The Junior Master Gardener Program and the American Horticultural Society honor engaging, inspiring works of plant, garden and ecology-themed children’s literature through the “Growing Good Kids – Excellence in Children’s Literature Awards” Program.
Count all the ways (one to ten) an urban community unites to clean up an abandoned lot. From building planter boxes to pulling weeds to planting seeds, everyone works together to transform the lot into a bountiful vegetable garden. As the garden grows, strangers become friends, eventually sharing in a special feast with the harvest they grew.
One warm spring day near a riverbank, Mae the mayfly hatches. Since most mayflies live just a single day, Mae’s mother tells her that Mae needs to make the most of the time she does have. But what can one possibly achieve in a single day?
As it turns out, Mae discovers that there’s a lot one can do, from noticing and appreciating the simple, beautiful moments nature offers to overcoming fears and lending a hand to someone in need.
A girl who loves butterflies learns about their habitat loss and wants to help… setting in motion a movement at her school that starts with one Monarch butterfly station, which then grows into an outdoor classroom, and a vegetable garden that gets her entire community involved. This moving story of community conservation proves that even the smallest of us are capable of amazing transformations.
Joanna Gaines and the kids chronicle the adventures of starting their own family garden. From their failed endeavors, obstacles to overcome (bunnies that eat everything), and all of the knowledge they gain along the way, the Gaines family shares how they learned to grow a happy, successful garden.
“In THE THING ABOUT BEES: A LOVE LETTER, author/illustrator Shabazz Larkin spins a buoyant monologue to his young sons about why bees are so important and how they are analogous to rambunctious children; the narrative is threaded with unconditional love for both subjects. Hand lettering, bold coloring, and textural, mixed-media artwork add energy while evocative language makes for a spirited and joy-filled read-aloud.”
It’s springtime and Badger is ready to plant the perfect garden. He has spent months gathering and sorting seeds. It’s been a lot of work but it’s worth it. His friends Red Squirrel, Dormouse, and Weasel come to help. They weed. They rake. And finally they plant. Afterward, everyone celebrates, and Badger can already imagine the perfect rows of flowers and vegetables. But then a rainstorm comes and washes away the beautiful seeds. Badger’s perfect garden is ruined. Or is it? This story will encourage young readers to think beyond plans and expectations and imagine the wonderful possibilities that may occur when life and nature have other ideas.
“Bob lived in the big city. The city was very crowded.”
This charming picture book tells the true story of Bob Redman, a child growing up in New York City. Tired of the noise, the people, and the rushing around, Bob took shelter in the natural beauty of Central Park – where he covertly built a series of amazing treehouses, starting with a simple platform and growing more and more elaborate over time. He plated cat-and-mouse with the park workers, who kept tearing down his houses, until he was finally caught. But, his story ends with a happy surprise…
Welcome to the wondrous world of seeds! Just like people, seeds come in all shapes and sizes. In Seed School by Joan Holub, you’ll meet the charming cast of characters who–with the help of soil, water, and sunshine–grow into vibrant fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
While some of the seeds friends seem to sprout and grow up in just one season, one odd-looking seed with a cap takes many years to become to strong oak he was destined to be. Sakshi Mangal’s delightful illustrations bring this whimsical store about friendship, diversity, and the natural world that surrounds us to life.
Grow on!
Seeds can be big or small, round or pointy, and all sorts of colors. They can become flowers, trees, fruits, or vegetables, and they sprout all times of year, during spring, summer, fall, and winter.
But all seeds have one thing in common–inside each is a new plant life waiting to emerge. What kind of plant will bloom? Wait and see what will grow!
It’s market day. Hooray, hooray!
This collection of poems takes young readers to a day at an urban farmers’ market. Who to see, what to eat, and how produce is grown–it’s all so exciting, fresh, and delicious. Readers are invited to peruse the stands and inspect vendors’ wares with poems like “Farmer Greg’s Free-Range Eggs,” “Summer Checklist,” and “Necessary Mess.” Bright and vibrant, this is the perfect guide for little ones to take with them on marketing day to inspire literacy and healthy eating.
This lushly illustrated story from our first book being recognized celebrates life and growing up, a mother and daughter plant a garden to see how something small blooms into something as beautiful and strong as their love.
It’s market day. Hooray, hooray!
