The Curious Garden by Peter Brown 

This is a lovely story about a little boy who lives in a city of concrete and bricks, void of nature’s beauty. One day, on his adventures, he finds a few little plants struggling to survive near old, unused railroad tracks. He decides to start caring for the plants and begins to grow a secret garden.

His garden flourishes and, ultimately, he shares the beauty of his curious garden with so many other dwellers in his city. This book shows how cities can think green and support beautiful vegetation and plant life if they think about solutions creatively. 

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 40

What Gres in Larry’s Garden by Laure Alary

Based on a true story, a young girl and her neighbor work together in his garden growing all sorts of food and solving problems together. After facing their largest issue and resolving it, she also sees how his garden creates a great sense of community beyond the walls of his raised beds and tomato plants.

Reading Age 4 – 7 yrs | Pages 32

Florette by Anna Walker

This sweet book tells the story of a young girl who moves from the country into the city. She misses all the plants and trees now that she lives among the concrete. She finds a small plant and a flower shop and ends up turning her little city square into a flourishing garden.

Reading Age 4 – 7 yrs | Pages 40

We Are The Gardeners by Joanna Gaines and Kids

Gardening isn’t easy. It’s a lot of trial and error. This story highlights all the lessons a family can learn when they start a garden together and tend to it through ups and downs.

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 40

The Gardener by Sarah Stewart

Due to family hardship, a young girl moves from the country into the city to live with and work for her uncle. She loves gardening and discovers an empty roof just waiting to become her rooftop garden. She attends school, works for her uncle, and keeps up with her responsibilities for a year while living in the city.

In the end, she finally brings her uncle up to see the gorgeous garden she created on the rooftop. It’s such a great reminder that beautiful green spaces can be created right in the middle of the city and without a lot of money. 

Reading Age 4 – 7 yrs | Pages 40

Water, Weed, and Wait by Edith Hope Fine and Angela Demos Halpin

A young school class doesn’t know anything about gardening. But when a local gardening friend visits their classroom, she helps them dig into a weedy patch of soil at school and transform it into a beautiful garden. They even get many members of the community to help them out.

Reading Age 5 – 8 yrs | Pages 32

Baby Botanist by Dr. Laura Gehl

Baby Botanist studies plants. In her lab coat, she looks at plants both large and small. She finds plants growing in many places and learns about how plants grow and how to care for them. (Board Book)

Reading Age Baby – 4 yrs | Pages 22

Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn

Book-loving Lola is inspired by a collection of garden poems that she reads with her mommy. She wants to plant her own garden of beautiful flowers, so she and Mommy go to the library to check out books about gardening. They choose their flowers and buy their seeds. They dig and plant. And then they wait. Lola finds it hard to wait for her flowers to grow, but she spends the time creating her own flower book. Soon she has a garden full of sunflowers and invites all of her friends for cakes and punch and a story amongst the flowers.

Reading Age 2 – 5 yrs | Pages 28

The Tiny Seed (The World of Eric Carle) by Eric Carle

Join the tiny seed on an adventure as it becomes a giant flower!

Reading Age 2 – 5 yrs | Pages 34

The Little Gardener (Teenie Greenies) by Jan Gerardi

Discover what it takes to become a little gardener with this interactive board book that’s perfect for Earth Day and spring reading!

The third title in the eco-friendly lift the flap board book series, Teenie Greenies, which shows that sunshine, clean air, fresh food, love, and good books are all that parents need to grow their own Teenie Greenie.

Reading Age Baby – 3 yrs | Pages 16

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

Young children will enjoy learning about colors and flowers with this new edition of one of Lois Ehlert’s most popular titles in a brand-new format.

Reading Age Baby – 3 yrs | Pages 32

Green Green: A Community Gardening Story by Marie Lamba and Baldev Lamba

We can find space for gardening no matter where we live. This story highlights a community that joined together to create a garden in their urban neighborhood for everyone to share.

Reading Age 2 – 5 yrs | Pages 32

Bloom: An Ode To Spring by Deborah Diesen

In this lushly illustrated story that celebrates the life and growing up, a mother and daughter plant a garden to see how something small blooms into something as beautiful and strong as their love.

Reading Age 2 – 6 yrs | Pages 32

Tokyo Digs a Garden by Jon-Erik Lappano 

A little boy living in the city plants a small garden that quickly takes over the entire city. What once was a concrete jungle is now lush with plants and filled with animals. The boy discusses with his family how the area used to be filled with nature before the city took over and cleared out all the trees and animals. The little boy soon realizes how important it is to learn to live with the animals and plants instead of pushing them aside without care.

Reading Age 3 – 7 yrs | Pages 32

How Do Plants Grow? by G. A. Sealy

Kelvin and his dad were taking a walk, looking at the trees and flowers in the park. It was a wonderful day full of sunshine and opportunity. That’s when Kelvin asked his dad, “How do trees grow?”

It was the perfect question. One that opened the door to the exciting world of science. His dad smiled and replied, “Do you really want to know?”

