Monica_in_Switzerland Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Of course there is the glaringly obvious Secret Garden, but I'm looking for a few books that my encourage my kids in the garden. Not how-to books, but literature options. I might try Animal, Vegetable, Miracle on them. Any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deee Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Jody's Beans by UK author Malachy Doyle is fabulous. Its the story of a little girl and her grandfather who plants beans with her. They start with seeds and follow the plant through its whole life cycle, ending with next years bean seeds. Its really nicely done. Danielle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneLittleWindow Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Frog and Toad have one about seasons. I find Brambly Hedge to be gardeny... :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted October 13, 2012 Author Share Posted October 13, 2012 These are great suggestions, thank you! I am trying to put together some books for next spring, that I can take and actually read IN the garden, if my kids behave themselves and either help or *not hinder* while I work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 (edited) We haven't gotten to the book, yet. But the third book in the "Half Magic" Series is called, "The Time Garden". Perhaps it is a little garden related. That's about all I can come up with. ETA: Oh, not exactly gardening but "Tucker's Countryside" Which is the sequel to "The Cricket in Times Square" takes place in a meadow and talks quite a bit about growing things. The various animals are also trying to save the meadow from developers. This book might fit your needs. What about "Strawberry Girl"? It's another I haven't read yet - but judging from the cover and title it takes place in a strawberry garden. :) ETA: again Sorry, I never noticed the age of your kids. Gail Gibbons makes a nice non-fiction story book about gardens. I think it's called, "Garden's". The book, "The Adventures of Bob White" by Thornton W. Burgess also takes place in a garden. For the majority of the book the Bob White family is helping farmer Brown in the garden. Edited October 13, 2012 by Julie Smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Michelle* Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Sleeping with a Sunflower. It's a mix of gardening lore, poetry, old wives' tales, history, and much more. It's chapters are divided by month, so you could read the whole thing over the course of the year. ETA: even with young kids, there's a lot of neat info and imagery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 We have just started 'The Enchanted Castle' by E.Nesbit and there is quite a bit of talk about gardens and roses but we have just started it so I don't know if the descriptive language continues throughout the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Miss Rumphius is a picture book, but my kids loved it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 The Garden Game is a good resource for this, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards. The Lost Flower Children has some gardening in it, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Seeds and More Seeds by Millicent Selsam is a delicious older book on growing plants. Copyright 1959. Several copies are available on Amazon. It's a picture book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 I've always thought some of Sharon Creech's books, especially Chasing Redbird and Heartbeat, had a bit of a Barbara Kingsolver for kids feel to them, but none of them are about gardening specifically. Gone Away Lake has some lovely stuff about gardens and growing. The third Melendy book, And Then There Were Five, also has some amazing nature descriptions and they do keep a Victory garden, but it's not a gardening book per se. I could probably think of some more in this vein, but I'm not really sure what you want because your kids are so young... I would think even The Secret Garden would be a slightly stretch for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Beware the latest movie version of The Secret Garden. It covers the sudden deaths by plague of the household, and the burning of all of the contents of the home, with repeated closeups of the favorite toy (I forget whether it was a doll or a stuff toy, but clearly it was the 'lovie') in the big bonfire. My DD watched this when she was very young, and that fire traumatized her for months. I don't think she remembered much else about the movie. Go with the old Shirley Temple version, even though the happy ending is not true to the book. Gaaaaa! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trillian Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Another picture book is The Curious Garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Andrew the Lion Farmer. It's about a little boy who buys lion seeds and grows himself a pride to play with. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 The Carrot Seed, by Ruth Krauss has a great lesson for early gardeners. You can hear it read at Kiddie Records Weekly. The Gardener by Sarah Stewart is correspondence between a flower-growing girl and her gardener-grandmother during the Depression. The illustrations are great and the text always makes me (almost) cry. I want to second "Growing Vegetable Soup" by Linda Ehlert. There is a great, over-size boardbook and I've even seen it in Spanish if you really want to multi-task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 I was coming to suggest Miss Rumphius and The Curious Garden. Both have already been mentioned! :thumbup1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyJ Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Beatrix Potter has a lot of gardening and my little ones enjoy listening to it. We also read The complete book of flower fairies and that one makes them love the garden, they have built little fairy houses out there. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 I vote for Farm City, by Novella Carpenter. It's a grownup book, but it's so interesting (especially if you live in or near a city). If I were a kid, I would fascinated by how she keeps pigs and rabbits and chickens and bees in the empty lot next to her apartment house in Oakland, and how they have to become full-time dumpster divers just to keep the pigs feed. She collects weeds off the street to feed her chickens and your kids will find a lot about which they can say, "WOW, really?!" Of course, it is set in urban Oakland, so you may have to read around the parts like when the marijuana growery across the street gets busted, LOL (plus YMMV on the various animal slaughter parts), but overall it provides SO much to think about and learn from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted October 14, 2012 Author Share Posted October 14, 2012 I vote for Farm City, by Novella Carpenter. It's a grownup book, but it's so interesting (especially if you live in or near a city). If I were a kid, I would fascinated by how she keeps pigs and rabbits and chickens and bees in the empty lot next to her apartment house in Oakland, and how they have to become full-time dumpster divers just to keep the pigs feed. She collects weeds off the street to feed her chickens and your kids will find a lot about which they can say, "WOW, really?!" Of course, it is set in urban Oakland, so you may have to read around the parts like when the marijuana growery across the street gets busted, LOL (plus YMMV on the various animal slaughter parts), but overall it provides SO much to think about and learn from. How interesting that you mention this book! I "know" Novella's sister, who is equally fascinating. I will pick up a copy of the book. Thanks for reminding me of this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustybug Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 I agree with Miss Rumphius, Growing Vegetable Soup, and The Carrot Seed. The Magic School Bus series has one called "Plants Seeds" that my children enjoyed last spring when we did a gardening unit. At the end of this post on my blog I have a list of picture books that we used during that unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschool mom Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Usborne has a program called "10 weeks on an apple farm" that may have a few books. Ginger homeschool mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_thurm Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I was coming on to posrt about "The Gardner" too...great book!! The Carrot Seed, by Ruth Krauss has a great lesson for early gardeners. You can hear it read at Kiddie Records Weekly. The Gardener by Sarah Stewart is correspondence between a flower-growing girl and her gardener-grandmother during the Depression. The illustrations are great and the text always makes me (almost) cry. I want to second "Growing Vegetable Soup" by Linda Ehlert. There is a great, over-size boardbook and I've even seen it in Spanish if you really want to multi-task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.