Book Title,
and Author
Publisher, Date of Publication
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Brief Summary/
Highlights |
Shared Reading Questions |
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One Bean, by Anne Rockwell
Walker Books for Young Readers, 1999
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What do you get when you take one bean and add a handful of soil with a splash of water? With a lot of sun and a little luck, a full-grown bean plant! In this book, children explore the life cycle of a bean from seed to full grown plant with beautiful flowers, and a whole new crop of beans. It also features gardening activities that children can do themselves. (Fiction)
Award-winning author
Winner of the American Bookseller
Pick of the Lists Award
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Too Many Pumpkins, by Linda White
Holiday House, 1996
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Rebecca Estelle had to eat many, many pumpkins as a child because they had no other food to eat. Now she hates them! But one day—SPLAT! A pumpkin falls from a truck into her front yard. Rebecca buries the mess so she doesn’t have to look at it. When fall arrives, she has a bumper crop of bright orange pumpkins! Can Rebecca Estelle think of ways to get rid of the pumpkins and benefit the whole community as well? (Fiction)
1996 American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists”
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The Tiny Seed, by Eric Carle
Aladdin, 2001
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In autumn, the wind carries flower seeds far away. Many of the seeds are lost along the way. Some survive the long winter and sprout into plants, only to be picked or trampled. Only the tiniest seed remains, growing into a giant flower. When autumn returns, it sends its own seeds into the wind to start the process over again. (Fiction)
Award-winning author/illustrator
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Jack's Garden, by Henry Cole
HarperTrophy, 1995
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A cumulative story about what happens in Jack’s backyard flower garden when he plants his seeds. (Fiction)
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Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z, by Lois Ehlert
Harcourt Children's Books, 1989
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A favorite picture book that depicts an array of fruits and vegetables with easy to read labels, this appetizing alphabet begins with Apple and ends with Zucchini. Come take a look. Start eating your way through this alphabet book. (Fiction)
Award-winning author/illustrator
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Over in the Garden, by Jennifer Ward
Rising Moon, 2002
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Over in the garden, mother insects and their children enjoy various activities from morning sun to evening moon in this colorful counting book. Children will enjoy hunting for hidden numerals on each page.
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Are Trees Alive? by Debbie Miller
Walker Books for Young Readers, 2003
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The author explains the characteristics of trees and compares them to attributes children can identify with, such as bark and skin, and limbs and arms. Information about how trees take in nutrients, grow, and survive changes in their environment is presented in simple language that will engage young children. (Nonfiction)
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Carrot Soup, by John Segal
Margaret K. McElderry, 2006
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Take one rabbit and some patiently growing carrots. Add his friends: Mole, Dog, Cat, Duck, and Pig. Mix all ingredients together for a super delicious surprise! A carrot soup recipe is also provided at the end of the book. (Fiction)
Available in Spanish: Sopa de zanahoria
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How a Seed Grows, by Helene Jordan
HarperTrophy, 1992
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How does a tiny acorn grow into an enormous oak tree? Children look inside this book to discover the simple steps for turning a packet of seeds into their own garden. (Nonfiction)
Available in Spanish: Cómo crece una semilla
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Pumpkin Pumpkin, by Jeanne Titherington
HarperTrophy, 1990
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With soft pastels and a realistic style, the author tells a story of a young gardener who plants a seed, watches it grow, harvests a huge pumpkin, and then saves the seeds for planting next year. (Fiction)
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Where Once There Was a Wood, by Denise Fleming
Henry Holt and Co., 2000
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In this picture book that focuses on the conservation of wildlife habitats, a gentle rhythm is established as each wild creature and plant that thrives in a wooded area is introduced. This touching story builds as the listener learns about their displacement by a housing development. As a bonus, the author provides suggestions for creating backyard habitats and butterfly and hummingbird gardens. (Fiction)
Award-winning author/illustrator
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How Groundhog’s Garden Grew, by Lynne Cherry
Blue Sky Press, 2003
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Little Groundhog loves to eat the tasty vegetables from his neighbor’s garden, until one day he makes a new friend who teaches him how to plant his own garden, which ultimately becomes more enjoyable. This gorgeous book has beautifully detailed illustrations and borders that reinforce the theme.
