Alison's Zinnia (Paperback)
by Anita Lobel

Flowers and the girls who give and receive them ("Beryl bought a Begonia for Crystal") take readers through an alphabet brought to full bloom by lushly colored illustrations. Ages 3-up.

Bulletin Blue Ribbon Winner

From School Library Journal
"Alison acquired an Amaryllis for Beryl" begins this luscious-looking alphabet book. Linking together a girl's name, a verb, and a flower, the brief text takes readers through 26 varieties and when "Zena zeroed in on a Zinnia for Alison," the chain comes full circle. A generous layout allows the painterly and botanically accurate illustrations to take center stage while a strip at the bottom quarter acts as a storyboard depicting each child's choice of flower. The full-color gouache and watercolor portraits offer a brilliant display of both the familiar, such as the daffodil, and the unfamiliar, like the Urtica. The composition is delightfully varied--one rose stands regally alone while dozens of delicate Quaker-ladies share an entire spread, and the use of color and texture exhibits a masterful touch. One can almost smell the fragrant Sweet william. Some noun and verb combinations seem forced, but most exhibit an inventive use of language that could offer inspiration for further wordplay. An elegant book that might best be enjoyed along with an adult who also appreciates the gift of flowers. --Caroline Ward, Nassau Library System, Uniondale, NY
 

Activity Idea

About the Author

 

Miss Rumphius (Paperback)
by Barbara Cooney

"In the evening Alice sat on her grandfather's knee and listened to his stories of faraway places.  When he had finished, Alice would say, "When I grow up, I too will go to faraway places, and when I grow old I too will live beside the sea."

1983 National Book Award - Children's Picture Book

As a child Great-aunt Alice Rumphius resolved that when she grew up she would go to faraway places, live by the sea in her old age, and do something to make the world more beautiful--and she does all those things, the last being the most difficult of all.  This is a beautiful book, both for its inspiring message, and for it's wonderful illustrations.  A true classic, not to be missed.

Dinner from Dirt:
Ten Meals Kids Can Grow and Cook

This book tells kids how to make their own soup garden, pizza garden, spud garden and so on.  And not only does it give them instructions for growing the necessary plants, but it also provides them with simple recipes and cooking instructions.  Delights include sugar n spice pumpkin bars and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Eating the Alphabet (Board book)
by Lois Ehlert

This appetizing alphabet book shows fruits and vegetables so juicy and alive, you'll wish they could jump off the page and into your mouth. Even vegetable haters will find it hard to resist the vibrantly colored collage illustrations, which make each item look fascinating and appealing. Long a favorite picture book, this title is now available in a smaller board book edition, just right for introducing toddlers to the mysteries of endive, kiwifruit and papaya. Booklist called the original "bright, bold... well designed."

From Publishers Weekly
"Apple to Zucchini, / come take a look. / Start eating your way / through this alphabet book." So begins this delectable feast of fruits and vegetables, in a diverse and plentiful array. Each turn of the page reveals a mouth-watering arrangement of foods: Indian corn, jalapeno, jicama, kumquat, kiwifruit and kohlrabi. The words are shown in capital and lowercase letters set in bold type for easy reading. At the end of the book, Ehlert provides a detailed glossary that includes pronunciation, botanical information, the origin and history of the particular plant and occasional mythological references, with a small watercolor picture to remind the reader of what the plant looks like. Ehlert's glorious watercolor collages are lively and enticing; as in her Growing Vegetable Soup , she presents the plant world in an appealing and easily accessible manner. Both parents and children will be encouraged to sample exotic new foods at mealtime.

Ages 1-5.

Activity Ideas

More Activity Ideas

Nutrition Related Lesson Plan

Printable Checklist for Produce Tasting

Game for Playing in the Car

Growing Vegetable Soup (Paperback)
by Lois Ehlert

Using her characteristically vibrant palette, Ehlert details the raising of a vegetable garden to make "the best soup ever." A recipe is included in this book which PW termed a "zesty introduction to vivid abstract art." Ages 2-7.


From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1 This is the boldest, brassiest garden book to hit the market, and what a delight. Intensely colored graphics capture the complete growing process from seed to cooking pot, with the focus on the plants. The unseen narrator describes the process of growing vegetable soup, from preparing the tools and digging holes for the seeds to weeding plants; picking vegetables; washing, chopping, and cooking them and finally enjoying the homemade soup while planning to grow more next year. It's a fresh presentation of the gardening cycle with a joyful conclusion, and the added attraction of an easy and tasty recipe for vegetable soup on the flyleaf. A book to help nourish healthy readers. Barbara Peklo Serling, Oneida City Schools, N.Y.

