Dad always said not to eat apple seeds ...

King, Stephen Michael (2009). Leaf (Ages 4+)

A little boy with shaggy hair gets the surprise of his life when a seed is dropped onto his head.  The seed sprouts into a little plant, which the boy and his dog lovingly care for.  Nightmarish visions of giant caterpillars, cannibalistic plants, and wayward hedge trimmers plague the poor boy at night.  But what will happen when the boy's mother insists on cutting his hair?

This wordless picture book is sweet, funny, a little rebellious, and filled with great sound effects.

Spring! Plants! Gardens!

Spring is a marvelous season.  The sun stays in the sky a little bit longer every day, the temperatures warm up, and living things begin to return to the world around us.  From snowdrops to daffodils, and from song birds to the skunk that lives in my neighborhood, you can see, hear (and smell!) all the signs of spring.

Spring is also the season to plant vegetables and flowers in your very own garden.  Whether you have a big garden in your yard or just a few empty flower pots sitting around, you can grow a colorful, exciting garden during spring, summer, and into fall.

Krezel, Cindy (2007). 101 Kid-Friendly Plants. (Gr. 3-8)

Organized by type of plant, this book covers one hundred one seeds, bulbs, herbs, vegetables, and trees that kids and families can plant together.  The sections include information on what the plant looks like and how to take care of it.  There's also a chapter at the end about plants that can be dangerous when eaten or touched.

Krezel, Cindy (2005).  Kids' Container Gardening. (Gr. 3-8)

From a garden the size of a drinking glass to giant salad bowls, this book offers projects that will inspire you to add a little color to your home.  Each project uses containers of varying sizes to hold vegetables, flowers, or decorative plants.  You don't need much room at all to try one of these ideas!  Be sure to try out the worm garden: you'll get great dirt for new plants when you feed old vegetable scraps to worms.

Lock Deborah (2008). Grow it, Cook it. (Gr. 3-6)

Some gardens are filled with flowers that are pretty to look it, but this book introduces gardens that are meant for eating.  Each section talks about a kind of edible plant followed by a recipe that uses it.  Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, onions, beans, pumpkins, zucchini, strawberries, blueberries, lemons, sunflowers, and more fill the pages with beautiful colors and delicious recipes.  Some plants require lots of room in the garden (like pumpkins and zucchini), but others can be grown in containers (like tomatoes, strawberries, and even potatoes).