Whenever we're preparing for a camping trip, upcoming holiday, or a new season, we always try to fire up our little guy's imagination and enthusiasm by adding some appropriately themed books into his personal library. With that in mind, here's a roundup of outdoor/gardening themed titles we're currently reading.
• Insect Detective by Steve Voake. A guidebook to bugs and insects with fantastic watercolor and ink illustrations, including a handy section in back full of practical experiments you can do in your own backyard.
• The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen. A child and her grandfather paint an imaginary garden through its various stages of growth, turning a drawn world into one that feels magically real.
• The Curious Garden by Peter Brown. With a wink to guerrilla gardening, and plain downright gorgeous illustrations, Curious Garden tells the story of a small garden that slowly spreads to transform a gray city into a lush, green landscape.
• Quiet in the Garden by Aliki. A book focused on the message of stillness, and the power of observation, not to mention great watercolor, crayon, and ink illustrations of snails, compost heaps, and squirrels.
• Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. In this classic children's story the author's 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, which she accomplishes by spreading lupine seeds wherever she walks.
What are you and your kids reading to get you in the mood for Spring?
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Great post, love your choices and as a dad love to see your picks. I wrote up some of our faves a while ago (but an all-around not as cool as the garden themed one)
http://puzzlingposts.blogspot.com/2010/04/reading-time-material.html
Very nice selection and I love the photo of your son ready to explore.
We love Miss Rumphius! Can't wait to check out the others.
Oh, we love the Curious Garden! So much joy in that one. Peter Brown is one of our favorites, as he can do both silly (Chowder) and sweet whimsy (Curious Garden).
We love the Curious Garden. After reading it we took my daughters camera around our neighborhood (in a city) and took pictures of curious gardens. We look for them on the bottom of trees, in sidewalks etc... when we go for walks.
Can't wait to check out these other books.
When I was about elementary school age, The Secret Garden got me pretty fired up about the outdoors.
Very cute! So far, this has been my favorite of the posts.
We are big fans of The Curious Garden and Quiet in the Garden in our house. I also like Fruit is Like a Suitcase for Seeds by Jean Richards and Red Sings from Rooftops by Joyce Sidman.
What a nice selection of new and somewhat older books. I've requested them from our library.
these look like great books. my 21 month old daughter really loves being outside and doing gardening together, we'll have to check these out. awesome photography by the way, you have a good eye for composition.
Thanks for the post! We are always looking for new books to introduce to our daughter. I sense I'll enjoy these as much as she does. I'd love to see more of your recommendations and/or pictures from your family adventures.
Wonderful list! I'm adding them to mine right now.
These all sound great! I can't wait to introduce them to our 8 month old as he grows and learns about the outdoors! Thanks for sharing!
Nice post! You all might also check out Lois Ehlers, who has written lots of garden- and nature-themed picture books, including _Growing Soup_.
those books look awesome! thanks for the suggestions- we will go check them out! our kids will love them!
These books look great! I love the picture you painted with your descriptions. Makes me anxious for a little one to read to.
I LOVED Miss Rumphius when I was a kid. I still think of the story occasionally but I'd forgotten the title. Thanks.
Great list and great photo! My favorite gardening book for kids is one we happened upon at a garage sale: The Green Truck Garden Giveaway: A Neighborhood Story and Almanac.
Hello there. I just wanted to chime in and say thanks for all the wonderful responses and additional recommendations. I'm entirely taken with the idea of the Curious Garden-inspired photo walk. We're also big fans of Lois Ehlert. And thanks for putting Fruit is Like a Suitcase for Seeds and The Green Garden Truck Giveaway on my radar.
Ben
Love this site. Have been a long-time Apartment Therapy fan but Ohdeedoh is new to me.
Good job, Ben.
I love the photo of the little boy and the magnify glass, puts you in the mind of my days as a child. Curious and innocent-the pic says it all!
My hubby is right, the pic is my favorite because it says it all!
Ohhh, the days when we were all small, that is precious!