Top 11: Best Picture Books for Spring

You wouldn’t guess that it’s spring here in Boston, given the snow we’ve been getting in April! Still, I am dreaming of spring and getting my little garden going.

These are my favorite picture books for garden inspiration. These books demonstrate that gardens can transform an environment, bring neighbors closer, and even become a political touchpoint. Ideas for Earth Day include starting a compost pile, planting a tree, or even just germinating seeds.

What are your favorite spring picture books? Are you planting a garden this year of any size? Please share!

p.s. Here is one more!

When Spring Comes by Ekaterina Trukhan

Celebrate spring with this gentle, sweet book. Be sure to go back through the book to locate the items listed in the back in the illustrations. [picture book, ages 2 and up]

Top 11: Best Picture Books for Planting a Garden

10. The Gardener by Sarah Stewart, illustrations by David Small

It’s the Great Depression and Lydia Grace Finch is sent to live with her uncle in the city. Times are tough and his bakery is barely making it. She misses her family back on the farm but has found a way to stay connected through the seeds that she packed. Little by little, Lydia’s plants transform the bakery and business starts to pick up. She has a special surprise for her uncle on the roof, a garden oasis. It will be a reminder of her for him since she’s able to return home. This is one of my favorite picture books of all time. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

9. The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

A little boy named Liam discovers a neglected garden and helps to bring it back. It has a life and mind of its own, it seems. Bit by bit, with Liam’s help, the garden spreads and transforms a drab metropolis into a paradise of greenery. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

8. Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole

Using a spin-off of the Mother Goose rhyme “This is the house that Jack built,” this picture book shows the flora, fauna, and life cycle of the garden that Jack built. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

7. A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long

Even if you don’t plant your garden with seeds but take the shortcut route with seedlings like I do, learn about seeds in this beautiful and informative nonfiction picture book that reads like poetry. The watercolor illustrations illuminate the sheer diversity of shapes and colors of seeds as each page unlocks a few secrets of the mystery of seeds.

This picture book series will convert a child who doesn’t like nonfiction into a fan, as well as show nonfiction readers the beauty of poetry. Honestly, I don’t think any child would not love this series. It’s pretty spot-on perfect. [nonfiction picture book, ages 4 and up]

6. Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

Ehlert’s glorious, vibrant collage illustrations are reason alone to read this picture book. It also does double duty both to teach kids about the colors of the rainbow and understand how to plant bulbs, seeds, and seedlings, and nurture their growth. There is also a nice feature where some interior pages are cut shorter within the book to show a rainbow of colorful plants and flowers. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

5. The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin

Choosing what to plant can also be a challenge. A little Chinese American girl helps her mother with the garden and notices that theirs is much different from their neighbors’ gardens. Her garden requires deeper digging and produces dark green ugly plants instead of sweet-smelling flowers. She’s sad that her garden isn’t as nice until it’s time to harvest her ugly vegetables. Her mother makes the most aromatic and delicious soup with them, and when the neighbors come to investigate that wonderful smell, she realizes that her garden is pretty special too. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

4. Seeds of Change: Wangari’s Gift to the World by Jen Cullerton Johnson, illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler

There are a few wonderful picture books about Wangari Maathai. Seeds of Change is great because it comes with lesson plans. I’ve included four picture book biographies on Wangari Maathai as each tells another facet of her story.

Wangari learned to respect and love trees from her mother in Kenya. Although it was unusual for girls to get an education, Wangari went even further, studying at college to become a scientist in the United States. When she returned, the landscape was much different. Trees were cut down for timber and coffee plantations but the ecosystem suffered. She decided to plant trees and worked tirelessly with other women to create a transformation. Her efforts were noticed by those who wanted to stop her and she was arrested, but that still didn’t stop her. In 2004, she won the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as led her people as Kenya’s Minister of the Environment. [biography picture book, ages 6 and up]

3. Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

This picture book about Wangari Maathai shows how she affected the lives of poor women in Kenya. She gave them tree seedlings to plant as a solution to the poverty that they faced. The miburi muiru provided edible fruits; the mukinduri was excellent for firewood; the muheregendi leaves make good animal fodder; the murigono’s branches made great stakes for training yam vines; and the murigoya leaves would ripen bananas. Finally, the muringa, the giant sacred fig, acts as nature’s filter to clean streams. Wangari’s training as a biologist and her desire to help the people of Kenya transformed her country, seedling by seedling. [biography picture book, ages 4 and up]

2. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

This classic picture book tells the true story of The Lupine Lady, Alice Rumphius, who after adventuring around the world, returns home and scatters lupine seeds along the coast of Maine, leaving a blooming legacy for generations to enjoy.

