderful book and a must-read!

Jo MacDonald Had a Garden, by Mary Quattlebaum

This is a cute, cheerful book that got giggles from my Four as soon as he realized that the book followed the pattern of the familiar “Old McDonald” song.  In the garden was some sun… with a glow-glow here and a glow-glow there… Fun to read!

The Ugly Vegetables, by Grace Lin

The main character loves her neighbors’ beautiful flower gardens and is embarrassed by the big, ugly Chinese vegetables in her own family’s garden.  But at the end of the story, when her mother makes a delicious vegetable soup, the neighbors come to her house and offer to trade their flowers for a bowl of soup!  My Four requested this one often and was disappointed when I returned it to the library.

What’s in the Garden? by Marianne Berkes

This is a brilliant book with rhymes about garden vegetables… turn the page to see the mystery vegetable and get a simple recipe kids can make with their parents!  Another strength of this book is the beautiful paintings of multicultural children.  My Four resisted the book at first (“This is boring!”), but soon becam interested in guessing the vegetable on each page.

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, by Kate Messner

This is a beautiful book which tells what the animals are doing up in the garden and down in the dirt while a girl gardens with her Nana.  It’s long, but interesting.

The Giant Carrot, by Jan Peck

We liked this hillbilly version of the familiar Russian folktale.   Papa Joe, Wide Mama Bess, and Brother Abel don’t think Little Isabelle has what it takes to help grow and pick their giant carrot. But it takes the work of the whole family to pull the carrot from the ground – and it’s little Isabelle whose strength helps the most.

A Garden Alphabet, by Isabel Wilner

If you’re familiar with Miss Bindergarten, you’ll recognize the illustrations in this gardening ABC book.  While I liked the book, my Four wasn’t impressed, and I had to push through it.  It might be one to read midway through your unit; see if your students can predict what gardening words will go with each letter.

Rosario’s Fig Tree, by Charis Wahl

A little girl helps her friendly old neighbor plant his garden each year.   One spring Rosario plants a fig tree, but buries it at the end of the season. The girl is confused but delighted to see it come back to life the following year.  A sweet, thoughtful story with bold, funny illustrations.

Grandma Lena’s Big Ol’ Turnip, by Denia Lewis Hester

Grandma Lena thinks “anything worth doing is worth doing right.” So she puts her all into her vegetable garden, yielding a turnip so gigantic it takes the whole family to pull it up.  It’s another fun adaptation of the old Russian folktale.

What Does Bunny See? by Linda Sue Park

In this cheerful rhyming book a bunny hops around a garden, finding flowers and plants of every color.

The Wind’s Garden, by Bethany Roberts

A little girl plants a lovely flower garden. In the field next to her garden, the wind does the same by blowing seeds around a field and watering with the rain.

The Plant Sitter, by Gene Zion

This vintage book is a fun story about a little boy who is plant sitting for the neighbors.  Soon his house is overcome by plants, aggravating his parents. But when the boy learns to prune the plants and tend them carefully, his parents learn to appreciate them, too.

Rosie Sprout’s Time to Shine, by Allison Wortsche

Rosie Sprout is a little girl who’s envious that another girl in her class is the best at everything – and knows it.  When the class grows plants from seeds, the other girl’s plant grows taller, so the envious Rosie covers it with dirt.  Immediately she’s regretful, and when the other girl is out of school with the chicken pox, Rosie lovingly tends both their plants.

I love how Rosie overcomes her envy and behaves in a kind, loving way – even when the other girl is boastful about having the tallest plant at the end.  Highly recommended!

The Little Gardener, by Emily Hughes

This is a precious book about a tiny gardener, to whom the garden means everything. But he’s just too little to care for it!   When he collapses from exhaustion, a regular sized girl starts caring for the garden – bringing new life to the garden and the little gardener himself.

The Gigantic Turnip, by Aleksei Tolstoy and Niamh Sharkey

This is another book about a family who has a giant vegetable and gets help pulling it up.  My Four loved the pictures of the cow, cats, and other animals helping to pull up the turnip.  Of course it’s a tiny mouse who finally helps get the turnip out of the ground.  Great pictures!

