With spring comes warmer weather, blooming flowers and gardening. Gardening is a great way for little ones to learn about plants, how things grow, animals found in a garden and how food goes from seed to the table. The books below are a great resource to use as you learn about, create or maintain your own garden.
Gardening Books for Kids
FIND EVEN MORE GARDEN ACTIVITY IDEAS IN OUR PRINTABLE GARDEN THEME LESSON PLANS.
Gardening How To Books
The Garden Classroom by Cathy James
Learn how to create your own garden classroom with terrific math, science, literacy, arts, crafts and pretend play ideas. This book includes ideas that will work no matter how big or small your garden space or you gardening skill level.
Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy
Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots is full of ideas for gardening with kids. The book includes directions and illustrations for creating your own pizza garden, moon garden and many more. This is written for adults to use with kids.
Show Me How I Can Grow Things by Sally Walton
Show Me How I Can Grow Things is a book that little ones and adults can use as they garden. There are step by step photo directions for planting and taking care of your garden.
Project Garden: A Month-by-Month Guide to Planting, Growing, and Enjoying ALL Your Backyard Has to Offer by Stacy Tornio
This is a book great for family and classroom gardens. It is broken into sections by months. Each month includes information on what to plant, recipes to make, garden materials you can use to create recycled art, and other things you can create. This is a great resource for incorporating gardening into every month of the year.
Grow Your Own for Kids by Chris Collins
Grow Your Own for Kids is a book that parents and teachers can use with new gardeners. The book includes step-by-step directions for kids as they create and take care of their garden. There are “letters to the parents” that give extra directions for adults.
Secrets of the Garden by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
Alice, Pete, Mom and Dad are discovering the Secrets of the Garden in their own backyard. The story includes facts about plants and animals that are found in the garden and how they create a food chain.
The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons
The Vegetables We Eat is a wonderful book to use as you explore or plant your own garden. Vegetables are put into categories such as leaf, bulb, flower bud, root, tuber, stem, fruit, and seed vegetables. Each section includes drawings of the vegetables in that category and the end of the book also includes tips for planting a garden.
Gardening Stories – fictional and true stories
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
In The Curious Garden, we meet a boy who lives in a city that does not have trees or plants. One day he discovers a few dying plants and begins taking care of them. This one act will transform the city. This is a sweet book that has a great message about taking care of our planet, city, and neighborhood.
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
Planting a Rainbow is a simple story with bright and colorful illustrations young readers will enjoy. The book tells the story of a child and their mom as they plant and wait for their rainbow to grow. This book show seeds, bulbs, plants and is great for talking about colors.
It’s Our Garden by George Ancona
Our Garden is a story of the school garden at Acequia Madre Elementary. The book includes many photographs of the students working in the garden throughout the school year. This book reminds me of the school garden at my school and all the wonderful things students learn working in it.
Our School Garden by Rick Swann
Our School Garden is a story told through poems by Michael, the new student at school. Michael discovers the amazing school garden and learns so much. Each page includes poems about different activities in the garden throughout the school year and facts about that activity.
Grandpa’s Garden by Stella Fry
In Grandpa’s Garden, Billy and grandpa begin working in the garden at the end of winter. Billy wants to see the plants grow quickly but grandpa reminds him that if he is patience good things will come. I enjoyed how the book follows Billy and grandpa as they begin their garden in late winter and through to the harvest in the fall.
Plant a Little Seed by Bonnie Christensen
Plant a Little Seed is a story about friends planting together and also includes facts about gardening. The illustrations are beautifully done and are overflowing with flowers and plants.
A Perfect Day for Digging by Cari Best
Nell and her dog Rusty believe it is A Perfect Day for Digging. As Nell and Rusty dig holes to plant pansies, Norman watches the mess unfold. I love this story and the simple messy, dirty story and all the fun the three friends discover as they dig.
What other gardening books for kids would you recommend?
More Gardening Fun
Gardening with Kids Activities and Tips
Flower Garden Play Dough Invitation
MORE GARDEN THEME FUN WITH PRINTABLE LESSON PLANS
Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.
GET YOUR LESSON PLANS
Preschool Garden Theme Lesson Plans
Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers
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