Gardening with Kids

Books about growing and gardening for young readers.

Updated February 19, 2025
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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...
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. "Timeless and delectable."--School Library Journal If you plant a carrot seed . . . a carrot will grow. If you plant a cabbage seed . . . cabbage will...
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,...
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...
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...
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 tiny seed
Carle, Eric.
Paper Book
Dazzlingly colorful collage illustrations and a simple but dramatic text tell the fascinating story of the life cycle of a flower in terms of the adventures of a tiny seed. Carried aloft by the autumn wind, the tiny seed, along with other bigger seeds, travels far over the world. the journey...
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
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...
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...
We garden together! : projects for kids : learn, grow, and connect with nature
Hirschi, Jane S.
Paper Book
This colorful activity book invites kids to explore the world of plants and how they grow through creative hands-on activities. Kids don't need a big backyard or outdoor space to learn about gardening and how plants grow. This introductory garden book, packed with...
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...
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...
In our garden
Miller, Pat Zietlow.
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of Be Kind comes an uplifting classroom tale about students who create a vegetable garden on their school's rooftop. Millie has recently moved to a new city, from a place more than an ocean away. More than anything she...
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 milkweed lands : an epic story of one plant, its nature and ecology
Lee-Mader, Eric
Paper Book
National Outdoor Book Award Winner Delve into this fascinating appreciation of milkweed, an often-overlooked plant, and discover an amazing range of insects and organisms that depend on it as the seasons unfold, with this collaboration between a noted ecologist and...
The flower garden
Kurilla, Renee.
Paper Book
The Flower Garden is a magical graphic novel adventure perfect for fans of Peter & Ernesto or Tiger vs. Nightmare. After planting a seed packet in the backyard, things don't go as expected for best friends Anna and Tess. They fall asleep...
Corduroy's garden
Inches, Alison.
Paper Book
Continue Corduroy's 50th anniversary celebration with the reissue of this delightful leveled reader! In Corduroy's Garden, Lisa leaves Corduroy to keep watch over her newly planted seeds. But when a puppy digs up the garden, it's up to Corduroy to save the day. Based...
The carrot seed
Johnson, Crockett
Paper Book
Celebrate 75 years of The Carrot Seed with a new foreword from Caldecott Honor picture book creator Kevin Henkes! When a little boy plants a carrot seed, everyone tells him it won't grow. But when you are very young, there are some things that you just know, and the little boy knows that...
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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