Pre-K and Kindergarten
Linh’s Rooftop Garden
Linh is having a picnic in her rooftop garden for all of her friends, and she needs help searching for blueberries to finish preparing her dishes. What do we know about blueberries? Playful text guides young readers to hunt for visual clues and compare and contrast the unique characteristics of blueberries against peaches, strawberries, tomatoes and other produce that grows in Linh’s rooftop garden. Read more from the publisher.
The Pie that Molly Grew
by Sue Heavenrich
Beginning with the planting of a single seed, the journey of bringing a pumpkin to harvest comes to life for young readers. Under Molly’s watchful eye and care, each stage of growth—from the seed to the sprout to the leaves to the final fruit on the vine—is showcased. And at the end, Molly’s lovely pumpkin is turned into a delicious pie for one and all to share in a celebration of gratitude. All from the seed that Molly sowed. Back matter includes fun facts about pumpkins, the important pollinators who help them grow, as well as a pumpkin pie recipe. Read more from the publisher.
Our Food Grows
In this tasty, educational seed-to-table journey, kids will explore how favorite foods like strawberries, tomatoes, asparagus, and corn grow. Vibrant illustrations and simple explanations that show how fruits, vegetables, and grains make their way from the farm to our plates. Perfect for curious kids and budding gardeners, this engaging introduction to where our food comes from reveals the magic of growing your own garden. Read more from the publisher.
Benjamin Grows a Garden
by Melanie Florence
Benjamin loves springtime. The grass grows bright green, the birds sing sweet songs and, best of all, Benjamin and his mother start their garden. In just the right order, they plant mahtâmin (corn), pîmiciwacis (beans), and osawipak (squash) for Three Sisters Soup. They plant strawberries to serve with bannock, then zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers. Benjamin and his mom lovingly tend to the garden and watch it grow into a plentiful harvest with enough to share. Throughout the whole summer, Benjamin dreams about the fall, when they’ll have all the ingredients for a feast – and everyone will be invited!
Bilingual in English and Cree. Read more from the publisher.
Farm Boots
Grab your boots it's time to explore life on a farm! In joyful verse follow a diverse cast of families as they work together to care for crops and animals on their farms through spring, summer, fall, and winter. Whether it's springtime puddle-splashing, riding at the summer fair, or herding sheep into the barn in winter, there's a type of boot for every kind of weather and activity. Each season brings adorable farm animals, farming equipment, and of course boots in this exploration of farm and country life. Read more from the publisher.
A Place for Rain
A spring storm brings the chance to build a rain garden in this charming, actionable picture book about protecting our waterways. A Place for Rain provides an upbeat and actionable approach to an important environmental issue, and empowers readers with the tools to reduce pollution, diminish flooding, and create a habitat for wildlife. Informational backmatter includes instructions and resources for readers to build their own rain garden. Read more from the publisher.
Every Little Seed
by Cynthia Schumerth
Grandpa told Mom, and Mom told me: The secret of a plant lives in every little seed. Three generations of a gardening family work together to bring a backyard garden to full bloom. Young readers are taken through each important step, beginning with planting in the spring and ending with harvesting in the fall. At the end of the harvest season, the family collects and stores the seeds for next year's garden. Back matter includes information about seeds. Read more from the publisher.
Something, Someday
Presidential inaugural poet and bestselling author Amanda Gorman and Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor winner Christian Robinson have created a timeless message of hope. Sometimes the world feels broken. And problems seem too big to fix. But somehow, we all have the power to make a difference. With a little faith, and maybe the help of a friend, together we can find beauty and create change. With intimate and inspiring text and powerful illustrations of children creating a garden to replace an abandoned space, Something, Someday reveals how even the smallest gesture can have a lasting impact. Read more from the publisher.
Elementary
I Love Blueberries!
Jolie loves blueberries and is determined to grow her own using hydroponics with her new friend Margot! Told through Jolie’s comical scrapbook-style journal entries and Margot’s creative sketchbook, young readers will learn how they create a plan and work together to not only grow blueberries but also develop a new friendship. This heartwarming story emphasizes the value of friendship, a theme that will resonate with young readers. Informational backmatter includes facts about blueberry nutrition, growing blueberries, and hydroponics. Read more from the publisher.
Just in Case: Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
On the Arctic island of Spitsbergen in Norway, polar bears roam, and there are no gardens, forests, or fields. But buried deep underground, the Svalbard Seed Bank protects more than 580 million seeds with plenty of room for more.
How and why was the vault built? What's it like inside? How does the vault protect the seeds? Learn all about how we safeguard the greatest treasure on earth—seeds for our food. Read more from the publisher.
The Soil in Jackie’s Garden
By Peggy Thomas
Jackie and her garden friends embrace the joys of planting a garden, nurturing and harvesting their own food, and recycling scraps to compost, ensuring that the magical cycle of growth and sustainability continues anew.
