It's about that time of year when I start thinking about what we'll be growing this summer. I'm not actually doing anything about it yet, but I have given it the smallest amount of thought. Last year wasn't a great growing year for us (the sunflowers never came up despite planting them twice!) but we tried some new things and need to recommit to eating more veggies. I am more interested, generally, in the flower growing, particularly the ones I can cut and put around the house. And most of our tomatoes went to my sister who does massive amounts of canning of sauce and she put those to good use!
We also start reading many picture books about gardening and things growing in the spring. It just feels spring-y to me, even though we aren't planting until mid-May or something (if we're lucky...sometimes it's June). We've read quite a few already in March and so why not share a list! These are almost entirely books about growing a garden, mostly the vegetable kind although a few flower ones might have sneaked through. I'll have to do another list about growing flowers!
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Grandma's Rooftop Garden by Tang Wei, translated by Kelly Zhang
This is the one we most recently read that inspired this list! Granny might be old but she has built a wonderful vegetable garden on the roof of her apartment building in Chengdu (a city in China). She collects the produce that is thrown away at markets and composts it for her garden and then shares her produce with friends and family, either by making them food or passing on produce for them to use. Very sweet story and love reading about urban gardens all over the world!
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
This is one the first ones that came to mind when thinking of more books for this list. We love this over/under series, everyone of them is fantastic. This follows a young girl and her grandmother for a year through taking care of their backyard garden, what is going on that they can see but also what is going on under the dirt!
Badger's Perfect Garden by Marsha Diane Arnold, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki
Badger has spent months planning his perfect garden and gathering the seeds. When the time comes, he recruits his forest friends to help him exactly according to plan. Badger is already imagining how perfect it'll be when it starts growing. But then a rainstorm hits and washes away his seeds. Is all his hard work and organization ruined?
And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead
This is probably my very favorite spring book to read and I used to read it nearly daily to Sam when he was home with me. First you have brown, all around you have brown. A young boy and his dog are getting impatient with the long departure of winter and decide to plant a garden while they wait. Although a garden just means more things to wait on.
Diana's White House Garden by Elisa Carbone, illustrated by Jen Hill
Biography picture book about a young girl, Diana Hopkins, who lived at the White House during the administration of FDR during WWII. Her father was the president's chief advisor. Diana wanted to help with the war efforts and starts a Victory Garden at the White House under the tutelage of Eleanor Roosevelt.
The Garden We Share by Zoe Tucker, illustrated by Swaney Julianna
A young girl and an elderly woman bond over their work at the local community garden, planting seeds alongside neighbors and friends. By harvest the girl's elderly friend is bedridden but the young girl can still take her baskets of ripe tomatoes and sugar snap peas, sharing what they produced together. By the fall everything is different but spring always comes again.
Love Makes a Garden Grow by Taeeun Yoo
Still a young girl working in a garden but this time with her Grandfather. The Grandfather works hard at his garden, teaching his granddaughter how to care for the plants and associates all the work and senses of the garden with him. As he ages his garden gets smaller but the girl never forgets what he has taught her.
The Forever Garden by Laurel Snyder
Honey works hard on her garden, pouring hours into it each day. Her young neighbor, Laurel, spends a lot of time helping Honey, weeding, watering, etc. But then one day Honey puts out a For Sale sign in her yard. She must move to care for an elderly parent. Laurel will miss her friend but, also, what will happen to this wonderful garden??
We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines, illustrated by Julianna Swaney
All about her children's young attempts at growing SOMETHING. The house plants that died before they finally figured out what they were doing and kept a whole garden growing. The picture here are especially charming.
Thank You, Garden by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Simone Shin
First, this one has a fantastic and beautiful cover. Second, this is about a community garden and how it unites the neighborhood as they celebrate all that grows there and the work it takes to make that happen. Not just growing plants, but friendships that grow too.
The Gardener of Alcatraz: A True Story by Emma Bland Smith, illustrated by Jenn Ely
The story of a man who was locked away at Alcatraz for counterfeiting but was determined to defy the odds and escape. Instead, he got a job tending the prison garden and a strange thing happened, he found new interests and skills and a sense of fulfillment, even behind the walls of Alcatraz.
A Garden Called Home by Jessica J. Lee, illustrated by Elaine Chen
A young girl and her mother return to her mother's homeland and the girl sees her mother come alive in a way that she never does in their new country. Once they return home, the mother's smile disappears but the girl is determined the show her mother, through growing plants, that they can make their place in their new country as well.
The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen, illustrated by Irene Luxbacher
Theodore loved her Grandfather's old garden but then he moved to an apartment where he can't grow nearly as much. It's just not the same. But then Theo and her Grandpa decide to paint a new garden and work together to create something growing, in a different way. Eventually that garden starts to take on a life of it's own.
Jack's Garden by Henry Cole
A book about a young BOY working in a garden! This list has, unintentionally, been little girl heavy. This is a take on "The House Jack Built" but about a garden instead. He makes it look easy.
In Our Garden by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Melissa Crowton
Millie has recently moved, across an ocean, and she misses her old home and ways of doing things. One day she has an idea - their school has a flat roof, that could be perfect for a school garden! She gets her teacher and classmates on board but it takes a lot of hard work to make a garden from scratch!
What Grew in Larry's Garden by Laura Alary, illustrated by Kass Reich
Grace thinks her neighbor, Larry, has the greatest garden in the world. He grows the most wonderful vegetables and Grace loves helping him with the watering, weeding, planting, pruning, hoeing, and harvesting. Whenever there is a problem they solve it together. Grace learns that Larry has big plans for his garden!
I'd love to hear if you have any picture books about garden we could add to our list! Maybe it'll be good luck to keep our garden more alive this year!
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