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Cool Garden Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers

With Spring around the corner it’s time to stock up on garden books for the toddlers and preschoolers. We love having a selection of books that we keep for ourselves and also add with a few from the library from time to time swapping them out. These are our favourite books that my kids and I have enjoyed most spring and summers since they were toddlers and preschoolers.

Fun fiction and non-fiction garden book ideas for reading along with toddlers and preschoolers in spring and summer or as part of a plant or garden unit.

Garden Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers

By far my favourite Garden themed book for this age range The Tiny Seed The World of Eric Carle combines the tale of a seed with the classic illustrations of our favourite children’s author and illustrator.


The Tiny Seed based activity Garden Ten Frame


Planting a Rainbow - literacy in the garden with autumn planting with kids

Another favourite and one that we read in the autumn, spring and summer is Planting a Rainbow. I find that this book unlike a lot of the books focuses on the garden throughout the seasons and covers one of my favorite autumn gardening activities planting the bulbs for spring and summer flowers.

Following the pattern of the well know children’s rhyme “This is the house that Jack Built” Jack’s Garden follow’s Jack’s progress as he grows his own garden. I love that at the back of the book you have further book suggestions that give more guidelines on growing your own flower garden.

Fellow blogger Giselle Shardlow of Kids Yoga Stories has a fantastic garden based book Rachel’s Day in the Garden: A Kids Yoga Book which as well as having a great story also features garden yoga poses that you and the kids can do at home.

What happens when you plant a seed – follow the young boy in In the Garden as he rakes the ground and then plants some seeds and waits to find out what happens.

Quick growing plants to grow with kids

Find the perfect plants to grow with toddlers and preschoolers from our  quick growing plant list no waiting around for them all spring and summer.


One of the fun themes about the Garden is that you can introduce lots of animal books as well – whether it’s frog books or bug books. In The Bees Down in the Garden Volume 1 a wonderful book for toddlers and younger preschoolers it tells the tale of the bees – not one that you could use for factual purposes but with cute illustrations for the bees carrying pollen in buckets and drinking nectar from glasses it’s a lot of fun to read.

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown not only have a wonderful garden theme to it with the emphasis on conservation it is a great choice for Earth Day reading as well and would be fantastic paired with the reading of The Lorax by Dr Seuss.

In this simple book ideal for toddlers The Little Gardener Teenie Greenies you can lift the flaps and explore what it takes to be a gardener and how you can grow plants.


Try this fun growing experiment with kids to see how beans grow


Join the young children in Let’s Grow A Garden as they share the fun of growing your own vegetables in this book ideal for younger preschoolers and toddlers.

In this eco-friendly book Bunny’s Garden Pat the Bunny Shaped Board Book you meet Pat the Bunny again as he grows his own flowers and vegetables in the garden. Made with recycled paper and using soy ink this is a great eco-friendly gift for those little budding gardeners.


Gardening with kids - equipment for green fingered kids

In Lola Plants a Garden after reading a book about gardening Lola is inspired to grow her own seeds. Follow along with her and her mother as they read, buy, plant and wait for their garden to grow.

Follow along with the young girl in this bright and colourful book Zinnia’s Flower Garden as she grows her fantastic garden. Maybe this will inspire you to grow your own just look at all of those colours.

As you read Flower Garden it’s a good reminder that you don’t need a lot of space for a garden – you can grow you flowers anywhere. Follow along as this daughter and father make a fantastic birthday surprise for her mother.

Classic Fiction for Children with a Garden Theme

Winnie the Pooh has always been a feature of my childhood and I have enjoyed reading the books to my own children as well. In Winnie the Pooh Pooh’s Secret Garden spring has arrived in 100-acre wood and Winnie the Pooh is growing a garden. With flaps to lift and cute pictures this will make a wonderful addition to your bookshelf or collection.

Winnie the Pooh: Pooh’s Secret Garden (Disney Storybook (eBook))
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Books, Disney (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 24 Pages – 04/02/2013 (Publication Date) – Disney Press (Publisher)

There is one character that is always in the garden, in fact he’s not in his own garden but in Mr McGreggors garden of course it is Peter Rabbit and no children’s book collection on the garden would be complete with out The Tale of Peter Rabbit and in my opinion every child should own at least this classic children’s story.

Sale
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
  • One of the best-loved children’s books of all time.
  • Contains 70 pages.
  • Book measures 4.13″ x 5.51″
  • Recommended for Ages: 3 years and up.
  • Hardcover Book

Garden books for Preschoolers beginning to read

Although these two books are great as read alongs for you and your child they are also ideal for your emergent reader to try and sound out the words and read aloud to you.

 The ever fun Biscuit the dog explores the colours of the garden and the creatures that you can find there in Biscuit in the Garden My First I Can Read

Sale
Biscuit in the Garden: A Springtime Book For Kids (My First I Can Read)
  • Capucilli, Alyssa Satin (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 24 Pages – 02/19/2013 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Publisher)

Another favourite character is Little Critter and in spring you can find them out in the garden growing their own vegetables and then by the end of the summer enjoying a delicous meal in Little Critter: A Green, Green Garden My First I Can Read

Non-fiction Garden Books

Gail Gibbons is a fantastic children’s author, producing non-fiction books that are beautifully illustrated her From Seed to Plant is a great one to add to the book box for any garden, plant or growing themed weeks you have.

From Seed to Plant
  • Used Book in Good Condition
  • Gibbons, Gail (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 32 Pages – 01/01/1991 (Publication Date) – Holiday House (Publisher)

Kids really can’t resist digging around in the dirt and in Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt they get to understand a little more on what goes on and how human’s and bugs play a role in the garden habitat.

Related – Make your own wormery to show the role of worms in helping the garden environment

One of the reasons that I love the theme of gardening is because it allows children to grow their own vegetables and fruit a great way to get them to try new things. In The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons, she uses her characteristic style to talk help children see what they can eat and encourage them to eat healthy.

This eco-friendly book is a great way for children to learn about what they can grow and eat. In The Garden is made from 98% recycled paper and uses eco-friendly inks as well.

In this fun alphabet book you learn how to prepare your soil, grow you vegetables as well as about some of the more exotic vegetables out there check out The Vegetable Alphabet Book if you are looking for something that will provide an interesting talking about and may lead to some fun exploration of new foods would be great for the fussy eaters.


Looking for more book inspiration then check out these Seasonal Book lists


Pin these Garden Books to add to your collection later

Fun fiction and non-fiction garden book ideas for reading along with toddlers and preschoolers in spring and summer or as part of a plant or garden unit.

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Fun fiction and non-fiction garden book ideas for reading along with toddlers and preschoolers in spring and summer or as part of a plant or garden unit.
Author
Cerys Parker

Cerys is a marine biologist, environmental educator, teacher, mum, and home educator from the UK. She loves getting creative, whether it is with simple and easy crafts and ideas, activities to make learning fun, or delicious recipes that you and your kids can cook together you'll find them all shared here on Rainy Day Mum.

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