Growing Food and Kids

When we’re not spending time outside (in the garden or otherwise), my kids and I love to read books together. Not only is reading together fun, but of course it’s educational for kids, even very young ones: According to this research report from Child Trends DataBank, children who are read to regularly display by age two greater language comprehension, larger vocabularies and higher cognitive skills than their peers. And “shared parent-child book reading during children’s preschool years leads to higher reading achievement in elementary school as well as greater enthusiasm for reading and learning.”

If your kids like gardening, they’re sure to like reading about it. So I think every gardening family’s bookshelf should include a few children’s books about gardens. Here are some of my own favorites, and I’d love to hear yours too.

The Little Red Hen. Gardening kids can identify with this story of the little red hen who needs help planting, watering and harvesting her wheat — and may learn a lesson about teamwork when the friends who don’t work in the garden don’t get to enjoy the fresh bread that results from her hard work! The hen’s famous last line, with knife and fork raised and ready, is a classic: “‘No, I will eat it myself!’ And she did.”

Based on a traditional folktale, there are plenty of versions of this story available. But I love this Little Golden Books version, edited by Diane Muldrow with illustrations by J.P. Miller.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The classic story by Beatrix Potter still resonates with kids who see every directive from Mom as an invitation to mischief. (And for those kids who are, like I was, scaredy-cats afraid of getting into trouble, this story is both suspenseful and an adrenaline rush.) And of course, Mr. McGregor’s garden figures prominently in the story. Still a great read after all these years.

Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden. A recent discovery for me, this book tells the story of Mrs. Spitzer, a loving teacher who knows that children are like plants in her garden — while some “grow quickly, pushing upward, eager, impatient,” others “grow more slowly, unfolding themselves bit by bit.” This is a sweet story by Edith Pattou and illustrated by Tricia Tusa that will get your little ones excited about growing gardens and happy classrooms (and just might teach them the meaning of “metaphor”).

The Secret Garden. No list of children’s garden books would be complete without this classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Written in 1909, this is the story of two lonely children who experience the healing effects of nature when they discover their own secret garden. What young girl hasn’t read this book and longed for her own secret outdoor spot? Who knows, maybe reading this book to your kids will renew their interest in their own family garden.

There are plenty of other good garden-related books for kids, but this is a start. What garden-themed books do you and your children love?