Most young families live in urban cities. Experiencing nature is essential for our mental and physical health. City life may limit our access to the natural world. Introduce gardening to children through books! These 3 picture books about gardening expose a child to plants, flowers, vegetables, tools, and techniques. Children can also learn how to attract birds, butterflies, and bees to a garden! Engagement in gardening also teaches skills like patience, responsibility, and problem-solving. These books inspire children to get outside and get in touch with nature!
You may ask, “why would a child be interested in gardening?”. The answer lies in including the child in the story. Children respond well to characters that look and sound like them. When you add stories of children to gardening, you’re sitting on a pot of gold! It’s really motivating to hear stories of children engaging in gardening or nature. Some books even include hands-on activities and projects to complete!
Here are the 3 Best Picture Books about Gardening:
And Then It’s Spring, Julie Fogliani and Erin E. Stead
A young boy is tired of seeing dreary winter colors. He’s had it with the brown hues! He and his dog set out to plant a garden – they dig and plant some seeds and make themselves ready for spring colors! The boy watches the seeds intently, worried that something has gone wrong when they don’t sprout immediately. Did birds eat the seeds? Is it possible that bears squashed the seeds? The pair wait and wait and wait for any signs of life! Hey presto! There is a sprout! And slowly the surrounding colors change.
Julie Fogliano and Caldecott Award winner, Erin E. Stead, bring this sweet picture book of being patient and trusting the beauty of nature to life.
The Curious Garden, Peter Brown
Here’s a story with a big message without sounding preachy. We value the reminder that the most minor of actions can set off a chain reaction of large-scale changes! While out exploring one day, a little boy named Liam comes across a patch of green along old railway tracks in the middle of a concrete jungle. Liam takes on the responsibility of this small, struggling garden and eventually, it grows. As people notice the growth, they become inspired to create their own patches of green. As time passes, the garden spreads throughout the dark gray city, transforming it into a lush world!
Peter Brown has built an enchanting picture book with environmental ideas and stunning graphics that get more vivid as the garden blooms. At the end of the book he mentions the Highline in Manhattan which was his inspiration.
The Gardener, Sarah Stewart and David Small
Sarah Stewart tells the captivating story of a determined heroine through letters written home to her parents and grandmother. David Small’s evocative illustrations bring the Depression era world to life. When her father loses his job, Lydia Grace Finch comes to live and work with her Uncle Jim at his bakery. Quietly representative of her hopeful spirit, she brings a suitcase full of seeds to the big gray city. Uncle Jim, the baker, is far from jolly or welcoming – he never smiles!
Despite this, Lydia is nervous but never loses sight of wanting to bring joy to the customers that walk through their doors. The bakery gradually becomes brighter and more cheerful as Lydia transforms it with the colorful flowers she tends to. Lydia Grace has a secret ambition, too. She industriously works on her gardening masterpiece she hopes will make her uncle smile! It is difficult not to get sentimental about such a sweet story!
The Gardener is a 1997 New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of the Year and a 1998 Caldecott Honor Book.
Gardening creates an appreciation for nature and the environment. Even if you don’t have a large space, take part! A little seed germinating in a cup. Look after a little herb bush. Grow vegetables on a little patio! Anyone can garden and bridge the gap between urban life and nature. Start with these 3 pictures books about gardening and see where the adventure takes you!
