In a previous post at Growing with Science blog on theme gardens, I promised to dig up (ugh!) some relevant children’s books to inspire creativity in the garden.
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1. ABC Gardens:
Can you find a flower or vegetable to represent every letter of the alphabet? Or grow a garden in the shape of a letter?
Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
Reading age: Baby – 3 years
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers; First edition (April 1, 1996)
ISBN-10: 015201036X
ISBN-13: 978-0152010362
Mrs. Peanuckle’s Vegetable Alphabet by Mrs. Peanuckle and illustrated by Jessie Ford
Reading age: Baby – 3 years
Publisher: Rodale Kids; Illustrated edition (September 19, 2017)
ISBN-10: 1623368707
ISBN-13: 978-1623368708
2. Rainbow Gardens or Planting By Color Grow plants to add all the colors of a rainbow. Add to the theme by planting in a rainbow shape. Or create a garden of all one color.
Blue Potatoes, Orange Tomatoes by Rosalind Creasy, and illustrated by Ruth Heller
If you are interested in planting a rainbow garden this book could be a helpful resource. Ruth Heller is definitely one of our favorite authors and illustrators.
Reading age : 7 – 11 years
Publisher : Sierra Club Books for Children; Reprint edition (July 1, 2000)
ISBN-10 : 0871569191
ISBN-13 : 978-0871569196
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
This beautiful book lists many flowers of different colors.
Reading age : Baby – 3 years
Publisher : HMH Books for Young Readers; Brdbk edition (June 1, 2003)
ISBN-10 : 9780152046330
ISBN-13 : 978-0152046330
3. Animal Gardens
Grow a garden to encourage butterflies, pollinators, or wildlife.
Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
Lios Ehlert seems to be dominating this category, but for good reason. This would be a perfect inspiration for a butterfly garden.
Reading age : 4 – 7 years
Publisher : HMH Books for Young Readers; First edition (April 1, 2001)
ISBN-10 : 0152026088
ISBN-13 : 978-0152026080
A Garden to Save the Birds by Wendy McClure and illustrated by Beatriz Mayumi
Reading age : 4 – 8 years
Publisher : Albert Whitman & Company (April 1, 2021)
ISBN-10 : 080752753X
ISBN-13 : 978-0807527535
Begin with a Bee by Liza Ketchum, Jacqueline Briggs Martin, and Phyllis Root, illustrated by Claudia McGehee
Grow a garden to help save the rusty-patched bumble bee.
Reading age: 4 – 9 years
Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press (May 25, 2021)
ISBN-10: 1517908043
ISBN-13: 978-1517908041
4. Food Themes – Grow the ingredients for your favorite foods.
Grow Your Own Pizza: Gardening Plans and Recipes for Kids by Constance Hardesty, Jeff McClung (Illustrator)
The title says it all for this fun book.
Reading age : 8 years and up
Publisher : Fulcrum Publishing; Illustrated edition (March 1, 2000)
ISBN-10 : 1555913989
ISBN-13 : 978-1555913984
Gardening with Children by Beth Richardson
This book for adults gardening with children tells how to grow a pizza garden, among other things.
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
Here Lois Ehlert is again. There is a reason we keep going back to these classics.
Reading age : Baby – 3 years
Publisher : Clarion Books; First edition (March 15, 1990)
ISBN-10 : 0152325808
ISBN-13 : 978-0152325800
What’s better than a pie garden?
Patty’s Pumpkin Patch by Teri Sloat
Follow the progress of a pumpkin patch through the seasons while finding items from the alphabet. For example, in the field where the pumpkins are being planted, “a” is for ant and “b” is for beetle.
5. Story Book Gardens
Linnea in Monet’s Garden by Cristina Bjork, Lena Anderson (Illustrator), Joan Sandin (Translator)
If you are interested in art, artists, Monet, nature, gardening or traveling to Paris, this is the book for you. Definitely inspires me to want to grow a “Monet Garden” of my own. Beautiful, sweet, and informative, I keep our copy with the art books, but it wants to be with the nature and gardening books, too.
Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Need I say more?
6. Heritage or Cultural Gardens
Corn Is Maize by Aliki
This older picture book is part of the Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. It has a wealth of information about many aspects of corn, including how it was first domesticated.
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin
A Chinese-American girl wishes her mother’s garden was more like her neighbors’ gardens. That is, until her mother uses the vegetables to make soup.
Reading age : 4 – 8 years
Publisher : Charlesbridge; 1st edition (July 1, 2001)
ISBN-10 : 1570914915
ISBN-13 : 978-1570914911
7. Forts/Huts
Grow places to hide and play inside.
Sunflower House by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt
A young boy plants the seeds in a large circle to grow a sunflower house. When the plants are tall enough, he invites his friends over to play in it. The text is written in rhyme.
Adult nonfiction books for gardening with children:
Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy
This is the classic book on gardening with children. As you can tell from the title, Lovejoy has many fun and creative ideas about gardening, including theme gardens.
A Child’s Garden: 60 Ideas to Make Any Garden Come Alive for Children by Molly Dannenmaier
The hardcover copy I have says “Enchanting Outdoor Spaces for Children and Parents.” Enchanting is the right word. Mixed with informative text about how children play and how important it is for them to play outdoors, are photos of fairytale settings for children to play in. On pages 158-159 is a photo and list of the plants in the George Washington River farm alphabet garden.
See our list of books for gardening with children, as well.