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
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Wonder in the Garden
Aikens-Nunez, Talia
Paper Book
Vibrant illustrations brings to life a day full of fun for a little girl and her dog as they play-and cause a ruckus-in their wondrous family garden. Nina loves spending time in her family's garden, and so does her dog, Nube. They delight in all the wonders found growing there...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

Gnome
Blunt, Fred
Paper Book
Mr. Gnome is a grumpy little fellow. He's really quite rude and he is definitely NOT cute. So when Miss Witch asks him to kindly stop fishing in her pond, Mr. Gnome is in danger of finding out exactly what happens to gnomes who say "NO!" From author illustrator Fred Blunt comes this laugh-out...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

Secrets of the vegetable garden
Brown, Carron
Paper Book
A vegetable garden grows under the sun. If you look closely between the stalks, beneath the leaves, and under the soil, you will spot the animals and plants living there. Hold a page up to the light to reveal what is hidden in and around the vegetable garden, and discover a small world of great...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

Gardening lab for kids : 52 fun experiments to learn, grow, harvest, make, play, and enjoy your garden
Brown, Renata Fossen.
Paper Book
A refreshing source of ideas to help your children learn to grow their own patch of earth, Gardening Lab for Kids encourages children to get outside and enjoy nature. This fun and creative book features 52 plant-related activities set into weekly lessons, beginning with learning to read...

Children's Nonfiction (Grades 2-4)

Box tales. Grow, strawberries, grow!
Burks, James
Paper Book
"Fun, expressive, informative, and imaginative! I want a box full of these books!" --Ben Clanton, New York Times bestselling author of the Narwhal and Jelly A trilogy of fun, charming, and how-to stories following the curious and spunky Beatrix and Box-With a Bonus...

Bridging Graphic Novel (Grades 2-4)

Mister Fairy
Cadier, Morgane de
Paper Book
Mister Fairy is not like other fairies; try as he might, he has not yet found his own special talent. In fact, all the animals laugh when he tries to copy what the other fairies do. So, Mister Fairy travels far from his forest home to another place where, almost by accident, he discovers and shares...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

Snow White and the 77 dwarfs
Calì, Davide
Paper Book
Snow White is on the run from an evil witch when she comes across some dwarfs in the forest. They agree to take her in and keep her safe if she will help them with their chores. She soon realises she's taking on a lot more than she bargained for. 77 breakfasts to make, 77 lunches to pack, 77 pairs...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

Poppy & Sam and the leaf thief
Cathon
Paper Book
A duo of strawberry-sized sleuths cracks a case in this cute and lively picture book with graphic novel touches -- the first in the Poppy & Sam series. It's a beautiful day in the garden when Poppy and her panda friend, Sam, hear a commotion. Their friend Basil--who has always been...

Bridging Graphic Novel (Grades 2-4)

Bee dance
Chrustowski, Rick
Paper Book
In Bee Dance, follow a foraging honeybee as she searches for food and returns to the hive to share the news in a honeybee dance! A honeybee searches for nectar, then returns to the hive to tell the other bees. She does a waggle dance, moving in a special figure-eight...

Children's Nonfiction (PreK-2)

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 with his parents,...

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)

How to grow happiness
DiPucchio, Kelly
Paper Book
Jerome the Gnome takes young readers on whimsical adventures through his garden, celebrating discovery and sowing the imagination as he introduces topics such as science, environmental awareness, and agriculture. In How to Grow Happiness, Jerome and his fellow Garden of Wonder...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

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)

Benjamin grows a garden
Florence, Melanie
Paper Book
Benjamin loves springtime. The grass grows bright green, the birds sing sweet songs and, best of all, Benjamin and his mother start their garden. In just the right order, they plant mahtamin (corn), pimiciwacis (beans), and osawipak (squash) for Three Sisters Soup. They plant strawberries to serve...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

Rewilding
Gerlits, Lisa
Paper Book
Joy, an eleven-year-old often called "Bruiser" by her dad, isn't as tough as she appears. With her dad gone and her mom falling into depression, the responsibility of managing the household and caring for her younger brother, Ian, falls on her small shoulders. She struggles with the...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Monarch butterfly
Gibbons, Gail
Paper Book
Introduce young readers to the fascinating process of how catepillars become butterflies. Follow the transformation from a tiny white egg laid on a leaf to a brilliantly colored butterfly in this kid-friendly introduction to metamorphosis.  With detailed, bright watercolors,...

Children's Nonfiction (PreK-2)

Where wonder grows
Gonza?lez, Xelena
Paper Book
Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Winner 2023 - American Library Association (ALA) A 2023 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Winner From the creators of the award-winning picture book All Around Us comes another lyrical intergenerational story exploring our connections to...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

Outdoor science lab for kids : 52 family-friendly experiments for the yard, garden, playground, and park
Heinecke, Liz Lee
Paper Book
Learn physics, chemistry and biology in your own backyard!