Still, it’s important to note that lupines are an invasive non-native species that quickly fill up an area and exclude other plants, especially plants that emerge relatively late such as native milkweed in Maine, This is important because it could impact the migratory monarch butterfly. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

1. And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

I can relate to the young boy who is trying to turn the brown around him into green with some seeds, rain, and a lot of worries. The wonder (and worry) of planting a garden is captured in this endearing picture book. [picture book, age 4 and up]

More Great Picture Books for Spring

Every Little Seed by Cynthia Schumerty, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli

The meter is off in parts of this rhyming narrative nonfiction story which throws me off about a multi-generational family that plants a garden together and tends it during the life cycle from seed to plant to harvest. [nonfiction rhyming picture book, ages 5 and up]

Welcome, Rain! by Sheryl McFarlane, illustrated by Christine Wei

April showers bring May flowers, at least here in New England, we tend to get a lot of rain in the spring. A little girl and her brother love the rain when it first arrives in the spring. They like to splash in the puddles and watch their garden grow. After a good amount of rain, the creeks and lakes are full and they would like the rain to stop. But when the leaves turn brown, and the days are too hot, they appreciate the rain when returns. The rain brings green and growth. Then, when the seasons change yet again, they welcome rain back in the winter as snow. [picture book, ages 3 and up]

City Beet by Tziporah Cohen, illustrated by Udayana Lugo

Victoria and her elderly neighbor Mrs. Kosta plant a garden and grow the biggest beet imaginable. It’s perfect for the neighborhood potluck if only they are able to pull it from the ground. Everyone helps out, and finally, the beet gets unstuck … and becomes a delicious raw beet and garlic salad! [picture book, ages 5 and up]

Hooray for Spring! by Kazuo Iwamura

Three young squirrel siblings explore outside their tree, noticing the caterpillars eating leaves, and bees eating nectar from the cherry blossoms. They happen upon a baby bird and want to feed it but the baby bird is not interested in pinecones, cherry blossoms, or acorns. What does the baby bird want to eat, they wonder? Suddenly, the Mama Bird appears with a worm. The baby bird eats it up. When the squirrels return home, they tell their Mama and Papa about their discovery. Baby birds eat worms! This is a gentle story reminiscent of old-fashioned books like Frog and Toad or Little Bear. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Watch Me Bloom: A Bouquet of Haiku Poems for Budding Naturalists by Krina Patel-Sage

This is the perfect book to celebrate spring and April Poetry Month with haiku poems on various flowers. The flowers also follow the seasons starting with Snowdrops in the winter and ending with Poinsettias in the winter. Spring and summer flowers fill in the middle. Vibrant illustrations depicting a diverse cast of people make this a book to enjoy year-round! [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Badger’s Perfect Garden by Marsha Diane Arnold, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki

As a gardener waiting for spring, I can relate to Badger’s desire to plant the perfect garden, having dreamed about it all winter. Badger and his friends work hard to plant the garden with neat rows in a specific pattern. When heavy rain hits, the garden is washed away. Badger is sad but when spring arrives, it turns out that nature has its own plan for Badger’s garden! [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Anywhere Farm by Phillis Root, illustrated by G. Brian Karas

How perfect is it that the author’s last name is “root?!” This charming picture book encourages readers to create a farm anywhere, using household objects even like an old shoe or bucket. If spring is giving you an itch to create a garden but you don’t have the luxury of a yard, use this picture book for inspiration to create a neighborhood garden. You just need the will and a seed. [picture book, ages 2 and up]

Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals, illustrated by Ashley Wolff

I have never composted before and it makes me nervous. I might start off trying Mama Smiles’s urban blender compost recipe or get inspiration from Compost Stew.

