Five Children's Books to Read in the Garden

Yeah, okay, so we don't even have a proper garden right now, but don't our "weeds" make a lovely backdrop? I was digging through my children's book collection several weeks ago to find a story I planned to adapt and share with our friends at Garden Day, when I happened upon these gems once again. What with all the buzz around the mom-blogosphere about gardens this time of year, I thought I would share.

Just a quick note: I'm going to link to these in the interest of sharing a love of great books, but I don't use any affiliate links, so I don't benefit directly if you check one of these out. I'm just sharing my love of literature!

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1. You are all familiar already, I'm sure, with The Giving Tree by Shell Silverstein, but it never hurts to be reminded of a much-loved book. There was an interesting discussion on this title over at Mom Grooves recently, but personally I still see it as a valuable story that hopefully inspires responsible stewardship of nature.

2. Inch by Inch: The Garden Song by David Mallet actually gives me chills sometimes. I dream of singing this song with Annabelle while we plant seeds together and soak up the sunshine in our own little garden. It's magical, really.

3. The Everything Seed: A Story of Beginnings by Unitarian Universalist minister Carole Martignacco isn't really related to gardening in the sense of growing and tending plants, but it draws a beautiful connection between us and all life on earth. It is perhaps my favorite children's book, and so I must share just a tiny bit of its beauty with you:

"...new people are born every day with the spark of that first light still alive and burning deep inside... waiting... like the Everything Seed to shine in ways that are yet to be known."

4. Wangari's Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter is the true story of Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai, who fought against deforestation in her native Kenya. Wangari empowers an army of impoverished women to take part in the Green Belt movement, planting seedlings together with them "until there are over 30 million trees where there were none."

5. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, is a story of a young girl who wanted to "do something to make the world more beautiful," "but she did not know what that could be." The young girl grows into an old woman who finally discovers a way to create beauty in her surroundings: she plants seeds and from them beautiful flowers grow. 

Does this time of year inspire you to re-read certain stories? Do you have a favorite children's book about gardening? What is your favorite children's book anyway? I'm dying to know!