Karl Linnaeus was a curious child who loved exploring the garden. Despite his intelligence–and his mother’s scoldings–he was a poor student, preferring to be outdoors with his beloved plants and bugs. As he grew up, Karl’s love of nature led him to take on a seemingly impossible task: to give a scientific name to every living thing on earth. The result was the Linnaean system–the basis for the classification system used by biologists around the world today. Backyard sciences are brought to life in beautiful color.
As snow begins to fall in the canyon, Mouse knows just what will keep her warm–blue corn soup. As the soup starts simmering, her neighbors catch the scent and hope to share. There isn’t nearly enough blue corn soup for everyone, but Mouse has an idea that will keep them all toasty, their bellies full, and will make friends out of neighbors
Shine a light behind the special pages of Secrets of the Vegetable Gardento reveal a plethora of insects and plants living between the stalks, beneath the leaves, and under the soil of the vegetable garden. A glossary at the end of the book presents a few more facts about the fruits and vegetables grown in the garden.
Because of an acorn, a tree grows, a bird nests, a seed becomes a flower. Enchanting die-cuts illustrate the vital connections between the layers of an ecosystem in this magical picture book. Wander down the forest path to learn how every tree, flower, plant, and animal connect to one another in spiraling circles of life. An acorn is just the beginning.
A captivating exploration of how a family gets a farm ready for the snow of winter, Sleep Tight Farm lyrically connects each growing season to the preparations at the very end of the farm year. This beautiful and informative book paints a fascinating picture of what winter means to the farm year and to the family that shares its seasons, from spring’s new growth, summer’s heat, and fall’s bounty to winter’s well-earned rest. All year long the farm has worked to shelter us, feed us, keep us warm, and now it’s time to sleep.
From eggs buried in an ant colony under the winter snow, to the shedding of exoskeletons, to growing a replacement appendage, the amazing insect introduced in Good Trick Walking Stick will fascinate budding entomologists and nature lovers of all ages.
One day, William discovers that the tree outside his window has been sculpted into a wise owl. In the following days, more topiaries appear, and each one is more beautiful than the last. Soon, William’s gray little town is full of color and life. And though the mysterious night gardener disappears as suddenly as he appeared, William—and his town—are changed forever.
The first zucchini of a summer garden is always exciting, but what happens when the plants just keep growing…and growing…and growing? Zora soon finds herself with more zucchini than her family can bake, sauté, or barbecue. Fortunately the ever-resourceful girl comes up with the perfect plan–a garden swap!
Honey is a sweet gift from nature—ALL of nature, actually. Honey is linked in a very real way to dandelions, earthworms, mushrooms, the old oak tree and even the blue jays squawking in its branches. Take another look at honey. If you love nature’s honey, you are sure to love nature too. How sweet it is!
If you Plant a Seed is a resonant, gently humorous story about the power of even the smallest acts and the rewards of compassion and generosity.
See the press releases:
American Horticultural Society 2015 Growing Good Kids Book Awards Announced
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Growing Good Kids Books Recognized
A wild prairie is a lively place in this rhythmic romp with munchers and crunchers above and below the grasses so thick, and fires that flare, and rains that quench—and always the prairie grows green. Back matter offers information and activities for a fuller appreciation of this marvelous, disappearing habitat.
Milk doesn’t just appear in your refrigerator, or apples on your kitchen counter. Before we eat, many people must work very hard planting grain, catching fish, tending animals, and filling crates. In this book, vibrantly illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Mary Azarian, readers find out what must happen before food can get to our table to nourish our bodies and spirits.
Ages 8-12
Unveiled July 12th at the AHS National Children & Youth Garden Symposium hosted at the Denver Botanical Gardens
Ages 8-12
New city. New school. Michael is feeling all alone—until he discovers the school garden! There’s so many ways to learn, and so much work to do. Taste a leaf? Mmm, nice and tangy hot. Dig for bugs? “Roly-poly!” he yells. But the garden is much more than activities outdoors: making school garden stone soup, writing Found Poems and solving garden riddles, getting involved in community projects such as Harvest Day, food bank donations, and spring plant sales. Each season creates a new way to learn, explore, discover and make friends.