In rollicking rhyme, this picture book teaches the ABCs of composting. Each letter suggests items that can be used for making compost. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees by Frank Prévot, illustrated by Aurélia Fronty

Kenya is a colony of Britain and it is the British who grow richer by cutting trees to plant tea. Wangari is one of the few African girls to get an education, studying in the United States during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. It’s John F. Kennedy who made her education possible; he invited six hundred young Kenyans to study in the U.S. including Wangari. When Wangari returns home, Kenya is no longer a colony of Britain but the trees continue to get cut down, decimating the wildlife, and eroding the soil. Fighting to replant the trees, Wangari receives death threats and endures imprisonment, but she perseveres. The endnotes include photos of Wangari and a timeline of her achievements. [picture book biography, ages 6 and up]

Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa by Jeanette Winter

This picture book focuses on the genesis of Wangari’s tree-planting endeavor, starting with just nine seedlings. She convinces the village women that these trees embody seeds of hope. Wangari pays each woman a small amount for each seedling still living after three months — their first earnings ever. These seedlings eventually reach a count of 30 million and grow into tall trees. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

When The Rain Comes by Alma Fullerton, illustrated by Kim La Fave

It’s time to plant rice in Sri Lanka and Malini is excited to help for the first time. Their oxcart is loaded up with seedlings, and the rice they plant will bring food and fortune to her village. When the fierce rain comes the water rises around her, her parents tell her to get to the barn. Instead, she decides to get the cart to higher ground so that the rice seedlings are not swept away. Her bravery saves the rice crop! [picture book, ages 4 and up]

An Activity Book to Celebrate Gardens

A Year in the Secret Garden by Valarie Budayr and Marilyn Scott-Waters

This book is based on The Secret Garden, but it’s also a companion guide of activities, recipes, and games to bring that classic to life. It’s a beautifully illustrated book of fun for parents and kids to enjoy all year long! [activity book, ages 4 and up]

p.s. Related posts:

Book Lists for Holidays

Grandparents’ Day and The Many Meanings of Meilan

Environmentally Friendly Books for All Seasons

Green Earth Book Award

Happy Earth Day: Non Fiction Picture Books

33 thoughts on “Top 11: Best Picture Books for Spring”

