25 Mar Booklist: How Does Your Garden Grow?
As spring begins to take hold, it is the perfect time for children to learn about plants and how they grow! The following books from our collection can help your child learn about how plants grow, and you can visit our seed library for flower, herb, and vegetable seeds that you can grow at home.
The books listed below are broken up into three categories:
- Books for toddlers
- Picture books
- Just the facts
Books for toddlers
Seeds by John Townsend (E TOD FIC Townsend)
This book uses rhymes and beautiful illustrations to introduce young children to the life cycles of plants.
One little seed: exploring nature for curious kids by Becky Davies (E TOD FIC Davies)
This lift-the-flap book introduces how flowers grow and provides ideas for children to interact with their environment to explore the life cycle of plants.
For fans of Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar, this board book uses simple text to follow the life stages of a tree.
Picture books
Plant the tiny seed by Christie Matheson (E FIC Matheson)
This interactive book helps children use movements to visualize the different stages in a plant’s life cycle. Children will enjoy wiggling their fingers to water the seeds and shooing away hungry snails to help the zinnia grow and bloom.
Flip, float, fly: seeds on the move by JoAnn Early Macken (J 581.46 Macken)
This picture book uses simple text with detailed illustrations to explain how seeds disperse and provides a more detailed note to explain how and why seeds travel so far.
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston and artist Sylvia Long (J 581.467 Aston)
This poetic and beautifully illustrated book introduces children to a variety of seed and plant facts.
A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis (J 575.68 Portis)
This book follows the life cycle of a sunflower from seed to giant bloom through vibrant illustrations.
Just the facts
How does a seed sprout?: and other questions about plants by Melissa Stewart (J 635.6 Stewart)
This book provides the answers to a lot of the questions your child might have about plants, including how seeds work, what happens to plants in different seasons, why different plants have different shaped/sized leaves, and whether insects are helpful or harmful for plants.
How do seeds sprout? By Evan Rhodes (J 571.862 Rhodes)
This book provides detailed information about all the stages a seed undergoes in order to sprout into a plant.
A Seed becomes a dandelion by Amy Hayes (J 583.99 Hayes)
This book follows the journey of a dandelion from seed to a blooming flower.
Seed, Soil, Sun: Earth’s recipe for food by Cris Peterson (J 581.467 Peterson)
This book covers the complete cycle of plants from germination to harvest, using the corn plant as an example. It also discusses the make-up and role of soil in causing growth and providing homes for various ground-dwelling creatures.
Written by Amy R., Youth Services Library Assistant