In this story, a loving conversation between an African-American father and his curious son, children will learn about the process of photosynthesis and why it is so important to life on Earth.

Reading Age Baby – 8 yrs | Pages 36

City Green by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan

Right in the middle of Marcy’s city block is a vacant lot, littered and forlorn. Sometimes just looking at it makes Marcy feel sad. Then one spring, Marcy has a wonderful idea: Instead of a useless lot, why not a green and growing space for everyone to enjoy?

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 32

The Little Plant Doctor by Jean Marzollo 

Rooted in real life, this story highlights the life of George Washington Carver, a slave who had a passion for plants from a young age. Carver ultimately attended college, became a botanist, and made significant contributions to the sustainable and regenerative agriculture practices that still hold true today. 

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 32

Plants Feed Me By Lizzie Rockwell

Help readers learn about the food that they eat and how much of it comes from plants. Detailed illustrations help teach new readers about the edible parts of different plants, including leaves, flowers, stems, roots, and seeds.

Reading Age 3 – 6 yrs | Pages 32

Rainbow Stew by Cathryn Flawell 

On a rainy day with nothing to do in the house, three young children and their grandfather go out to the grandfather’s garden to pick all sorts of fruits and vegetables. The produce represents the colors of the rainbow, and they use it to make a delicious stew. They find out that having a garden is not only fun but also tasty. 

Reading Age 5 – 8 yrs | Pages 32

My Busy Green Garden by Terry Pierce

A fun rhyming book that highlights the magic of the bugs, bees, and birds that make the garden such a busy place. In the meantime, we slowly see a small flower changing, and in the end, it blooms to life!

Reading Age 3 – 5 yrs | Pages 36

Strega Nona’s Harvest by Tomie dePaola 

Each year, Strega Nona grows a beautiful garden. One year, her son Big Anthony decides he wants to plant a garden as well but does not tell Strega Nona. His garden flourishes and he secretly leaves the fruits of his garden on Strega Nona’s doorstep each night. She runs out of space to hold all the food, so she hosts a dinner for everyone in the village to share in a feast of abundance. 

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 32

In The Garden by Emma Giuliani

From season to season, children follow the life of a garden as each page reveals new treasures hiding under lift-up flaps. Peek inside the curious tulip bulb and discover the peas inside a peapod. Watch a ladybug help with pesky aphids and search for ripe strawberries under the leaves.

Reading Age 8 – 12 yrs | Pages 16

How Groundhogs Garden Grew by Lynne Cherry 

A little groundhog is stealing food from his friends’ gardens. His friend, a squirrel, suggests he learn how to grow his own food so he doesn’t have to steal it from friends and neighbors. Over the course of a year, Squirrel teaches Groundhog how to save seeds, plant vegetables, and harvest the food so he has plenty to eat throughout the year. It’s the most creative yet informative book I’ve seen sharing with kids how to create their own garden and the process by which fresh produce ends up on our tables. My boys loved this book and so did I. 

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 40

The Berenstain Bears Grow-it! Mother Nature Has Such a Green Thumb by Stan Berenstain

With a little budging from Mama Bear, the cubs get involved in the family garden. They expect it will be boring but come to find that it’s really interesting and exciting to watch the plants thrive and grow. Unlike many books from this series, the book also includes clips along the bottom of the pages that offer information about the science behind growing plants, why it’s important for the environment, how it’s healthy for our bodies, and more. 

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 24

Flower Garden by Eve Bunting

I love that this book highlights the value of a window box as a garden. We can’t all have expansive gardens in our yard, but the little girl in this story loved her window box garden just as much. Although it was small, it was beautiful and very special (particularly as a gift to her mom for her birthday!).

Reading Age 4 – 7 yrs | Pages 32

Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson

Beautiful collage-and-watercolor art follows the seed through its entire life cycle, as it grows into a zinnia in a garden full of buzzing bees, curious hummingbirds, and colorful butterflies. Children engage with the book as they wiggle their fingers to water the seeds, clap to make the sunshine after rain, and shoo away a hungry snail.

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 40

My Garden by Kevin Henkes

A little girl helps her mother in the garden and then daydreams about the magical garden she could create if she could have plants that turned color just by thinking about how they should change, seashells that grow more seashells when planted, and jelly beans that grow jelly bean bushes. It’s a fun way for kids to imagine what a garden can become.

Reading Age 2 – 7 yrs | Pages 40

The Great Garden Escape by Erica L. Clymer

Best friends Sally and Billy are ready for a fun day in Fruit Garden! After sliding down Mango Mountain and flying over Cherry Cliff, they accidentally land in the mysterious Vegetable Garden. In their search to return home, a helpful squash tells the friends that ten clues will lead them to the secret gate. The pair must quickly find and solve them all before the gate locks at sunset.

Reading Age 3 – 7 yrs | Pages 32

The Good Garden: How One Family Went From Hunger To Having Enough by Katie Smith Milway 

One family living in a small village does not have enough food or money, so the father must leave to go find work. The family gets much of their food from a small piece of land next to their home. At school, a new teacher arrives and teaches the older daughter about composting and other practices to increase the health of their soil and the output of their land.