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Market Day, by Lois Ehlert
Voyager Books, 2002
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On market day, a farm family experiences all the fun and excitement of going to and from the farmers market to sell carrots, tomatoes and other vegetables they grew in their garden, and to buy fish, watermelon, and other items they need. The farmers market is also a place to visit friends, ride on the Ferris wheel, and to have a good time. So come along, and let’s go to the farmer’s market! (Fiction)
Available in Spanish: Día de mercado
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The Seed and the Giant Saguaro, by Jennifer Ward
Rising Moon Books, 2003
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A pack rat, rattlesnake, roadrunner, and a coyote carry a small seed across the desert, all unknowingly playing a role in helping the tiniest of seeds grow into a giant saguaro cactus. (Fiction)
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One Child, One Seed: A South African Counting Book, by Kathryn Cave
Henry Holt & Co., 2003
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This book features a simple counting game, beautifully told in photographs from a village in South Africa. It begins “One child, one seed. Two hands to plant the seed. Three ways to help it grow.” The story ends with a warm and nourishing meal for ten hungry people.
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Flower Garden, by Eve Bunting
Voyager Books, 2000
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An urban African American girl and her father buy plants, potting soil, and a window box at the supermarket, ride the bus to their apartment, and create a window box as a birthday present for her mother. The rhyming verse adds warmth and fun to this charming story. (Fiction)
Award-winning author
Parenting Outstanding Book of the Year
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Okomi Climbs a Tree, by Helen and Clive Dorman
Dawn Publications, 2003
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Based upon real events observed by naturalist Dr. Jane Goodall, this story tells about the natural behaviors of chimpanzees in the wild. In this story, Mama Du looks on as Okomi (a young chimpanzee) tries to climb a very tall, slippery tree to reach some sweet, juicy leaves at the top. (Fiction)
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The Acorn and the Oak Tree, by Lori Froeb
Reader's Digest, 2004
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This beautiful board book tells a gentle story about the life cycle of an oak tree. Readers follow an acorn as it falls off the old oak tree, takes root, goes through some hard times, and becomes a big, strong oak. (Fiction)
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The Gigantic Turnip, by Aleksei Tolstoy
Barefoot Books, 2005
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This story is a new and sometimes hilarious twist to the well-known Russian folktale in which a turnip grows to colossal size. An old man and an old woman try in vain to pull the turnip. When the animals, including two pot-bellied pigs, the three black cats, and the four speckled hens join in, the turnip finally budges. But it’s a tiny mouse that tips the scale and the turnip is uprooted. (Fiction)
Award-winning author
Books for Children Mother Goose Award
Available in Spanish: El nabo gigante
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A Grand Old Tree, by Mary Newell DePalma
Arthur A. Levine Books, 2005
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For many years the grand old tree sheltered birds, squirrels, and insects while flowering, bearing fruit, shedding leaves, and providing seeds that grow into many new trees. But what good is an old tree when it dies? Children will discover some of nature’s surprises, like how a decomposing tree brings new life back to the woods. (Nonfiction)
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Whose Garden Is It? by Mary Ann Hoberman
Gulliver Books, 2004
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Mrs. McGee comes across a beautiful garden, prompting her to ask, "This garden is perfect. But whose garden is it?" There are many answers. A rabbit, a woodchuck, birds, worms, bugs, and a mole, among others, claim it as theirs. After numerous rhyming declarations, Mrs. McGee is more confused than ever, causing her to wonder again, “Whose garden is it?” (Fiction)
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Tremendous Tractors, by Tony Mitton
Kingfisher, 2003
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Tractors are amazing machines that get to pull all sorts of farm machinery, plow the ground, and plant the seeds. A cast of three cheerful animal farmers brim from ear to ear when they ride upon the incredible tractor. The tractor action abounds in this simple, rhyming book. (Fiction)
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Little Bear Makes a Scarecrow (Maurice Sendak's Little Bear), by Else Holmelund Minarik
HarperFestival, 2002
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When Little Bear's scarecrow blows down on a windy day, he thinks of a new way to protect the corn from crows: he dresses up as Little Scarecrow Bear! But Little Bear soon feels lonely. Isn't there enough corn for everybody, including his new friends, the crows? (Fiction)
Award-winning author
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Shared Reading Questions
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The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter
F. Warne and Co., 2002
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"Now run along, and don’t get into mischief," Mrs. Rabbit tells her bunnies. But spirited Peter runs straight to Mr. McGregor’s garden and sneaks under the gate in hopes of getting a tasty snack or two! This beloved classic is a must-have for every preschool classroom. (Fiction)
Award-winning author
Award-winning book
Available in Spanish: El cuento de Pedro, el Conejo
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Shared Reading Questions
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Clementina's Cactus, by Ezra Jack Keats
Viking Juvenile, 1999
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After a rainstorm, Clementina and her father are out for a walk in the desert when they discover a surprise in the prickly skin of the cactus that they've watched growing in the desert. Hiding inside the thick skin of the cactus is something beautiful. What could it be?
Clementina’s Cactus is Keats’ only wordless picture book.
Award-winning author/illustrator
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