Ages 8-12
Whoosh…the wind blows open a creaky gate. Inquisitive and mischievous, a homeless little cat scampers through—and suddenly finds herself in the wondrous world of an organic farm! Affectionately named “Molly” by the farmers who discover her, she romps, naps, and hunts among the vegetables. Seen through Molly’s eyes, the reader discovers the interplay of nature that grows wholesome food. But what will happen to Molly when winter comes? Based on a true story, Molly will touch children’s hearts while introducing them to plants and the key elements of growing food organically. Standards-based science concepts and activities at the end of the book expand the message of the story.
Ages 8-12
Maya loves contests, so she is excited when her teacher announces that her class will plant a garden like Thomas Jefferson’s. They’ll also have a First Peas to the Table contest just like Jefferson and his neighbors had. Maya plants her pea seeds with a secret head start, found in Thomas Jefferson’s Garden Book. But her friend Shakayla has plans of her own for winning the contest.
Unveiled July 20th at the AHS National Children & Youth Garden Symposium hosted in Alexandria, Virginia
By Susan L. Roth & Cindy Trumbore
Ages 4-12
| For a long time, the people of Hargigo, a village in the tiny African country, were living without enough food for themselves and their animals. The families were hungry, and their goats and sheep were hungry too. Then along came a scientist, Dr. Gordon Sato, who helped change their lives for the better. And it all started with some special trees. With alternating verse and prose passages, The Mangrove Tree invites readers to discover how Dr. Sato’s mangrove tree-planting project transformed an impoverished village into a self-sufficient community. This fascinating story is a celebration of creativity, hard work—and all those mangrove trees that were planted by the sea! |
By Thomas F. Yezerski
Ages 8-12
| The 20,000 acres of wetlands in New Jersey now known as the Meadowlands were once home to hundreds of species of plants and animals. But in the four hundred years since European explorers first arrived in the Meadowlands, people have dammed up, drained, built over, and polluted this formerly vibrant ecosystem—and all but destroyed it. Still, signs of life remain—under bridges, on the edges of parking lots, and beside train tracks. Slowly but surely, with help from activist groups, government organizations, and ordinary people, the resilient creatures of the Meadowlands are making a comeback, and the wetlands are recovering. |
Ages 8-12
| A farmer and her son plant vegetables in their garden, and the wind carries a few seeds away. Birds and animals may carry some along with them on their travels. Sometimes the rain washes them away to a new and unexpected location. And sometimes something more extraordinary occurs, as in when the pods of the Scotch Broom plant open explosively in the summer heat, scattering seed everywhere like popcorn. Year-round, we all play a role in the dispersal of seeds throughout our landscape, planting the wild garden together. |
Unveiled July 22nd at the AHS National Children & Youth Garden Symposium hosted at Michigan State University
Ages 8-12
When Miss Marigold challenges the kids at Pepper Lane Elementary to turn an unpromising patch of their schoolyard into a garden full of fruits, flowers, and vegetables, they know they’ll need all the help they can get. Soon everyone in the community is lending a hand—including an unlikely neighbor with a soft spot for gardening—and it isn’t long before peppers, zuccchini, sugar peas, snapdragons, zinnias, and much more are growing and blooming.
Ages 8-12
The guinea pigs of Dandeville love munching dandelion leaves so much that slowly but surely dandelions are disappearing all over town. Soon there is only one dandelion left! A little guinea pig named Nibbles finds this last dandelion right outside his window. What should he do? Nibbles finds a way to save the day—and the dandelions—in this green tale, which is captured in unique mixed-media artwork.
Ages 8-12
Sally is a young girl living in rural Alabama in the early 1900s, a time when people were struggling to grow food in soil that had been depleted by years of cotton production. One day, Dr. George Washington Carver shows up to help the grownups with their farms and the children with their school garden. He teaches them how to restore the soil and respect the balance of nature. He even prepares a delicious lunch made of plants, including “chicken” made from peanuts. And Sally never forgets the lessons this wise man leaves in her heart and mind. Susan Grigsby’s warm story shines new light on an African American scientist who was ahead of his time.
Unveiled on July 24th at the AHS National Children & Youth Garden Symposium hosted at the Pasadena, California
By Robbin Gourley
Ages 8-12
With lyrical text and glorious watercolor illustrations, this very special book traces the childhood roots of Edna Lewis and her appreciation for the bounties of nature. The story follows Edna from early spring through the growing season to a family dinner celebrating a successful harvest. Edna and her family lived by the seasons, growing and harvesting nature’s gifts. When she grew up she moved to New York City where she became a famous chef. An award-winning pioneer in her own right, Edna never forgot the lessons she learned as a child.
