Plant a Seed, Read! | Summer Reading 2026

A few books about gardens, gardening, and (of course) gnomes that tie into this year's summer reading theme.

Updated March 25, 2026
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Oregon City Public Library
This is your list in printable form. Simply print this page using your browser's print command.

Plant a Seed, Read! | Summer Reading 2026

A few books about gardens, gardening, and (of course) gnomes that tie into this year's summer reading theme.

Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Diary of a worm
Cronin, Doreen.
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Bestseller! This hilarious picture book from the bestselling, acclaimed author-illustrator team of Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss tells the adventures of a worm through his daily diary entries. This is the diary of a worm. This worm lives...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

Parker grows a garden
Curry, Parker
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling team behind Parker Looks Up returns with this Level 1 Ready-to-Read about the joy of growing a garden. Parker is growing her own backyard garden! She plants tulips with Nana and herbs and vegetables with Mom Mom. After patiently...

Early Readers (Grades K-2)

Marigold Fairy makes a friend
Dennis, Elizabeth
Paper Book
Meet Marigold Fairy and the Flower Wings in this second Level 1 Ready-to-Read in a sweet series that's filled with rainbows, dewdrops, and stories of friendship! Marigold Fairy and her friend Butterfly help keep pests out of the garden in the Land of the Flower Wings. Can a pest...

Early Readers (Grades K-2)

Poppy's pollinators
Derting, Kimberly
Paper Book
Spring has sprung on the farm! Poppy is excited to plant new flowers in her garden. While they work, Dad teaches her all about the pollinators that play a role in keeping the farm going. Poppy discovers the magical secret behind the blooming flowers and a good harvest. Can she take what she's...

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

Planting a rainbow
Ehlert, Lois.
Paper Book
In this perennial classic by Caldecott Honor-winning author Lois Ehlert, little ones learn the colors of the rainbow as they watch a plants grow in a beautifully vibrant garden. Through brilliant, textured cut paper collages, the story follows the progress of a mother and daughter in their...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

My garden
Henkes, Kevin.
Ebook

Picture Book (PreK-2)

Stepping stones
Knisley, Lucy
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * The first book in an acclaimed graphic novel series inspired by the author's own childhood tells an amazing story of unlikely friends, sisters, and home. "Like [Raina] Telgemeier, [Lucy] Knisley has a knack for crystallizing coming-of-age anxieties and...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Frog and toad together
Lobel, Arnold.
Paper Book
The beloved classic about friendship--a Newbery Honor Book! Frog and Toad are best friends--they do everything together. When Toad admires the flowers in Frog's garden, Frog gives him seeds to grow a garden of his own. When Toad bakes cookies, Frog helps him eat them. And when both...

Early Readers (Grades K-2)

Millie Fleur's poison garden
Mandin, Christy
Paper Book
*A great book for holiday gifting, and one of the best picture books of 2024! *An instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller! Wednesday Addams meets The Curious Garden in this delightfully peculiar story. Millie Fleur's Poison Garden is a...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

The hidden rainbow
Matheson, Christie
Paper Book
All the colors of the rainbow are hidden in the garden, but can the little bee find them--with help from the reader Christie Matheson, author of the popular and acclaimed Tap the Magic Tree, brings a garden to life in this bright, interactive picture book about the natural...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

What Does Bunny See?: A Book of Colors and Flowers
Park, Linda Sue
Paper Book
A rabbit explores a garden, finding flowers of every color, before hopping home for a nap and dreams of rainbows. Rhyming clues invite the reader to answer the question: What does bunny see? Linda Sue Park’s sprightly verses and Maggie Smith’s cheerful illustrations will delight...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

The secret garden on 81st street : a modern graphic retelling of The secret garden
Weir, Ivy Noelle
Paper Book
The Secret Garden with a twist: in this follow-up to Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, this full-color graphic novel moves Mary Lennox to a New York City brownstone, where she and her very first group of friends restore an abandoned rooftop garden...and her uncle's heart.

Children's Graphic Novel (Grades 3-5)

Find this list online

https://librarian.syndetics.com/syndeticsunbound/lp/2320.2914/list/7520

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.