These new practices greatly increase the health and wealth of the garden, even giving them enough food to sell some extra items at the market. The money from the extra food is enough that her father no longer has to leave for work and they get plenty of food from their own garden to feed their family. A small change in teaching the local villagers more sustainable farming methods transforms the prosperity of their families. 

Reading Age 8 – 12yrs | Pages 32

Planting The Wild Garden by Kathryn O Galbraith 

A farmer and her son plant seeds in the ground. The story follows the journey of this and many other seeds through the four seasons, showing how nature will take care of its own regeneration and reproduction when we allow it to. 

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 32

Secrets of the Garden by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld 

Alice, a little girl in the story, learns all about planting a garden and watching it come to life in the context of the food chain. She learns about the science of the garden and the ecosystem that makes it thrive.

Reading Age 5 – 8 yrs | Pages 40

A Green, Green Garden by Mercer Mayer 

Little Critter, a familiar face to many children, works with his family to plant their first garden. As expected in these stories, he makes a few mistakes along the way but all’s well that ends well. This is a My First Read book so it’s great for new readers excited to read on their own. 

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 32

And Then The Seed Grew by Marianne Dubuc

I love this book! In this book, we learn about the life of a seedling through the eyes of the tiny animals living under and around where the seed lands and starts to grow. At first, the animals feel frustrated that the roots are taking over their space. In the end, they realize that the new plant provides many benefits like shade and fruit, and they come to love their “new neighbor” despite how it changed their community. 

Reading Age 3 – 7 yrs | Pages 32

The Little Gardener by Emily Hughes

This book celebrates the magic of a garden that flourishes when one tiny little gardener finds so much joy in the hard work he endures to create beautiful blooms all around him. 

Reading Age 2 – 6 yrs | Pages 32

Miss Maple’s Seeds by Eliza Wheeler

Miss Maple gathers lost seeds that haven’t yet found a place to sprout. She takes them on field trips to explore places to grow. In her cozy maple tree house, she nurtures them; keeping them safe and warm until it’s time for them to find roots of their own, and grow into the magnificent plants they’re destined to become.

Reading Age 3 – 5 yrs | Pages 32

GROW: How We Get Food from Our Garden by Karl Beckstrand

A child and grandfather till, plant, and harvest fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs, and grains in a tongue-twisting picture book. Includes online tips for starting your own garden.

Reading Age 5 – 8 yrs | Pages 30

Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole

Told in a poetic form, this book tells the chronological story of how a garden evolves throughout the season and all the plants and animals that share the space and call it home.

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 32

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner

This is such a lovely story that takes the reader along with the life of a garden through all four seasons. It hops between things going on under the dirt like roots and worms to the things taking place up in the garden such as sprouting seeds and a mother and daughter tending to the garden.

Reading Age 5 – 8 yrs | Pages 56

Seed School: Growing Up Amazing by Joan Holub

Just like people, seeds come in all shapes and sizes. Seeds grow at different rates, under different conditions, and into a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and trees. This book is a whimsical story about friendship, diversity, and the natural world that surrounds us.

Reading Age 4 – 7 yrs | Pages 32

Errol’s Garden by Gillian Hibbs

Errol loves gardening, but he doesn’t have a proper garden. His home is full of beautiful plants, but he longs for an outdoor space where he can grow things. This is a heart-warming and inclusive tale about how one small boy’s dream of a garden unites a diverse community in a positive and enriching experience for everyone.

Reading Age 3 – 6 yrs | Pages 32

The Night Gardener by Terry Fan

One day, William discovers that the tree outside his window has been sculpted into a wise owl. In the following days, more topiaries appear, and each one is more beautiful than the last. Soon, William’s gray little town is full of color and life. And though the mysterious night gardener disappears as suddenly as he appeared, William—and his town—are changed forever.

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 48

Zora’s Zucchini by Katherine Pryor

The first zucchini of a summer garden is always exciting, but what happens when the plants just keep growing…and growing…and growing? Zora soon finds herself with more zucchini than her family can bake, sauté, or barbecue. Fortunately, the ever-resourceful girl comes up with the perfect plan–a garden swap!

Reading Age 4 – 10 yrs | Pages 32

Our School Garden by Rick Swann

New city. New school. Michael is feeling all alone—until he discovers the school garden! There are so many ways to learn and so much work to do. And the garden is much more than activities outdoors: making school garden stone soup, getting involved in community projects such as Harvest Day, food bank donations, and spring plant sales. Each season creates a new way to learn, explore and make friends.

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 32

The Runaway Garden: A Delicious Story That’s Good for You, Too! by Jeffery L. Schatzer

All the green peas split for town; the tomatoes stewed and stirred. Celery and her friend sweet corn stalked off without a word. What made the snap beans snap? How did the berries get into a jam? What happened to the cauliflower’s head? Read along as Grandpa spins a tale about the night that all the plants in the garden get up and run away. At first, they think running away is fun, but it isn’t long before things go terribly wrong.

Reading Age 4 – 8 yrs | Pages 32