Gardening with Kids

Books about growing and gardening for young readers.

Updated February 19, 2025
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If you plant a seed
Nelson, Kadir.
Paper Book
If you plant a carrot seed, carrots will grow. If you plant a lettuce seed, lettuce will grow. But what happens if you plant a seed of kindness Or selfishness... This is a resonant, gently humorous story about the power of our actions, and the rewards of...
Tomatoes for Neela
Lakshmi, Padma.
Paper Book
Padma Lakshmi, bestselling author and host of Bravo's Top Chef and Hulu's Taste the Nation, and Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal team up in this celebration of food and family. "Some of my fondest memories from childhood are of cooking with the...
The last stand
Eady, Antwan
Paper Book
The author of Nigel and the Moon, delivers a tender intergenerational story inspired by his childhood in the rural south. Here's a farm stand that represents the importance of family, community, and hope. A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, BOOKPAGE, and SCHOOL...
Sadiq and the Green Thumbs
Nuurali, Siman.
Paper Book
When Sadiq's Dugsi teacher can't take care of his yard because of an injury, Sadiq reluctantly agrees to help out. To make it more fun, Sadiq gathers together some friends to help. Can they care for their teacher's garden and have fun at the same time?
Mary had a little plan
Sauer, Tammi.
Paper Book
After glamming it up with her school friends in the bestselling Mary Had a Little Glam, children's book author Tammi Sauer brings back Mary, the resourceful, stylish little girl protagonist for another exciting adventure. This time, a little plan that has a big impact on her...
Up in the garden and down in the dirt
Messner, Kate
Paper Book
Now in paperback! This exuberant and lyrical addition to the award-winning Over and Under series unveils the wonders that lie hidden between stalks, under the shade of leaves, and down in the dirt. From the author-illustrator team behind Over and...
Plant, cook, eat! : a children's cookbook
Archer, Joe
Paper Book
For beginners and green-thumbed foodies, this unusually all-inclusive garden-to-kitchen cookbook is part lesson in gardening and part collection of healthy, delicious, kid-friendly recipes. With vibrant photo-illustrations and clearly organized sections, discover how to plant...
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...
We are the gardeners
Gaines, Joanna
Paper Book
Teach children that the greatest rewards come from patience, hard work, and learning from mistakes! In the #1 New York Times bestseller We Are the Gardeners, Joanna Gaines and the kids chronicle the adventures of starting their own family garden. From their failed endeavors,...
Bee & Flea and the compost caper
Humphrey, Anna.
Paper Book
Unlikely bug buddies bring the science of compost heaps to life Bee is spending another beautiful, boring day pollinating flowers in the backyard when a visitor named Flea gallops onto the scene on a dog's back. Flea is the one and only agent of the Fenced-in-Area Law Enforcement Agency...
Urban gardening
Hand, Carol
Paper Book
School and community gardens are popping up around the United States, providing fresh produce even in the most crowded spaces in the country. So what exactly is a community or school garden, and why might it be a good idea? What does it take to start a garden, and how can you get involved?
Backyard adventure : get messy, get wet, build cool things, and have tons of wild fun! : 51 free-play activities
Thomsen, Amanda.
Paper Book
The backyard has long been a space associated with recreation and relaxation, a private patch of earth to escape to, and a springboard for the imagination. In her signature style and drawing on her personal experience as a mother, gardener, and author, Amanda Thomsen encourages kids to create...
And then it's spring
Fogliano, Julie.
Paper Book
Following a snow-filled winter, a young boy and his dog decide that they've had enough of all that brown and resolve to plant a garden. They dig, they plant, they play, they wait . . . and wait . . . until at last, the brown becomes a more hopeful shade of brown, a sign that spring may finally be...
Plant the tiny seed
Matheson, Christie.
Paper Book
Just as she did in Tap the Magic Tree and Touch the Brightest Star, Christie Matheson combines the wonder of the natural world with the interactivity of reading. Children engage with the book as they wiggle their fingers to water the seeds, clap to make the sun shine after rain, and...
The curious garden
Brown, Peter
Paper Book
This New York Times bestselling modern classic explores the perennial topic of environmentalism in an urban world, from the creator of The Wild Robot and Mr. Tiger Goes Wild One boy's quest for a greener world... one garden at a time. While out...
The little gardener
Hughes, Emily
Paper Book
There was once a little gardener and his garden meant everything to him. He worked hard, very hard, but he was just too little (or at least he felt he was). In this gentle, beautiful tale, Emily Hughes, the celebrated author ofWild, departs from the larger than life Wild-girl...
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 world--and...
The Vanderbeekers and the hidden garden
Glaser, Karina Yan.
Paper Book
Return to Harlem's "wildly entertaining" family in this funny, heartwarming sequel. When catastrophe strikes their beloved upstairs neighbors, the Vanderbeeker children set out to build the best, most magical healing garden in Harlem--in spite of a locked fence, thistles and trash, and the...
The flower garden
Kurilla, Renee.
Paper Book
After planting a seed packet in the backyard, things don't go as expected for best friends Anna and Tess. They fall asleep in the sun and wake up to blooms as tall as buildings! Did the seeds really grow that fast? All is explained when Anna and Tess meet May, a little garden gnome...
The tiny seed
Carle, Eric.
Paper Book
The charming tale of The Tiny Seed, by beloved author and illustrator Eric Carle, is now available as a Level 2 Ready-to-Read! Eric Carle's classic story of the life cycle of a flower is told through the adventures of a tiny seed. Everyone will cheer for the seed's...
Yucky worms
French, Vivian.
Paper Book
Here’s to nature’s recyclers! Kids will burrow right into this book about the industrious — and danger-filled — life of the delightfully yucky earthworm. Who would want to be friends with a wiggly, slimy worm? You can’t even tell which end is which!...
The carrot seed
Johnson, Crockett
Paper Book
When a little boy plants a carrot seed, everyone tells him it won't grow. But the little boy just knows that one day a carrot will come up. So he waters his seed, and he pulls the weeds, and he waits.... First published in 1945, the timeless combination of Ruth Krauss's simple text and...
My garden
Henkes, Kevi.
Paper Book
How does your garden grow? A wondrous New York Times bestselling picture book from Caldecott medalist Kevin Henkes. A girl helps out in her mother's garden, but in the garden of her imagination, there are chocolate rabbits, tomatoes as big as beach balls, flowers that change color, and...
Moth & Butterfly : ta-da!
Petty, Dev.
Paper Book
Metamorphosis brings astonishing and exciting changes to a pair of caterpillar friends, who take pride in being the same--and different. Two caterpillar friends love what they have in common--lots of legs and a talent for chewing leaves into funny shapes. And when it's time to...

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