Reading Rainbow Review

LESSON PLAN

One Bean (Paperback)
by Anne Rockwell, Megan Halsey (Illustrator)

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2  In a direct, childlike text, a young narrator describes what happens as a bean sprouts on a wet paper towel and grows in a paper cup until it is transplanted into a large flower pot. Completing the life cycle, the child picks the bean and eats it. Bright, bold, accurate illustrations enhance this first concept book by focusing on the plant's growth. Artfully simple, it is an inviting and accessible introduction to plant growth and scientific observation. Three extra bean activities and information for adults to share with young readers are included.APamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA


From Scientific American Explorations
What do you get when you take one bean and add a handful of soil and a splash of water? With patience and a bit of sunshine you get a full-grown bean plant that makes beautiful flowers and grows a whole new crop of beans. Packed with facts and featuring activities kids can do themselves, this book is perfect for blossoming botanists and growing gardeners alike.

 

More Bean Sprouting Experiments

Watch Your Garden Grow: Beans -- Germination and gardening info, recipes, nutritional content, and more.

How a Seed Grows (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)
by Helene J. Jordan, Loretta Krupinski

0064451070

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-- Revised illustrations and format make this book, originally published in 1960, a valuable choice. With charming illustrations and clear text, this simple introduction leads young readers through a series of steps that result in bean plants as well as a basic understanding of how seeds work. Children are encouraged to follow each aspect of the botanical process, from sowing bean seeds, to the growth of tiny root hairs, to transplanting the plant in the garden. Realistic and inviting full-color watercolors show only procedures that are possible for youngsters to follow with minimal involvement from adults. The African-American girl, who is the main character, is definitely in charge; her white male friend performs only menial tasks. --Eva Elisabeth Von Ancken, Trinity Pawling School, NY
 

From Seed to Plant
by Gail Gibbons
 

Explores the intricate relationship between seeds and the plants which they produce

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-- A simple introduction to how plants reproduce, discussing pollination, seed dispersal, and growth from seed to plant. The section on pollination, covered in detail in the illustrations, is very clear. A simple project--how to grow a bean plant--is included. A final page gives odd and unusual facts. Unfortunately, the text is pedestrian and occasionally awkward. The boldly colored illustrations are casual, somewhat careless, and some plants are hard to recognize. Other books cover the same subject with more excitement in language and zest in visual design. Bean and Plant (Silver Burdett, 1986) by Back, Reason for a Flower (Putnam, 1983) by Heller, or Lauber's Seeds: Pop, Stick, Glide (Crown, 1981) are better titles. --Sharon Levin, University of Vermont, Burlington

Lesson Plan

 

The Tiny Seed
by Eric Carle

In autumn, a strong wind blows flower seeds high in the air and carries them far across the land. One by one, many of the seeds are lost -- burned by the sun, fallen into the ocean, eaten by a bird. But some survive the long winter and, come spring, sprout into plants, facing new dangers -- trampled by playing children, picked as a gift for a friend. Soon only the tiniest seed remains, growing into a giant flower and, when autumn returns, sending its own seeds into the wind to start the process over again.

Eric Carle's eloquent text and brilliant collages turn the simple life cycle of a plant into an exciting story, a nature lesson, and an inspiring message of the importance of perseverance.

From Publishers Weekly
This picture book admirably conveys the miracle of a seed. Flower pods burst and dispatch their seeds on the wind; the air-borne seeds are subject to myriad disasters; and the ones that make it through the perils of the seasons to become mature flowering plants are still susceptible to being picked, trod upon and otherwise damaged. But nature allows for survivors, and so the tiny seed grows into a giant flower, releasing its seeds and continuing the cycle. As he has demonstrated with The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other books, Carle has an extraordinary kinship with nature. Here we have not just the explanation of the life of a flower, but drama, lessons of life and a lovely spirituality. This is a reissue of the original 1970 edition, with expanded, expansive collage illustrations. The pages, like the seed pods, burst with color. Ages 4-8.
 

