Best Garden Books for Storytime (Preschool, Kindergarten, First Grade)

 Looking to dig into garden books that work well in group storytime? I picked these just for you!

Here Are the Seeds (2024)

By JaNay Brown-Wood · Illustrated by Olivia Amoah · Published by Kids Can Press
Recommended ages: 3–8 years
Two children learn the ins and outs of growing a garden from seeds in this rhythmic, rhyming, cumulative story. With repetition, singable language, and a clear planting sequence, this one works beautifully as a read-aloud, felt-board story, or spring garden theme for preschool and early elementary groups. Brown-Wood hits a home run AGAIN!

Goodnight, Veggies (2021)

By Diana Murray · Illustrated by Zachariah OHora · Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Recommended ages: 0–5 years
A playful bedtime book for a garden full of vegetables, this rhyming read-aloud works especially well with toddlers and preschoolers. The familiar nighttime routine, lively language, and veggie characters make it a great fit for vocabulary building, rhythm, and cozy group participation.

A Seed Grows (2022)

By Antoinette Portis · Published by Neal Porter Books
Recommended ages: 3–8 years
A simple, elegant introduction to how a seed grows, this book is a strong choice for building science vocabulary and talking about plant life cycles. The clear sequence and focused text make it great for dialogic reading, prediction, and helping children notice the small-but-mighty changes that happen in nature.

Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump! (2017)

By K.L. Going · Illustrated by Simone Shin · Published by Beach Lane Books
Recommended ages: 0–5 years
A busy, sound-filled story about two siblings picking berries, helping make a pie, and thumpety-thumping their way through the day. The rhythmic text and onomatopoeia make this a fun read-aloud for sound play, movement, sequencing, and chanting along. Great four baby bounces too!

Plant the Tiny Seed (2022)

By Christie Matheson · Published by Greenwillow Books
Recommended ages: 0–8 years
This interactive garden book invites children to help tiny seeds grow into flowers by tapping, clapping, wiggling, and more. Perfect for group participation, movement, sequencing, and cause-and-effect, this one is especially useful when you want a read-aloud that gives kiddos something to do on every page.

Worm Makes a Sandwich (2025)

By Brianne Farley · Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Recommended ages: 3–12 years
Worm would love to make a sandwich just for you. All he needs is garbage, poop, and - what? You don't want to eat garbage and poop? (You get why this one works with kiddos.) This silly, highly engaging read-aloud is a great fit for garden, worm, and food themes, with opportunities for prediction, sequencing, humor, and talking about how worms help the world under our feet.

Fran’s Flower (2000)

By Lisa Bruce · Illustrated by Rosalind Bonnet · Published by HarperCollins
Recommended ages: 3–8 years
Fran is determined to grow a potted plant, but she doesn't understand why it won't grow. She feeds it all of her favorites: pizza, ice cream, a hamburger...but nothing! She throws it outside, and that's when the magic happens. I love to tell this story with props, but it's also great as a felt board or a read aloud! I often use this story to show how in storytime, sometimes adults are giving kids what THEY like, but they really need to give them an environment where they get what THEY naturally need.

The Carrot Seed (1945)

By Crockett Johnson · Published by Harper & Brothers
Recommended ages: 0–8 years
A timeless classic about persistence and believing in yourself. With sparse text, repetition, and a predictable structure, this story works beautifully for reading with younger groups, but its fabe-esque nature also means it works for early elementary in the right context. Children love anticipating what will happen as the little boy patiently cares for his carrot seed despite everyone else’s doubts, and it's really fun to do the character voices of his family members.