Children's Nonfiction (Grades 2-4)

My garden
Henkes, Kevin.
Paper Book
How does your garden grow? This wondrous New York Times bestselling picture book from Caldecott medalist Kevin Henkes celebrates imagination, a child's first burst of independence, and the promise of warmer weather. "This intimate exploration of a child's burgeoning...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

The way of the hive : a honey bee's story
Hosler, Jay
Paper Book
"A wonderful graphic novel."--Neil Gaiman Experience the life of a honeybee in this coming-of-age story about a bee named Nyuki, in this full-color graphic novel by Jay Hosler, perfect for curious kids who are fans of the Science Comics series. Nyuki is a brand-new...

Children's Graphic Novel (Grades 3-5)

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 social...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

The flower garden
Kurilla, Rene?e
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...

Bridging Graphic Novel (Grades 2-4)

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 delightfully peculiar story about finding joy in being wonderfully weird. Garden Glen is a very bland place. Every house and every garden looks exactly like the other. That is, until Millie Fleur La Fae comes to town. Up on a scruffy hill, beside a ramschackle...

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)

Eliza and the flower fairies
McDonald, Megan
Paper Book
"[A] joyful tale of learning to believe in oneself and rejoicing in magic both grandiose and mundane."--Publishers Weekly From the beloved author of the Judy Moody and Stink series comes the first in a sparkling series of chapter books about a girl whose love for magic...

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

Hope is a hop
Moore, Katrina
Paper Book
Just in time for Easter, a moving exploration of hope, from its resilient roots to its sprouting-and surprising!-possibilities. When Eva's hopes for a cheerful flower garden are dashed by a rascally-and hungry! -rabbit, she sinks into despair. But it's from this new vantage point...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

If you plant a seed
Nelson, Kadir
Paper Book
The bestselling book about the power of one kind act from Caldecott Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winner Kadir Nelson is now an adorable board book. "Timeless and delectable."--School Library Journal If you plant a carrot seed . . . a carrot will grow. If...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

All the insects in the world
Opie, David
Paper Book
Imagine you shrank to the size of a pennyand walked around outside. You mightsee a river of ants, a swooping dragonflyscooping up a mosquito, or a buzzingbumblebee hovering over a flower, sippingsweet nectar. You might even see a twigstaring back at you with its eyes. Andif you look closely, you'll...

Children's Nonfiction (PreK-2)

What Does Bunny See?: A Book of Colors and Flowers
Park, Linda Sue
Paper Book
Spring is in full bloom in this colorful board book full of discoveries! Perfect for Easter baskets, early learning, or a sweet storytime year 'round! What does little bunny see? Red poppies, yellow primroses, purple violets, and other colorful blossoms bloom and grow in this delightful...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

Mrs. Peanuckle's flower alphabet
Peanuckle, Mrs
Paper Book
From the aster to the zinnia, Mrs. Peanuckle introduces very young children to 26 types of flowers from across the globe. For each one, she offers a single defining characteristic, some of them very surprising. Did you know that there are twice as many orchid species as bird species? It's true! Do...

Board Book (Age 0-2)

How to say hello to a worm : a first guide to outside
Percival, Kari
Paper Book
Say "hello" to worms, dirt, peas, and more in this gentle how-to guide for connecting with nature. * Winner of the EZRA JACK KEATS WRITER AWARD * An ALA Notable Children's Book * A CLEL Bell Award Winner The beautiful simplicity of a...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

The hidden world of gnomes
Soloy, Lauren
Paper Book
A delightful introduction and collection of facts about the secret lives of gnomes that will charm and fascinate readers of all ages. This book is an introduction to the hidden folk called gnomes, who live in a happy place they call The Pocket. Where is The Pocket, you ask? ...

Picture Book (PreK-2)

Forest magic for kids : how to find fairies, make a secret fort, and cook up an elfin picnic
Spikol, Susie
Paper Book
Your enchanted guide to 50+ magical activities for everything from finding hidden flower fairies in your own backyard and making a special wizard staff to creating a tiny woodland village and making your own forest potions. Come discover the wild magic tucked into the...

Children's Nonfiction (Grades K-3)

Gnome and Rat
Stohler, Lauren
Paper Book
Readers will get a kick out of the whimsical and hilarious everyday shenanigans of best friends, Gnome and Rat, in the first book of this new early graphic novel series. " Mo Willems fans appreciate expertly crafted comedy, and this endearing early graphic novel has some of the best....

Bridging Graphic Novel (Grades 2-4)

Little Witch Hazel : a year in the forest
Wahl, Phoebe
Paper Book
An earthy and beautiful collection of four stories that celebrate the seasons, nature, and life, from award-winning author-illustrator Phoebe Wahl. Little Witch Hazel is a tiny witch who lives in the forest, helping creatures big and small. She's a midwife, an intrepid explorer,...

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)


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