The Best Books About Plants for Children: Picture Books, Stories & Nature Books
I am a big fan of having books that complement what children are currently learning about. They help broaden, reinforce and support children’s learning, allowing them to engage more deeply with subjects they are beginning to become experts in. Knowing things helps children make connections, while new books can create a buzz around a topic and support their natural curiosity.
Important: Books can be new to your child without actually being new. I highly recommend making use of your local library services (including free audiobook services), lending and swapping books with friends, or shopping second-hand. Some cities also have story centres, children’s libraries or other special services for young readers.
With every new Hands On Primary Learning Pack, I’ll share a blog post with linked reading recommendations. This collection includes books that complement a general study of plants, as well as the Hands on Primary Sunflower: Art and Nature Learning Pack.
Books that help children understand how plants grow.
These picture book stories explore seed dispersal, germination and the life cycles of plants.
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
This story follows a seed through dispersal, germination, growth, flowering and producing new seeds. Eventually the seed turns into a big sunflower!
The book is beautifully illustrated using Carle’s signature hand-painted tissue paper collages.
A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis
This book explains the life cycle of a sunflower through a simple illustrated story. It will support Science learning about plant life cycles and it also offers rich further inspiration for printing activities due to its lovely pictures. (My personal favourite page shows rain droplets falling from the sky).
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
Explicitly educational, this book simply teaches young children about germination, pollination, plant reproduction and seed dispersal. This book includes instructions for a project growing seeds. It is recommended for learners aged 4-8 years old.
Beautiful books that encourage careful looking at the natural world
These books include non-fiction and activity books with beautiful illustrations.
A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long
A poetic non-fiction book with beautiful illustrations that explains how seeds grow, rest and travel. This is best for 4-6 year olds.
The Big Book of Blooms by Yuval Zommer
This gorgeously illustrated book includes facts about various plants. This book is also available as a sticker book.
Flower Talk: How Plants Use Color to Communicate by Sara Levine, illustrated by Masha D'yans
A funny book told from the perspective of a plant. It introduces the relationship between flower colours and pollinators.
The Science of Plants by DK and Kew Gardens
This one is for adults or particularly interested upper-primary-aged children, and a very good “leave it lying around and dip into it” reference book. It covers roots, stems, leaves, flowers and seeds as well as photosynthesis, adaptations and plant interactions, with detailed photography and diagrams.
The Boy with Flowers in his Hair by Jarvis alongside a Hands On Primary paper craft.
Beautiful stories about growing
These stories and picture books explore gardening more broadly, and explore the emotional and cultural themes linked to growing.
The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Boughton
Whimsical and full of imagination, care and the wonder that growing plants can bring. This story tells of a young boy who transforms his grey environment by growing something.
The Secret Sky Garden by Linda Sarah and Fiona Lumbers
A young girl turns a disused roof car park into a garden. The beautiful, colourful flowers bring her friendship.
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin
A Chinese-American child grows Chinese vegetables with her mother while the neighbours grow flowers. Plants become a route into food, family, community and culture.
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
A young child and their nana plant seeds and tend a garden through changing seasons. Explores the ecosystem of the garden, above and below the soil.
The Boy with Flowers in his Hair by Jarvis
This is somewhat a bonus book in this section because it is not explicitly about growing plants in a garden. Rather, it tells the story of a boy with flowers in his hair and how his friends emotionally look after him. A lovely story about creativity and friendship. You can find our full review and craft for this book here.
Want to continue learning about plants?
Our Sunflower: Art and Nature Learning Pack explores the work of Vincent van Gogh, sunflower life cycles, sunflower anatomy, the Fibonacci Sequence and various sunflower-themed printing, collage, drawing and painting activities.