Every morning and every afternoon we walk past a darling garden center. It holds busy, colorful rows of flowers shelved and hung from every inch. The cheerful owner waves good morning to us as he waters the flowers and my kids happily wave back.
Yesterday afternoon we went in.
We were on the way home from school and my daughter tugged on my arm. “I want to go in there mama.” she whispered like she was telling me her greatest secret.
So in we wandered.
We walked those overflowing happy rows. We flipped through the packets of seeds. And a while later we walked out with what we needed to plant our own little window garden in our tiny New York apartment.
Watching my kids skip all the way home felt like Spring to me. They eagerly opened the packets and helpfully covered my kitchen in dirt.
The perky blooms in our window tell me it is Spring as much as the basket on our coffee table.
Below are the books to get you inspired for your own Springtime moment and some fun activities to go along with them. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
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Children’s Books about
In the Garden
Mary Had a Little Plan
by Tammi Sauer
illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
A rhyming picture book is a great way to kick off storytime and draw in your audience. Mary’s sparkly personality and spunk help as well. Glamourous Mary is back and she has a plan for the garden space in her neighborhood. I love how the author pulled different nursery rhymes together to tell this story.
Thank You Garden by Liz Garton
Simple and sweet, I highly recommend this story for toddlers and young preschoolers. The text is brief and repetitive. The illustrations are cheerful and full of fun little details to notice. It is the story of a community garden and of springtime, and people of all ages coming together. The perfect story to read aloud in Spring and Summer.
In a Garden by Tim McCanna
A celebration of all that happens in a garden, this is a perfect springtime story. The illustrations are soft and colorful. The text rhymes and shares the buzzing, radiant life in a garden. For a kid who likes bugs this book is teeming with all kinds of life.
Read Also: Growing a Seed Storytime
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt
by Kate Messner with art by Christopher Silas Neal
These are SUCH cool books. It is a whole series of over and under (the water, the ground, the snow) and they are all beautifully written and illustrated and full of so much interesting information. This one is about gardens and all that happens below the surface that you can’t usually see. It’s fascinating.
Upside Down
by Katarina Macurova
This book is one of my favorite types of picture book storytelling. The text is short and straightforward, but when you look at the pictures another layer of the story – one that’s hugely hilarious – is revealed to the audience. Listeners feel in on a joke and then the ending offers another adorable joke. It is funny and perfect for any storytime, unit, or read aloud around planting or bunnies.
Harlem Grown: How One Idea Transformed a Neighborhood
by Tony Hillery
illustrated by Jessie Hartland
Written by the man who started the Harlem Grown farms in New York City, this is a beautiful picture book about the power of a great idea and some hard work. I love the illustrations and the story is concise and well told. An inspiring story. I had tears in my eyes reading the note in the afterward.
Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole
This is the garden that Jack built. How simply this detailed nonfiction book begins. Teeming with facts and excellent vocabulary about gardening and spring, all carefully hiding amongst lyrical language and soft pencil drawings. Jack’s Garden is sure to make you start planting and looking at gardens in a whole new light.
The Big Book of Blooms
by Yuval Zommer
A big beautiful book of flowers. I am always thrilled when I see a new title from this series is being released. They are all stunning and fascinating and THE BIG BOOK OF BLOOMS is no exception. Zommer’s gorgeous illustrations capture the flower world with perfection and his facts are as interesting as ever. The information ranges from general about pollinators and why flowers are bright colors to diving in deep on a variety of flowers from water lilies and wildflowers to roses and tulips. My kids were especially excited to see a page on the bird of paradise flowers on our front lawn. A brilliant nonfiction book to have on your shelves or in your collection for spring time and garden units and flower enthusiasts.
Flower Garden by Eve Bunting
I love this sweet, colorful book. It is the story of a little girl and her dad who plant a window garden as a gift for her mom. It is a common every day world and family brought to life with love and color in such a beautiful way.
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
This is a classic story and one of the most perfect little books for toddlers. A little boy plants a seed. He is determined that it will grow but everyone in his family shares their doubts. He persists in caring for it nonetheless and ultimately his efforts are rewarded with the largest carrot ever drawn on paper.
Read Also: The Seeds We Eat Nature Science from Teach Beside Me
Bloom by Doreen Cronin and David Small
Bloom is a fairy happy to share her magic in this tale from the bestselling author of CLICK CLACK MOO. Unfortunately, the people in the glass kingdom only see the trail of mud that she leaves everywhere she goes and banish her from the palace. Years in the future when the glass kingdom is crumbling, they go in search of Bloom and her magic. Ultimately, Bloom, an ordinary girl, and puddles of mud save the kingdom. I love the ink and watercolor illustrations and the empowering message about what ordinary people and mud can accomplish.
The Bear’s Garden
by Marcie Colleen
illustrated by Alison Oliver
This story is a delight. A little girl’s imagination and belief is the start of a neighborhood garden. A wonderfully written story about how simple acts can make a difference. A gorgeously illustrated book that brings the city and the girl’s gentle hope to life. It’s quiet and sweet, but with well paced suspense and page turns. Definitely one you can share aloud.
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long
There is a wonderful nonfiction series by these two and they are all graced with gentle words and illustrations. Beneath the flowing text and soft paintings however is good interesting science. This is full of pages of different kinds of seeds and fascinating little details.
Love Makes a Garden Grow
by Taeeun Yoo
A grandfather/granddaughter relationship is at the heart of this new picture book. Together they care for the grandfather’s garden and then with the passage of time, the girl grows, gardens on her owns, and then it circles back around when she brings her own daughter to visit her grandfather and they water plants together. It is rich with vivid greens and pops of gentle color and a warm tone that flows throughout.
City Beet
by Tziporah Cohen and illustrated by Udayana Lugo
Storytime Read Aloud Pick! Set in a city, a little girl and her neighbor decide to grow a beet to make a beet salad for the neighborhood potluck. When the day arrives, that beet won’t come out of the ground. This book is a fun one to read for storytime. Onomatopoeia is layered with a building chorus and final repeated line that kids can chime in with every other page. Best of all, little Victoria saves the day at the end and they all enjoy a delicious potluck. In the backmatter, there is even a recipe so you can make beet salad together after you read.
Every Little Seed
by Cynthia Schumerth and illustrated by Elisa Paganelli
The gentle, cheerful illustrations are the star of the show in this book. Together with the rhyming text, they depict the growing process from early spring through fall harvest. I was impressed by how much information is packed into the tight, rhyming text. The author shares details about the planting process, care, and more in a light, highly readable way. This is strengthened even more by the backmatter. A springy delight.
Just a Worm
by Marie Boyd
The artwork in this book grabs your attention right away. It is seriously cool. It is a art style called “quilling” (which I learned in the backmatter) where you cut colored paper into strips and then shape and glue it into pictures. There are directions on how to make a Quilled Butterfly at the end. The story is also darling. It follows a worm who is worried he might be “just” a worm, but ultimately realizes that being a worm means he can do some pretty cool stuff. A great addition to any garden unit or bookshelf.
Watch Me Bloom
by Krina Patel-Sage
The subtitle is “a Bouquet of Haiku Poems for Budding Naturalists” which is adorable and spot on. It has a poem, a haiku, on each page for a different flower – 24 flowers in all. The poems are short and darling. The illustrations are vibrant. This is a fun nature themed book that is a treat for the senses.
Find More Ideas: Gardens + Bugs Board on Pinterest!
This post was originally shared as part of our A Read A Day Challenge.