The Curious Garden, by Peter Brown

This is a magical story that my kids couldn’t put down.  Liam is a curious boy living in a drab, gray city. One day, he finds a few dying plants growing through an old railroad track.  Liam waters and prunes the plants until they grow into a lush garden that overtakes the entire city.  By the end of the book, greenery covers the rooftops and pops up in the most unexpected places.  We noticed something new every time we read the book.

Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden, by Edith Pattou

On the surface, this book is about gardening, but as you read it you’ll realize that it’s a tribute to teachers and all they do to help children grow.  Mrs. Spitzer is a teacher who lovingly tends her garden each year.  Of course, the book is speaking figuratively about the love and care she gives her students.  Your child may not catch the connection but will enjoy the book just the same.

The Gardener, by Sarah Stewart

This is an absolute treasure of a book!  I was afraid my Four wouldn’t sit for it, as it’s very long, but  my love for the book was contagious.  It’s set during the Depression era.  Lydia’s family has fallen on hard times, so she is sent to work for his uncle in his bakery.  He’s a gloomy man who never smiles, but Lydia brightens his life by surprising him with a rooftop garden.  The story is told through letters from Lydia to her parents. I just adore this plucky little heroine!

Mrs. Rose’s Garden, by Elaine Greenstein

Oh, this is another great book! Mrs. Rose longs to win a blue ribbon at the county fair for her vegetables, but she never does.  One year though she makes a special fertilizer mix and watches as her veggies grow huge.  When it becomes clear that she will win every prize, she decides to share the joy. During the night, she and her husband plant a different large vegetable in each of her neighbors’ gardens.  Each of her friends wins a prize at the fair.

Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming

This was the favorite even of of my older kids who rarely listen to picture books that I read aloud.  The gardener is angry with the rabbits who invade his garden and keeps building a bigger fortress to keep them out – until he has a giant wall padlocked with wire, spotlights, and a giant wooden door!  Still, the bunnies find their way in. Muncha muncha muncha!  Be prepared to read this one over and over again.

Lola Plants a Garden, by Anna McQuinn

This is a sweet, comforting story about a little girl who loves the “Mary, Mary Quite Contrary” nursery rhyme.  After reading it, she plants a garden with her mom.  It’s a simple, straightforward story with vibrant illustrations.

Grandma’s Gloves, by Cecil Castellucci

I can’t read this book without crying.  It’s about a little girl who loves to garden with her grandmother, who “smells like earth and coffee and hairspray and perfume.”  She loves to tend to her grandmother’s flowers, but she is her grandma’s “most special flower of all.”

One day, Grandma is in the hospital. Now she smells like alcochol wipes, apple juice, and baby powder. And she doesn’t remember anyone’s name, not even her granddaughter’s.  Soon afterward, Grandma dies.  And the little girl “feels sadder and smaller” than she ever has before.  While everyone sits around after the funeral, she puts on Grandma’s gloves and cares for the plants.   I’m tearing up!

Counting in the Garden, by Emily Hruby

This simple book has bright drawings in a geometric style.  My Four liked counting the objects on each page.

Grandpa Green, by Lane Smith

This is the story of boy’s grandpa’s life told through shrubbery cut into different shapes.  It doesn’t teach much about gardening, but it’s a unique look at aging, memory, and love of family.

Growing Vegetable Soup, by Lois Ehlert

This bright book has Lois Ehlert’s signature cut-paper illustrations with large, simple text.  This isn’t a huge favorite at our house, but it’s a very popular book that your kids might enjoy.

City Green,by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan

Of all these gardening books, this one is my personal favorite. It’s about a girl who lives next to a dirty, vacant lot.  She rents it from the city and, together with her neighbors, turns it into a beautiful garden.  She even wins over grumpy Old Man Hammer in the process. One to own!

In the Garden: Who’s Been Here? by Lindsay Barrett George

This one was the favorite of my Four, who enjoyed reading about the tracks in the garden and finding out who had been there – from the slimy tracks of a slug to the nibbled leaves left by a cottontail rabbit.

A Green, Green Garden, by Mercer Mayer

This simple book was a favorite of my just-turned-Two.  I’ve always liked the Little Critter books, and my kids (especially my two-year-old) enjoyed this one with me.  It’s a nice little family story with the characteristically funny pictures of Little Critter just being a kid.