The Carrot Seed (Board book)
by Ruth Krauss, Crockett Johnson (Illustrator) "A little boy planted a carrot seed..." (more)
 

Amazon.com
Ruth Krauss, author of A Hole Is to Dig, has crafted a story almost Zen-like in its simplicity. A little boy plants a carrot seed and waits patiently, tending to it carefully, while everyone around him insists that "it won't come up." His conviction is steadfast, however, and sure enough, a carrot worthy of first prize at any state fair springs forth from the earth. Krauss's husband, Crockett Johnson (creator of Harold and the Purple Crayon), illustrated The Carrot Seed, and while the little boy is rendered with uncomplicated lines, all of his hope, confidence, and serenity shine through. The image that resonates most strongly in this minimalist tale is the unfaltering faith of the mild-mannered little boy. Young readers learn that standing your ground in the face of opposition and doubt can often result in twice the reward expected (even thrice the reward, if judging by the girth of this carrot). (Ages 4 to 8)--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Beliefnet
"It won't come up," everyone warns the young boy in this story, who has great expectations for a carrot seed that he plants and tends carefully. The boy's conviction remains strong in the face of strong doubt and opposition. And to everyone's surprise except his, the carrot he eventually harvests grows as large as his faith, earning him first prize at the state fair. Young readers will learn the values of conviction and faith in this warm children's tale. (Beliefnet, July 2000)
 

Lesson Plan

Worms Eat Our Garbage: Classroom Activities for a Better Environment (Paperback)
by Mary Appelhof, Mary Frances Fenton, Barbara Loss Harris

"The shape of a worm is long and thin..." (more)

Gerri Faivre, Teacher East Wood School, Oyster Bay, New York
We had a Math/Science Expo at school and our work was much admired by all. Vermicompositing was a big hit!

Book Description
Three creative educators collaborated to produce this guide for classroom and home. Centered around a classrooom worm bin, this curriculum uses over 150 worm-related activities to develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in children grades 4-8. Rich in content in "Wormformation" paragraphs integrates science, mathematics, language arts, biology, solid waste issues, ecology, and the environment in ways that draw children into the learning process. Three sections include "The World of Worms," "Worms at Work," and "Beyond the Bin." Includes 16 appendicies, resource materials, teacher's guidelines, bibliography, glossary, and index. User has permission to photocopy for use in the classrooom
 

Your First Garden Book (Paperback)
by Marc Tolon Brown

Suggested projects outline for beginning gardeners how to sprout seeds, turn soil, plant, and care for the results.

Vegetable Garden (Voyager Books) (Paperback)
by Douglas Florian

Children are fascinated by watching plants grow, and in this colorful picture book even very young children can follow along with a family as they plant, tend, and harvest a vegetable garden. The sun shines brightly, summer rain falls, and vegetables grow and ripen. “The watery, translucent watercolors . . . capture the vitality of all growing things, including the children.”--The Horn Book

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1-- The best aspects of a vegetable garden jump out from the brilliant illustrations of this atmospheric book. Thick pen-and-ink lines enclose rich watercolors to create a stained-glass effect. The style is stolid and earthy to match the theme: mother, father, son, daughter, and dog are shown working diligently on this satisfying project. The text becomes a rhyme, with a few words in large type on each double-page spread: "Spade, rake, hoe/ Seeds in a row." Weeding is mentioned, but no pests are seen except the rabbit munching on a head of cabbage. This garden is not described chronologically, so that the pea plants come after the pumpkins. Never mind: the purpose here is not to give logical information but rather to provide scenes of pleasure and the bright goodness and beauty of tomatoes, melons, and other wonders of a successful vegetable plot. --Carolyn Jenks, formerly at Oyster River Elementary School, Durham, NH

The Victory garden kids' book
by Marjorie Waters

Uses the experiences of a group of children, aged three to thirteen, working through an entire season in their own garden, as a background for general information on buying plants and seeds, using tools, planting and watering, and picking the harvest.

