Since gardening season is upon us, and I am a HUGE advocate for school gardens, here is a list of a few of my favorite garden-themed children’s books.
Whether you are a parent, an educator, or a kid-at-heart, you will delight in these charming stories!
Oooooh, there are so many!
What are some of your favorite garden-themed children’s books? Post them in the comments section below!
Why not pack a picnic and go read one of these fun titles outside with the kids in your world?
See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru
photo credit: WellspringCS
We love diary of a worm!!!
our favorite picnic book is “we’re going on a bear hunt” I also love to read “The carrot seed” (we read this, then made up our own story about our seeds when we planted them.) We borrowed a wonderful one last summer calledn”the good brown earth”. Also Elsa Beskow books Spring Summer Fall and Winter (or the compilation that included all of them) or any of her books really are great outdoor books.
Always love your posts and get great ideas from them!
All the best! Shannon
Shannon´s last blog ..Refueling with Love
Hi Bethe. It’s great to see school gardens sprouting up all over the place. The benefits are huge for everyone including all the feathered friends and insects that visit. Three cheers for school gardens!!!!
WOW Shannon-”We’re Going On a Bear Hunt” was a huge hit in our house when the kids were tiny-stumble trip stumble trip, swishy swashy, squelch squerch-fabulous!!!-all members of the family can recite the whole book.
Another wonderful classic is Eric Carle “The Hungry Caterpillar”.
Happy reading!
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This post was mentioned on Reddit by balmeras: some really great suggestions…
When I was on the local library board, Doreen Cronin was among the authors that donated an autographed book to our silent auction. Cheers to supporting library programs! Her books are fun, and “Diary of a Worm” is one of my favorites. An excerpt that always makes me laugh: “My older sister thinks she’s so pretty. I told her that no matter how much time she spends looking in the mirror, her face will always look just like her rear end. Spider thought that was really funny. Mom did not.” Another thing that brings me cheer (like you!): school gardens. They totally rock! One at my kids’ school is turning 2 and looking fine. :0) FYI: Another recent post on book recommendations: http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Gardening/diggin-it/2010/0315/Great-picture-books-to-get-kids-interested-in-gardening
My all-time favorite is The Secret Garden. It’s a story of nature, gardening, and kid empowerment. What could be better! Then again, it would be really hard to beat Flower Fairies.
I love hearing about people’s fave books! I love all of those mentioned, too. And In Monet’s Garden is a great one for emerging readers, too.
Yay for spring!!
RT @balmeras: Some of my fave kids books for this time of year. http://ow.ly/1qcyA #garden #kidlit #playoutdoors
RT @balmeras: Some of my fave kids books for this time of year. http://ow.ly/1qcyA #garden #kidlit #playoutdoors
RT @balmeras: Some of my fave kids books for this time of year. http://ow.ly/1qcyA #garden #kidlit #playoutdoors
RT @balmeras 5 Great Garden Reads for Kids http://bit.ly/bDenjm <– I'm off to Amazon to get a few of these.
For the night shift: 5 Great Garden Reads for Kids http://bit.ly/bDenjm #playoutdoors #kidlit
RT @balmeras: For the night shift: 5 Great Garden Reads for Kids http://bit.ly/bDenjm #playoutdoors #kidlit
@creativestar I listed some of my fave garden titles for kids, too: http://ow.ly/1qcyA #garden #kidlit #ECE
RT @balmeras: @creativestar I listed some of my fave garden titles for kids, too: http://ow.ly/1qcyA #garden #kidlit #ECE
RT @balmeras: @creativestar I listed some of my fave garden titles for kids, too: http://ow.ly/1qcyA #garden #kidlit #ECE
I have to say as an early childhood professional and a strong advocate for getting children in touch with nature, I am fully enjoying your blog.
“The Carrot Seed” is one of my favorites to read along with “Eating the Alphabet” and “Blueberries for Sal”. Thank you for all your wonderful ideas, look forward to reading your future posts!
Awww, thanks Daniele. Very sweet. I just checked out your blog — gorgeous photos. I look forward to visiting more!
Ooooh, and I need to go check out those books!
Cheers- Bethe
Hi Beth
I’ve found that there’s many great gardening books. All the above suggestions are great! For any UK visitors, please do have a look at 2 Listmanias on UK Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/richpub/listmania/byauthor/A1303Z2LUJUE84/ref=cm_pdp_lm_all
1) Plants, Gardens and Schools: This covers practical skills, maintenance, care, etc.
2) Early Years Gardening and Plant stories
Also if you check out my blog, I’ve recently blogged about willow structures and “wee green fingers” – biodiversity gardening. 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity so a great time to link wildlife, gardening and farming together!
Best wishes from Scotland
Juliet
Juliet Robertson´s last blog ..Smartsack – a portable storage solution
Kids love to garden (in my experience) and having school gardens and even little gardens at home are a great way to get kids involved, teach them about nature and how plants grow, what they can do to help them, etc, etc.
And, after reading through your list, two books immediately came to mind:
1) Butterflies shouldn’t wear shoes – http://www.butterfliesshouldntwearshoes.com/
2) I have to agree with Alison on The Secret Garden
Tara´s last blog ..Earth Set To Go Dark: Earth Hour 2010
Ahhh, I remember “Blueberries for Sal.” Love that one!
I just bought a hardcover of “The Curious Garden” by Peter Brown at my son’s elementary school book fair. It’s a children’s book, but I bought it for myself to share with the kids. Beautiful artwork. It’s about “One boy’s quest for a greener world . . . one garden at a time.”
We love “Tops and Bottoms” and “How Groundhog’s Garden Grew.”
I’m also thinking about “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein and all of the Beatrix Potter books — who can forget about Peter Rabbit and Mr. McGregor’s garden?
Michele´s last blog ..5 Fun Things at the Park from One Fun Thing™ Author and Illustrator Alii Goedecke
Jack’s Garden, love!
Two Bad Ants is always a fun one.
The Gardener.
Can’t wait to check out the other suggested titles!
Thanks to adding to our list, Elizabeth & Michele!
We do loads of gardening at preschool and have a kitchen garden up and running. Gardening has become a natural part of everyday, but I was only realising a few weeks ago that we don’t have the books to reflect that in our preschool library. So I’m off to jot down all these titles!
Our favorites:
My Garden by Kevin Henkes
Up Down and Around by Katherine Ayres
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
Janelle´s last blog ..JellyTelly – Christian Online TV series for kids
Most of Lois Ehlert’s books have a garden connection.