Get your little ones interested in the natural world of gardening with these fun and educational garden books for kids!

We all know that spending time outside is good for us – and as good as it is for adults, it’s maybe even more so for children. Gardening is a wonderful way to motivate ourselves to spend more time outdoors, and it’s not just for adults!

While anyone with even a small garden can get your kids involved in the process, reading with your kids can also be a powerful way to spark interest in gardening and help them learn valuable lessons that will benefit them later in life.

Here are a few excellent benefits of reading with your kids, according to the good folks over at GrowYourOwnVegetables.com:

📚 Entice children to look closer at the world around them
📚 Introduce kids to gardening terms and ideas 
📚 Increase comprehension about complex systems, like seasons and life cycles
📚 Cultivate curiosity and excitement for nature and gardening
📚 Improve language skills and focus
📚 Foster bonding and connection 
📚 Improve imagination, creativity, and problem solving

Here are 5 excellent gardening books for kids – they’re fun and educational, perfect for family story time, and they make great gifts for the other children in your life as well! (With the holidays coming up, be sure to bookmark this post for your holiday shopping list.)

1.) Up In the Garden and Down in the Dirt, by Kate Messner

This book explores the many things happening both above and under the soil, encouraging kids to take a closer look at the world around them, and helping them understand the hidden worlds that lie out of our sight all around us. This engaging story highlights the different animals, insects, and plants that live all around us all season long. (And check out the companion book, Over and Under the Snow, which explores the hidden animal world during a snow-covered winter.)

2.) The Tiny Seed, by Eric Carle

This lovely illustrated tale tells the story of one tiny seed becoming a big flower. This classic story of the life cycle of a flower is told through the adventures of a tiny seed that journeys through the air, finds a new home, and grows into the flower it was always meant to be. The engaging fictional story is supported by realistic details that will help give children a better understanding of the life cycle of plants and spark curiosity about the plant world.

3.) Growing Vegetable Soup, by Lois Ehlert

Well-suited for younger readers, this fun book illustrates the progression from growing food to eating it. This one would be a fantastic read for any child unfamiliar with where food comes from (which, frankly, is the majority of kids today), or who is interested in cooking. It even includes a recipe at the end of the book that you can try making together!

4.) A Seed Is Sleepy, by Dianna Hutts Aston

This engaging story also includes in-depth information and labels for different kinds of seeds and plants, along with captivating watercolor illustrations that will encourage interest in botany and plant lore. Turn each page to explore the amazing world of these garden wonders through beautiful illustrations that bring to life nature landscapes filled with seeds, flowers, plants, leaves, and trees!

5.) Pumpkin Jack, by Will Hubbel

This is a great book for the autumn months and Halloween season, when you may have your own pumpkins handy. This book follows the journey of jack-o-lanterns through decomposition into sprouting new pumpkins. It is a fun book to set the scene for your own pumpkin rotting experiment with your little ones!

Whether you’re reading a bedtime story, encouraging your kids to practice their reading, or sharing these books with other children in your life, it’s sure to be a fun and educational journey for everyone involved!