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...
Pollinators : animals helping plants thrive
London, Martha.
Paper Book
Many animals move pollen from one flower to another. This helps flowers make seeds to grow new plants. Pollinators: Animals Helping Plants Thrivelooks at how pollinators make the world a better place, as well as the threats they face and how people can protect them. Easy-to-read text, vivid images,...
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
In this exuberant and lyrical addition to the award-winning Over and Under series, emerging readers will delight in discovering the wonders that lie hidden between stalks, under the shade of leaves, and down in the dirt. From the author-illustrator team behind...
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...
My first outdoor garden : everything you need to know to plant and grow your own fruits, vegetables, and flowers
Asseray, Philippe.
Paper Book
Discover the joys of gardening with My First Outdoor Garden, an interactive and illustrated guide for the youngest of gardeners. This book teaches you everything you need to know to succeed in your first foray into raising plants. After following the easy steps,...
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...
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...
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 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 story of seeds : from Mendel's garden to your plate, and how there's more of less to eat around the world
Castaldo, Nancy F.
Paper Book
Something as small as a seed can have a world-wide impact. As the world becomes more aware of the threats climate change, genetic modification, and deforestation have on the longevity of our natural resources, young readers must rally to preserve our food and world. Readers of Michael Pollan will...
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...
Paddington Bear in the garden
Bond, Michael.
Paper Book
There is nothing that Paddington Bear loves better than living with the Browns...except maybe marmalade! But now Mr. and Mrs. Brown have given him something else to love at number thirty-two Windsor Gardens -- his very own garden. Paddington sets to work in an attempt to create the most...
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
In autumn, a strong wind blows flower seeds high in the air and carries them far across the land. One by one, many of the seeds are lost -- burned by the sun, fallen into the ocean, eaten by a bird. But some survive the long winter and, come spring, sprout into plants, facing new dangers -- trampled...
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!...
Corduroy's garden
Inches, Alison.
Paper Book
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 on the popular characters created by Don Freeman, the Corduroy easy-to-read series is ideal for children...
The carrot seed
Johnson, Crockett
Paper Book
From celebrated children's book creators Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson comes the beloved classic story The Carrot Seed. 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...
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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