Ages 4-12
Spectacular illustrations rendered in oil paint, and a rhyming text that describes a tree’s activities from its roots to its branches, introduce young readers to the amazing activities that go on in a tree. Acorns nibbled by chipmunks, ants scurrying across a trunk, a spider spinning a web, leaves “breathing out air for all to breathe in”–everything adds up to a “busy tree” for all to “come and see.”
By Peter Brown
Ages 4-12
One boy’s quest for a greener word…one garden at a time. While out exploring one day, a little boy named Liam discovers a struggling garden and decides to take care of it. As time passes, the garden spreads throughout the dark, gray city, transforming it into a lush, green world.This is an enchanting tale with environmental themes and breathtaking illustrations that become more vibrant as the garden blooms. Red-headed Liam can also be spotted on every page, adding a clever seek-and-find element to this captivating picture book.
By Cherie Foster Colburn Ages 8-12
Our Shadow Garden tells the story of a beloved grandmother who becomes sick. The illness prevents her from being out in the sun where she loves to garden. Her husband and her grandchild try hard to make her feel better; they send her cards and fresh flowers, but nothing makes her happy. Together they come up with a plan to transform her garden into a night blooming oasis, a place where she can be with the plants that bring her so much joy. Our Shadow Garden is the story of a family enchanted by the healing power of the night garden, a true gift of love.
Unveiled on July 24th at the AHS National Children & Youth Garden Symposium hosted at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens
By Jane Ray
Ages 4-12
Once there was a kingdom full of laughter, happiness, trees, and birdsong. But when the queen dies, the land becomes quiet and barren, and everyone is filled with sadness. What will make the kingdom bloom again? Can Serenity, the youngest of three princesses, bring hope and life back to her kingdom with a single apple pip — a precious seed left to her by her mother? This original fairy tale is brought to life and exquisitely illustrated by the internationally renowned Jane Ray.
A gust of wind lifts a maple seed, sending it spinning like a shiny green helicopter through the sky. Where will it land? From splashing away in a raindrop to scurrying with scampering squirrels to hitching rides on your sleeves and socks, seeds have many ingenious ways of traveling to new places, growing roots, and beginning the cycle again.
By Frances Barry
Age 3-8
A seed is falling to the ground. What will it be? Turn the shaped pages as a mole, a worm, a snail, a bird, a bee, and other creatures watch the seed take root and sprout up through the soil. As each page fans out revealing a bright splash of yellow, a gigantic sunflower unfolds in a brilliant display. Explore the wonders of things that grow!
Unveiled on July 26th at the AHS National Children & Youth Garden Symposium hosted at The University of Delaware
By Dar Hosta
Ages 4-12
| In If I Were A Tree, collage artist, Dar Hosta, brings trees alive with vibrant color and cut paper. She pays homage to their importance in our day to day lives, and encourages thoughtful readers to imagine how it would be to be a tree. Also included are interesting tree facts, as well as a diagram that names the basic parts of a tree.So, how would it be if you were a tree? |
Ages 4-12
As Spring approaches, Mother Earth wakes her sleepy children. Deep below the earth, the children yawn and stretch. They dust off the bumblebees, scrub the beetles, paint splendid new coats on the ladybugs, and rouse the caterpillars from their cocoons then emerge from earth to become flowers of Spring. In rhyming verse and vibrant illustrations, this entrancing story touches on such themes as rejuvenation and the passing of the seasons, helping young children understand the circle of life.
Ages 4-12
Deep in the forest one morning, Pigeon Post notices a huge X on the trunk of the old tree. All the tree’s residents have a different theory about whom is to blame, until Captain Crow solves the mystery — but can they stop their quarreling before it’s too late? This delightful tale of cooperation and conservation, complemented by luminous illustrations, is sure to engage readers from the start of the story to the wonderful pop-up tree on the final spread.”
Ages 4-12
What made the snap beans snap?
How did the berries get into a jam?
What happened to the cauliflower’s head?
Read along as Grandpa spins a tale about the night that all the plants in the garden get up and run away. At first they think running away is fun, but it isn’t long before things go terribly wrong.