From School Library Journal
Grade 3 Up  An excellent book for children who wish to make a good garden, and also for families who would like to garden together. This companion to the public televison series The Victory Garden was written during the season of a certain Massachusetts garden, cared for by a few adults and 7 children, aged 3 to 13. The main garden (mostly vegetables) was 15 by 52; everyone worked at that. Attached to this large garden was a smaller plot in which each child had a bit of garden to plant and cultivate and in which to play. The step-by-step directions are thorough and clear, paying much attention to preparing healthy soil and planting easy-to-grow crops. No chemical fertilizers are recommended. The object of the book is to keep the beginning gardener working and hopeful through the harvest, and as satisfied as possible with the project. The book gives instruction on how to garden and information about 30 different fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The layout of the book and the illustrations enhance and extend the information in the text. Beautiful color photographs portray everything from a boy taking a delighted whiff of a freshly picked eggplant to the whole garden being watered from a raised sprinkler. Drawings include sizes of vegetables ready to be picked, the best gardening equipment, and step-by-step directions for planting radish seeds. The combination of text and illustrations makes this an inviting, wonderful book for beginners. While Gambino's Easy to Grow Vegetables (Harvey House, 1975; o.p.) and Kirkus' The First Book of Gardening (Watts, 1956; o.p.) cover much of the same material, Waters' book is more thorough, clear, and encouraging. Carolyn Jenks, Oyster River Elementary School, Durham, N.H.
 

Jack's Garden
by Henry Cole

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2 A cumulative story that traces a little boy's backyard flower garden from tilling the soil to enjoying the blossoms. The text delightfully catalogs the process in a take-off on the old rhyme "This Is the House That Jack Built." As the garden takes shape, readers see seedlings sprout and bud, flowers open, insects and birds visit and, at last, a lovely garden in full bloom. Each double-page spread is done in soft colored pencils on various colored background. The borders contain detailed labeled drawings of tools, insects, birds, eggs, and, of course, flowers. Instructions for starting a garden complete the presentation. A pretty book rather than a how-to, this would be helpful in a primary setting to introduce gardening or the growth cycle.?Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Booklist, 4/1/95
Ages 4-9. A great way to show how the parts of nature connect and grow together... Cole is an elementary-school science teacher, and his nature drawings in colored pencil on colored paper make for joyful learning, both precise and lovely. Refers to reinforced trade edition.--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree (Paperback)
by Gail Gibbons

This book about nature and the changing seasons focuses on a young boy and a very special apple tree.

As the seasons pass, Arnold enjoys a variety of activities as a result of his apple tree. Includes a recipe for apple pie and a description of how an apple cider press works.--

Grandpa's Too-Good Garden (Hardcover)
by James Stevenson

Grandpa tells Mary Ann and Louie about a garden he had years ago that his brother Wainey "helped" him plant.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- Grandpa is back again with another hilarious recollection from his youth, told through dialogue balloons. This time, young Grandpa and his little brother, Wainey, have a wild time when their would-be vegetable garden gets doused with "Miracle Hair-Grow." Overnight the vegetables grow taller than the house. Undaunted, little Wainey climbs wildly about as enormous caterpillars devour all of the vegetables. As the plant on which Grandpa stands is gobbled up, he begins to fall. Luckily, Grandpa gets snagged on the house's weather vane. Overnight the caterpillars turn into butterflies, and, in true heroic style, Wainey rides one to rescue Grandpa from his predicament. Stevenson's cartoonlike watercolors and comic-strip format add to the humor of this fast-paced tale. Diane Palmisciano's Garden Partners (Atheneum, 1989) is a realistic picture book about gardening and grandparents, while Grandpa's Too-Good Garden is a zany, outrageously funny tall tale. --Barbara B. Murphy, Shaler Area School District Libraries, Pittsburgh
 

Planting A Rainbow
by Lois Ehlert

"Every year, Mom and I plant a rainbow..."

PreSchool-Grade 1 Planting a Rainbow , a companion to Ehlert's Growing Vegetable Soup (HBJ, 1987), is a dazzling celebration of the colorful variety in a flower garden and the cyclical excitement of gardening. A young child relates in ten simple sentences the yearly cycle and process of planning, planting, and picking flowers in a garden. Mother and child plant bulbs in fall, order seeds from catalogs in winter, eagerly anticipate the first shoots of spring, select seedlings in summer, ``and watch the rainbow grow,'' reveling in the opulence of color. The power of this book lies in the glowing brilliance and bold abstraction of the double-page collages. Ehlert combines simple, stylized shapes of flat, high intensity color into abstract yet readily identifiable images of plants and flowers while clearly and colorfully labeling each plant on an adjacent garden marker. Children will especially delight in the six pages of varying width depicting all the flowers of each color of the rainbow. A celebration of the garden, the power of shape and color, and the harmony of text and image in a picture book. Pamela Miller Ness, The Fenn School, Concord, Mass.

For ages 2-5.

 

Exploring Plants
by Rebecca Olien

How Seeds Travel (A Lerner Natural Science Book) (Library Binding)
by Cynthia Overbeck