Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
With the story frame of a child growing a garden, Compost!: Growing Gardens From Your Garbage by Linda Glaser (illustrated by Anca Hariton; Millbrook Press, 1996) gives the startling claim that the garden is made from garbage! Throughout the book, the kid describes just what can be put in the compost pile. To make it
Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton (Candlewick, 2020) is a gloriously illustrated book has a nice balance of illustration to detailed factual text. It teaches about the variety of life on earth, including animals, plants, fungi, and microbes. Italicized sidebars also expand upon the read-aloud text with
Adding plants to a city is a great way to bring neighbors together in the fictional picture book City Green by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan (HarperCollins, 1994). The author-illustrator’s pictures show a bleak looking spot next to Marcy’s apartment building. It is an empty lot where a different apartment building once stood. Along with Miss Rosa, Marcy
The nonfiction picture book Rooting for Plants by Janice N. Harrington and illustrated by Theodore Taylor III (Calkins Creek, August 2023) tells the story of, as the subtitle states, “The Unstoppable Charles S. Parker, Black Botanist and Collector.” This unknown-to-me Black scientist provided many insights into plants and fungi over the course of his lifetime,
We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines and Kids, illustrated by Julianna Swaney (Tommy Nelson 2019) takes a reader step-by-step through the process of building up a family garden by starting small. The four children narrate their process toward creating their beautiful garden, with an emphasis that making a garden requires lots of trying, failing,
I’m always on the hunt for fantastic read-aloud science books for science lessons. Rise to the Sky: How the World’s Tallest Trees Grow Up by Rebecca E. Hirsch and illustrated by Mia Posada (Millbrook, April 2023) is not just an children’s informational book about trees. It is also a nice read aloud and a gorgeously
A Flower Is a Friend by Frieda Wishinski, illustrated by Karen Patkau (Pajama Press, May 2023), highlights the ways garden creatures and garden flowers exist together. A digitally rendered flower-and-creature image on each two-page spread nicely pairs with a simple action phrase from the flower’s voice stating what they do, such as “wake to the
This picture book is non-fiction (or nearly that)! Sometimes the best ways to learn about something are through a fun story. This certainly fills that need. Daisylocks by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Cathy Morrison (Sylvan Dell, 2014) is a beautifully illustrated book about a daisy seed trying to find a place to grow that is “just
My six-year-old loves to read! It’s time he shares his thoughts on what he’s reading. I am always pleased when he wants to write about his reading: a budding reviewer in his own right! Rooting for You: A Moving Up Story by Susan Hood and illustrated by Matthew Cordell. This book is about a seed
And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner Erin E. Stead (Roaring Brook Press, 2012) is picture book celebrating a child growing a garden. In this case, the emphasis is on the child waiting for the brown to go away, waiting for the green to appear. I love the stark contrast
The children’s picture book Grandpa’s Garden by Stella Fry and illustrated by Sheila Moxley (Barefoot Books, 2012) follows a child helping his grandpa in, as the title indicates, caring for his garden. They plant the vegetables and fertilize them with compost. The boy waters the growing plants and waits to see the sprouts. Together, grandpa and
Planting the Wild Garden by Karen O. Galbraith, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin (Peachtree, 2011), captures the mystery of how plants get into the wild. The first pages show two gardeners planting a garden; the rest of the book depicts the seeds spreading by nature. As the wind blows and birds move from place to
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