Unveiled on July 21st at the AHS National Children & Youth Garden Symposium hosted in Chaska, Minnestoa
Ages 4-12
| “A seed is sleepy. It lies there, tucked inside its flower, on its cone, or beneath the soil. Snug. Still.” Poetic in voice and elegant in design, A Seed is Sleepy is a gorgeous and informative introduction to seeds that is equally at home being read on a parent’s lap as in a classroom reading circle. |
Age 4-12
| This moving story of a Haitian boy determined to make his garden grow is brought to lifethrough luminous watercolor illustrations. Every morning Josias is hard at work in the family’s garden under the hot sun. His friend asks,” When will you join us and hold the book?” With his garden failing, Josias has no time to learn how to read and write. There may not be enough food for his family. Soon, Josias realizes a book might hold the solution to his problem. |
Age 4-12
| Children don’t need a calendar to tell them which season it is. Every month has its own distinct clues, like in September “when yellow pencils in brand-new eraser hats / bravely wait on perfect points.” In a dozen unforgettable poems, this fresh yet nostalgic collection captures the excitement of each season, spinning us once around the sun – twelve months, four seasons, one amazing year. |
Unveiled on July 29th at the AHS National Children & Youth Garden Symposium hosted in St. Louis, Missouri
By Lois Ehlert
Ages 4-12
| Fall has come, the wind is gusting, and Leaf Man is on the move. Is he drifting east, over the marsh and ducks and geese? Or is he heading west, above the orchards, prairie meadows, and spotted cows? No one’s quite sure, but this much is certain: A Leaf Man’s got to go where the wind blows. |
With illustrations made from actual fall leaves and die-cut pages on every spread that reveal gorgeous landscape vistas, here is a playful, whimsical, and evocative book that celebrates the natural world and the rich imaginative life of children.
By Ellen Jackson Leo & Diane Dillon
Age 4-12
“Earth Mother awakes with the dawn. As she walks the land, swims the sea, and climbs the mountains, nurturing all of creation, she comes across Man, Frog, and Mosquito. They each give her thanks for natures’s bounty, yet can’t help but give her advice about making their lives better. Everybody’s got an opinion, it seems, and Earth Mother is amused when it becomes clear that the circle of life is not without a healthy dose of comic humor. “
By Kathi Appelt
Illustrated by Joy Fisher Hein Age 4-12
Bluebonnets and lady’s slippers, larkspurs and blazing stars, black-eyed Susan and Granny’s nightcaps. From a lonely childhood in the Piney Woods of East Texas to an exciting life in the White House, Lady Bird Johnson loved these wildflowers with all her heart. They were her companions in her youth,greeting her everywhere as she explored wild forests, bayous, and hills. Later, as First Lady, she sought to bring the beauty of wildflowers to America’s cities and highways.A warm and engaging look at the life of a great First Lady, Appelt tells the story behind Lady Bird Johnson’s environmental vision, and Hein’s colorful wildflowers burst from every page, inviting us to share in Lady Bird’s love for natural beauty.
By Gorel Kristina Naslund
Illustrated by Kristina Digman
Age 4-12
Here’s a whimsical and very useful look at the lifecycle of the apple tree. With two helpful tree sprites to guide them, readers travel from spring, when the apple tree blossoms, through summer, when the fruit grows, to fall and the harvest. Along the way, they learn about the life of the tree and some of the animals—from insects that pollinate the flowers to deer that eat the fallen fruit—that visit. With lovely, delicate illustrations this is an excellent choice for the classroom–and the garden!
Age 8-12
A grandfather who owns a tree farm takes his grandson on a magical journey through the forest, where trees become musical instruments, books, a baby’s crib and more. They story explains the vital role that trees play in our lives, providing us with the wood for our homes, furniture and other products– and mankind’s responsibility to protect and care for them. Co-authored by Chuck Leavell, musician, tree farmer, conservationist and long time keyboardist for the Rolling Stones.
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[…] engaging, inspiring works of plant, garden and ecology-themed children’s literature through the “Growing Good Kids – Excellence in Children’s Literature Awards” […]
[…] additional book recommendations, check out The Growing Good Kids – Excellence in Children’s Literature Book Awards Program from the Junior Master Gardener Program and American Horticultural Society and also their best […]
[…] The Junior Master Gardener Program and the American Horticultural Society honor engaging, inspiring works of plant, garden and ecology-themed children’s literature through the “Growing Good Kids – Excellence in Children’s Literature Awards” Program. […]