The Surprise Garden, by Zoe Hall

In this book the children’s mother gives them seeds to grow randomly in the garden. What will pop up?  In the book they end up with a garden full of beautiful surprises.  Married to a gardener, though, I know this is unrealistic. If you plant a zucchini plant next to other seeds, it will overtake everything – not to mention a pumpkin seed!  Plus, what about bean seeds that need to climb? Cute book, but I wouldn’t encourage my kids to try it.

One Mole, Digging a Hole, by Julia Donaldson

We like the bright pictures and gardening rhymes in this simple counting book.  “One mole, digging a hole, two snakes with garden rakes, three bears picking pears…”

My Garden, by Kevin Henkes

We adored this book, especially my  just turned Four.  A little girl imagines what the garden of her dreams would be like. If she planted jellybeans, she’d get a jellybean tree.  The carrots would be invisible, beause she doesn’t like carrots.  Ask your child – what would his dream garden look like/grow?

The Enormous Potato, by Aubrey Davis

In yet another retelling of the traditional Russian folktale, a farmer grows an enormous potato and needs help from all the family, even the mouse, to get it out of the ground.  In the end, the whole town comes to share it.  Fun pictures!

Jack’s Garden, by Henry Cole

You know the story, This is the House That Jack Built?  It is just too long and tiresome for me, but this is a fun alternative.  “This is the garden that Jack planted.  This is the soil that made up the garden that Jack planted…” It’s a peaceful book with detailed illustrations that will delight children who enjoy studying nature.

The Curious Garden, by Peter Brown

This is a magical story that my kids couldn’t put down.  Liam is a curious boy living in a drab, gray city. One day, he finds a few dying plants growing through an old railroad track.  Liam waters and prunes the plants until they grow into a lush garden that overtakes the entire city.  By the end of the book, greenery covers the rooftops and pops up in the most unexpected places.  We noticed something new every time we read the book.

How Groundhog’s Garden Grew, by Lynne Cherry

Groundhog  learns how to grow his own garden from his friend, Squirrel.  The illustrations are magnificent, and you will just about everything there is to know about gardening.  The borders along each page are filled with smaller illustrations that will help your child identify seeds and plants.  My kids requested this one over and over.  On the one hand, I was pleased – they recognize a good book. But I groaned inwardly – the book was a little long for this mom!

A Gardener’s Alphabet, by Mary Azarian

I like the wooduct illustrations and the new vocabulary in this garden-themed alphabet book.  My Four was less enamored, but I still recommend it.

Rah, Rah, Radishes! by April Pulley Sayre

This is a really fun rhyming book to help kids identify garden veggies.  “Oh boy, bok choy!”  “Root for rutabagas, bounce for beets!  Pile up parsnips. Turnip treats!” It might be fun to read the book, then go back and hunt for a particular vegetable.

Our Community Garden, by Barbara Pollak

This is nice story about multicultural kids who work together to plant vegetables in their community garden.  They celebrate when their vegetables grow and enjoy a giant feast with the harvest. I like the folk art style illustrations.

From the Garden, by Michael Dahl

This simple counting book features produce from the garden. The book itself is nothing special, but it’s a good choice for young preschoolers.

Over in the Garden, by Jennifer Ward

This is one of our favorites from this list because it is SO fun to sing.  Be sure to sing it to the tune of the beloved “Over in the Meadow” (get the tune here).  I could sing this one all day, and my Three never tired of it!   The only weird thing is that the baby animals of the garden insects are just miniature adults instead of true baby insects.  But I get it. Who wants to sing about larvae and pupae?

In the Garden, by Elizabeth Spurr

This is a very simple board book with just one or two words per page.  It’s probably best for toddlers, but young preschoolers may enjoy filling in the rhymes after a first reading. It’s a nice gardening overview.

Rose’s Garden, by Peter H. Reynolds

This is such a wonderful story about a girl named Rose who travels in a giant teapot, collecting seeds as she travels around the world. One day she finds a place to stay for good.  She can’t wait to plant her seeds in a vacant lot, only to discover that birds have eaten almost all of them. She plants the remaining few seeds and waits patiently through the seasons for her seeds to sprout. Children come and bring her paper flowers – until she has a beautiful garden.

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