A fantastic book to engage young readers in becoming environmental stewards, learning how to care for a garden, understanding a plant life cycle, discovering the power of pollinators and the importance of composting. Back matter includes information on the soil cycle and how to make a compost pile. Read more from the publisher.
Beansprout
What happens when you do everything right and it just doesn't work out?
It's seed-planting time in Ms. Greene's classroom! One of the kids has big predictions for their mystery seed and does everything just so to make sure it grows. But as all the other seeds start to sprout, theirs...doesn't. A fantastic social-emotional learning book that'll inspire conversations about handling disappointment and one's emotions, while leaving readers with an encouraging and hopeful ending. Read more from the publisher.
Pickle Words: Crunchy, Punchy Pickles and Poetry
By April Pulley Sayre
Open this book to savor a riotous rainbow of pickles. Not just green cucumbers, but yellow peppers, pink cabbages, and purple plums! Pickles come in all shapes and sizes—and so do the words that describe them. Punchy poetry and zesty art tell the story of a diverse community drawn together by their love of pickles. From kosher dills to sweet chutney to tangy kimchi, Pickle Words describes them all in this global tour of pickled foods. Back matter includes the science of pickling, an easy recipe for refrigerator pickles, and a visual glossary of pickles from around the world." Read more from the publisher.
Farmer Eva’s Green Garden Life
Farmer Eva Sommaripa founded Eva's Garden in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, a place "so close to the ocean, she can smell the sea, so close to woods she can talk to trees." More than 50 years later she has grown a big green garden life of friends and neighbors, creatures that crawl, fly and slither, eve microbes that create rich soil in the brown underground. Meet farmer Eva, and share the magic, beauty, and science of life on the farm and caring for the land. Read more from the publisher.
Plant Pets: 27 Cool Houseplants to Grow and Love
By Beatrice Boggs Allen & Belle Boggs
Maybe every kid can’t have an animal pet—but everyone can have a plant pet! That’s the message of ten-year-old author and houseplant enthusiast Beatrice (Bea) Boggs Allen. In this book written specially for kids, Bea shares the easiest, most fun, and affordable plants that can be grown indoors in pots. She shares tips on caring for each plant, along with descriptions of their unique attributes, from air plants to succulents, terrariums, and even carnivorous plants! Pages feature up-close photos of each plant, along with funny illustrations in Bea’s cheeky voice, and ideas for activities to enjoy and share with family and friends. Read more from the publisher.
Middle and High School
The Junior Plant Lover's Handbook: A Green-Thumb Guide for Kids
This illustrated guide breaks down everything from basic light and water needs to soil and temperature requirements for over fifty plants, and will help you find the right plant(s) for your personality, regardless of where you live or how much space you have. Each section includes: “How To” instructions for planting and caring for greenery, fun plant facts, troubleshooting tips, interactive quizzes, handy charts, and DIY crafts and projects. Read more from the publisher.
The Garden Just Beyond
For fourteen-year-old Maggie Gartner, nothing is more magical than family dinner. She’s not unique in that—anyone lucky enough to purchase a meal ticket at the Gartner’s estate claims the food changed their life. That’s a given when you harvest crops that purposefully alter emotions. Add in the sparkling company of an eccentric family who has hidden a centuries-old agricultural secret and you’re guaranteed a rollicking night. Although every member of the Gartner family is exceptional, Maggie often feels like the exception. That’s going to change when Maggie cooks her first dinner and proves she’s just as Gartner as everyone else. But in the shadow of her growth, a mysterious stranger moves to town, putting the Gartners at risk of losing everything and Humble Hollow at risk of losing, well, everything else. Read more from the publisher.
Plants to the Rescue!
Everyone knows plants are pretty cool. They create oxygen for us to breathe (fairly essential), provide us with trees to climb, and give us pretty flowers to put in vases. But it turns out that plants can do a whole lot more than that too! In this brilliant botany book by podcaster, TikToker, and plant professor Dr. Vikram Baliga, get ready to drop your jaw on the floor when you find out about the spinach that can detect landmines and send emails, the fig trees used to create living bridges, the glow-in-the-dark plants that might one day light your home, and many more! Perfect for anyone who loves nature and wildlife, as well as the scientists of the future—you won't look at plants and trees in the same way again! Read more from the publisher.
A Seed in the Sun
By Aida Salazar
Lula Viramontes aches to one day become someone whom no one can ignore: a daring ringleader in a Mexican traveling circus. But between working the grape harvest in Delano, California, with her older siblings under dangerous conditions; taking care of her younger siblings and Mamá, who has mysteriously fallen ill; and doing everything she can to avoid Papá’s volatile temper, it’s hard to hold on to those dreams. Then she meets Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliong, and other labor rights activists and realizes she may need to raise her voice sooner rather than later: Farmworkers are striking for better treatment and wages, and whether Lula’s family joins them or not will determine their future.
Available in English and Spanish. Read more from the publisher.
