CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS ABOUT GARDENING

June 19, 2017

garden themed children's books, flowers and vegetables

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is seeing my plants and gardens grow. Teddy loves being outside. It relaxes him, entertains him, gives him a little dose of Vitamin D, but on of the best parts is the opportunity for sensory learning experiences. There are so many colors, textures, smells, tastes and sounds you can hear in the garden.

Teddy loves to point at the flowers and I will tell him what color it is and what the flower is called. Then he examines the flowers between his fingers, smells them and occasionally tries to eat them. He loves when I smash the leaves of my herbs like mint and oregano and let him smell the difference between them. I let him pick strawberries off of the vine and taste them. He likes to splash in the watering can and try to move dirt around with his little shovel. The new sensory experiences from the garden help stimulate brain growth and cognitive development.

I thought that because the garden is such a great place for learning, I would compile a list of my favorite garden-themed books so learning can be continued inside!

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GARDENING-THEMED PICTURE BOOKS

AGES 0-2

THE SECRET GARDEN by Jennifer Adams/Alison Oliver

It's no secret I love the Babylit book series! The series adapts classic novels for babies and toddlers using beautiful illustrations and simple text. The Secret Garden is a flowers primer. The pages feature illustrations of different flower varieties, the flower names and a quote about that flower from the original novel.

THE TINY SEED by Eric Carle

Who doesn't love Eric Carle's beautiful tissue paper collage illustrations? This story tells the lifecycle of a seed to a flower. This edition also has a piece of seeded paper that you can plant in the garden with your little reader and watch it grow.

PLANT THE TINY SEED by Christie Matheson

By the author of Tap the Magic Tree, this interactive book gets kids involved with the story as their actions "make the seed grow." Older kids will also love this one!

GROWING VEGETABLE SOUP by Louis Ehlert

Simple and colorful pictures illustrate the life cycle of a vegetable starting with the seed, watering it and watching it grow. Then the father and his child in the book pick the veggies and use them to make a delicious soup!

COUNTING IN THE GARDEN by Patrick Hruby

This book counts from number 1-12 using plants and animals from the garden. The illustrations are really simple and cute.

AGES 3-6

UP IN THE GARDEN AND DOWN IN THE DIRT By Kate Messner

This book explores the hidden world of the garden and what happens with the plants and the creatures through out a year's time.

THE CURIOUS GARDEN by Peter Brown

A little boy finds a struggling garden and he decides to take care of it. The garden ends up spreading and transforming a city. It is a fun eye-spy book where you have to spot the red-headed boy on every page.

THE LITTLE GARDENER by Emily Hughes

This is one my nephew loves! The Little Gardener is about a tiny little gardener that wants to take care of his garden, but he is thinks he is too small! It teaches children a great lesson about overcoming obstacles and not giving up.

PLANTING A RAINBOW by Louis Ehlert

Ehlert's book is beautifully illustrated and educational. Planting a Rainbow teaches how flowers grow from a seed or a bulb and shows flowers of all different colors of the rainbow.

COUNTING IN THE GARDEN by Kim Parker

Parker, a textile artist, creates beautiful watercolor illustrations in this counting book. The busy patterned pages are fun for kids to find the insects, animals and flowers and count them to ten.