Check this page for recommendations of some of my favorite children’s books about gardening, farming and other related topics. Though many have been around for a while, I’ve tried to list only books that are still in print. One book leads to another in a twisty garden path sort of way. Reviews of grown-up books are inevitable.
Readers to Eaters is an exciting new publisher that promotes food literacy and publishes books that give a fresh and fun perspective on what we eat and how we eat through good stories, beautiful writing, and a deep appreciation of food cultures. When Sylvia’s teacher announces they will start a garden in Sylvia’s Spinach, she is given a packet of spinach seeds. After starting the seeds, transplanting and tending the garden, Sylvia decides to say yes to spinach. Some helpful hints for planting the garden are appended.
Zora plants zucchini in Zora’s Zucchini. Her family finds many ways to eat the tasty vegetable, but when there is more than her family can use, she invites her neighbors to a garden swap. Both books are by Katherine Pryor. Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin with illustrations by Eric Shabazz Larkin and Our School Garden by Rick Swann and illustrated by Christy Hale are two books that encourage young people to seek out fresh vegetables and encourage them to grow their own. There are even books about food heroes Alice Waters and Chef Roy Choi. Check out all their books published by my children’s book hero, Philip Lee.
Kane Miller is a publisher of International Children’s Books that I have long admired for bringing books from all over the globe to the United States. They are distributed here in the U.S. by Usborne Books. I want to thank Lynn Kelley, Editorial and Marketing Director for Kane Miller, a Division of EDC Publishing for sharing these books with me. First a book I’m excited to share with two grandsons, John and Emmett. On the Farm a First Focus Frieze board book for babies that is filled with panels of recognizable, high-contrast black and white images of farm animals that will aid in visual development. The full color panels on the reverse side features a red tractor…just right for our Farmall farm. And who can resist that chicken?
Secrets of the Vegetable Garden and Secrets of the Apple Tree are two book in the Shine-a-Light series by Carron Brown and Giordano Poloni. Each page introduces the child to one aspect of the garden or the tree and asks a question about the rich ecology hidden in or around that miniature biome. Holding the page to the light reveals the answer to the reader. These interactive books include glossaries and are a delightful and informative way to introduce children to the symbiotic relationships in nature.
Lois Ehlert’s trio of books have long been in print and it is easy to see why. Bright, bold illustrations with large print introduce the youngest readers to the tools of gardening and take children through the process of planting, growing and harvesting in Growing Vegetable Soup (Harcourt Brace & Co, 1987) and Planting a Rainbow (Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1988). Eating the Alphabet (Harcourt, 1989) introduces children to a world of delicious fruits and vegetables sure to expand their culinary horizons and perhaps temp them to get their hands dirty in the garden.
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin. (Charlesbridge, 2001)
It’s spring and all the neighbors are planting their gardens, but this little girl doesn’t appreciate her mother’s ‘ugly vegetable’ patch until the harvest season when the neighbors are invited to enjoy a delicious soup made from the vegetables in their garden. Learn how to speak the names of the Chinese Vegetables introduced in this book on Grace Lin’s website.
Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, Pictures by Harry Bliss. (Joanna Cotler Books, 2003).
With humor and wit, Cronin and Bliss introduce Worm, beginning the diary with three adages for him to remember: The earth gives us everything we need; when we dig tunnels, we help take care of the earth; and never bother Daddy when he’s eating the newspaper. Far from didactic, children will laugh at the adventures and misadventures of this creature and his friend spider, while being introduced to the work he does to improve our garden soil. Continue reading more about them in Diary of a Spider, Diary of a Fly as well as the level one ‘I Can Read’ adventures published by HarperCollins.
Compost Stew: an A to Z recipe for the earth by Mary McKenna Siddals, illustrated by AshleyWolff. (Tricycle Press, 2010).
“Environmental chefs here’s a recipe for you, to fix from scratch, to mix a batch of compost stew.” Colorful cut-paper collages illustrate an alphabet of ingredients used to create this important component of any healthy garden.
In the Garden by Elizabeth Spurr, illustrated by Manelle Oliphant. (Peachtree Publishing, 2012).
The youngest child can be introduced to the garden in this poetic board book. “Sky Sun/ Tree Shade/ Grass Earth/Boy Spade” A young child “Hoes rows. Pulls weeds.” Slowly over the course of the summer the plants sprout, blossom and produce fruit. Expressive watercolor illustrations allow toddlers to see the process of planting a vegetable garden. Grow into Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole (Greenwillow, 1997). Using the structure of the familiar “This is the House that Jack Built” each page includes rich details about what’s happening in the garden in the borders of the illustrations.
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss, pictures by Crocket Johnson. (Harper Festival, 1993).
The grown-ups are all afraid the seed won’t come up, but as with all gardeners, faith and perseverance pay off for the little boy in this classic story. There are very few picture books that translate perfectly into board books for the toddler audience, but this book, originally published in a small picture book format by Harper & Row in 1945, is an exception.
Little Honeybee by Jane Ormes. (Big Picture Press, an imprint of Candlewick Press, 2016).
Beautiful silk-screen prints illustrate this board book with twenty-five flaps to that uncover this pollinator that is so important for our gardens. Counting the way through the season in the garden, the little honeybees fly from flower to flower. One might wonder about the first page when the bee is flying on a cold winter night, but after a bit of research you will learn that there are some rare cases, if the hive is located near bright lights and if the temperature is over 55 degrees, you might see a bee leave the hive. This is a lovely book that will delight children and adults alike.
The Bee-Man of Orn by Frank R. Stockton, illustrated by P.J. Lynch. (Walker Books and Candlewick, 2003).
Painterly illustrations by Kate Greenaway Award winning Irish illustrator P.J. Lynch bring this 1883 classic tale to life. Unlike the humorous illustrations by Maurice Sendak (Holt,Rinehart and Winston, 1964) this edition portrays the peculiar old man who is “ugly, untidy, shriveled and sunburnt” in realistic old world style. He spends his time entirely in the company of bees until he learns from a traveling young sorcerer that he was once something else. He sets out on a quest to discover that from which he has been transformed. Though not a book about gardening or farming, this philosophical fable has something to say that is worth thinking about while enjoying the quiet of your garden.
Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones, illustrated by Katie Kath. (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2015).
Sophie describes her venture as a novice keeper of chickens in this story told through diary entries, letters and advertisements. Middle-grade readers are introduced to her family as they move to an unfamiliar rural life and she brings her great uncle’s unusual chickens back to roost. I can’t top Betsy Bird’s review in her Fuse#8 blog . Suffice it to say, this book inspired me to acquire my own little flock of exceptional chickens. But hey, some of my favorite books have been about chickens. Track down Dick King-Smith’s The Fox Busters, a hilarious account of what happens to the beleaguered fox who tries to break into the hen house, Doreen Cronin’s The Trouble with Chickens or Daniel Pinkwater’s Hoboken Chicken Emergency. Then there are the picture books: Mary Jane Auch’s many Chicken books, The Wolf’s Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza or dare I mention The Little Red Hen?