Sarah says:
April 10, 2016 at 10:18 am
These books look wonderful! I had no idea that Donna Jo Napoli had written any picture books. I love her writing. I’m also excited about the Lois Ehlert book. Just put these on hold at my library.
P.S. Sorry about the snow. 🙁
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 14, 2016 at 12:06 pm
  Hi Sarah,
  I’m so happy that you liked my list! I hope you enjoy those books on reserve!
Patricia Tilton says:
April 10, 2016 at 12:04 pm
Many of the books you’ve mentioned are favorites. Love the Curious Garden and all of the Mama Miti books. Sure doesn’t feel like spring when we go from the 60s to the 30s and have snow. But, I’ve seen snow flurries in Ohio as late as Apr. 18. I hope this was our last cold burst.
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 14, 2016 at 12:07 pm
  Hi Patricia,
  I didn’t post the hail we got last Friday! I’m with you! Our spring is starting late too! Hope yours comes faster than ours!
Fariba says:
April 10, 2016 at 5:12 pm
Hi, thanks for introduce best picture book ,😚😚😚😚😚😘😘😘😘😘🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 14, 2016 at 12:07 pm
  You’re so welcome Fariba!
Mary McKenna Siddals says:
April 10, 2016 at 7:03 pm
What a treat to discover my COMPOST STEW planted right alongside this lovely hand-picked crop of gardening favorites! Thank you so much for shining a spotlight on my book, Mia, and hope you’ll one day be inspired to dig in and start a heap of your own!
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 14, 2016 at 12:10 pm
  Hi Mary,
  I love your book, Compost Stew! Your A to Z list always gives me not so obvious ideas of what to compost. I keep forgetting about dryer lint!!! We have snow half the year which makes composting hard, but now that it’s (almost) spring, I’m going to try a small compost project. I would love the end result for my garden! And your book makes it sounds fun and easy!!!
custom esays says:
April 11, 2016 at 3:44 am
Hello! Nice collection. Thanks for sharing 🙂 It gives me great inspiration!
Best wishes!
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 14, 2016 at 12:11 pm
  Glad you like them! Thanks so much!
Mimi says:
April 11, 2016 at 12:48 pm
These books all look wonderful and I couldn’t help but notice that they are all published by major houses. Do you ever feature books published by independent publishers? I have seen some beautiful picture books that are multicultural that are basically self-published. Disclaimer: I am not an author but I work with authors. Thank you.
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 14, 2016 at 12:34 pm
  Hi Mimi,
  I do cover self-published books but I am so backed up right now that I’m only accepting a few.
Meg says:
April 11, 2016 at 3:43 pm
What a great list. I was just starting to look for books to use next week in my home preschool about planting a garden theme, and I’m excited to get several from your list from the library. My little boy LOVES Planting a Rainbow, and I can’t wait to introduce him to Compost Stew, A Seed is Sleepy, and A Curious Garden (the illustrations for that one look awesome).
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 14, 2016 at 12:37 pm
  Hi Meg,
  I’m so glad your son will like these books!! That makes me so happy!!! Happy spring!
michelle says:
April 12, 2016 at 1:04 pm
Awesome list! I love the Gardner.
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 14, 2016 at 12:40 pm
  Hi Michelle,
  The Gardener is one of my all time favorite picture books. It makes me so happy that you love it too!! 🙂
Mother of 3 says:
April 12, 2016 at 5:32 pm
Great list of books! We read (and loved) The Gardner when we were studying World War II.
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 14, 2016 at 12:40 pm
  Thanks so much Mother of 3,
  I really love The Gardener so much! It’s such a nice story too for The Great Depression.
  1. Mother of 3 says:
    April 14, 2016 at 3:50 pm
    Ooops! i’m pretty sure I meant The Great Depression; we studied them both last year pretty much back to back.
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      April 20, 2016 at 8:45 pm
      Hi Mother of 3,
      No problem! I figured you meant that! 🙂
Rebekah Gienapp says:
April 14, 2016 at 12:20 pm
We’re also loving Wangari’s Trees of Peace (just featured in on my list of Diverse Books to Read for Earth Day.) My 4 year old was upset when she’s put in jail, but once he could see that she was planting trees again he said he liked the book.
Jemima Pett says:
March 19, 2017 at 8:20 am
I love the look of these books. I should spend some time at the library looking through them!
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 8, 2017 at 9:52 am
  Thanks so much Jemima. After our long winter in Boston, we really look forward to spring!
Rebecca Flansburg says:
March 19, 2017 at 5:14 pm
Great list, Mia! I see some new titles I want to check out 🙂 Thanks for being part of the link up!
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 8, 2017 at 9:52 am
  Thanks so much Becky! The Gardener is my favorite!
Tiffiny says:
March 21, 2017 at 3:32 pm
What a great list! I LOVE The Gardener. I see a couple other titles I need to check out too.
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 8, 2017 at 9:58 am
  Hi Tiffiny,
  I LOVE The Gardener too. It’s such a perfect book on so many levels from the story to the illustrations to the hopefulness it has at the end. It’s a gem!
Cheryl Carpinello says:
April 3, 2017 at 2:50 pm
Shared another of your great lists, Mia!
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 8, 2017 at 11:28 am
  Thank you so much for sharing Cheryl! I really appreciate it!
Dena says:
April 25, 2017 at 3:32 pm
I can’t believe I haven’t read any of these books, but I get so many new books in the mail that sometimes I forget to browse our local library to find gems like these. Thanks for sharing! I’m making a list for the next time I take my daughter to story time!
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  July 15, 2017 at 12:38 pm
  Hi Dena,
  I’m so glad that you liked the list! That makes me so happy! Thank you!
Nigel William says:
December 5, 2017 at 8:05 pm
Hi, Mia! This is an amazing list! There are so many inspiring books for kids and grownups. Every one of them sounds super interesting and worth of attention. I was wondering, do you ever think of making picture book by yourself or do you see yourself in the future doing it so?
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  April 24, 2018 at 8:07 pm
  Hi Nigel,
  Thanks for asking. I have a picture book coming out Spring of 2019 through Lee and Low. https://www.pragmaticmom.com/2017/03/picture-book/