🌼 Ages 1-3: Gentle & Simple Introductions to Nature

📌 Perfect for toddlers learning about seasons, plants, and animals

1️⃣ I Am a Bunny (Ole Risom & Richard Scarry) 🐰 – A bunny observes the seasons in a beautifully illustrated, gentle story. [Topic: Seasons & nature appreciation]

2️⃣ Planting a Rainbow (Lois Ehlert) 🌈 – Introduces how flowers grow in a colorful, engaging way. [Topic: Colors, flowers, and gardening basics]

3️⃣ Lola Plants a Garden (Anna McQuinn) 🌻 – A little girl grows her own garden, encouraging curiosity in young readers. [Topic: Gardening excitement, patience]

4️⃣ The Tiny Seed (Eric Carle) 🍂 – A seed’s journey through the seasons, showing growth and perseverance. [Topic: Life cycle of plants, nature’s challenges]

🌿 Ages 3-5: Engaging Stories About Growth & Gardening

📌 Stories with messages of patience, teamwork, and the magic of nature

5️⃣ My Garden (Kevin Henkes) 🏡 – A child imagines her dream garden, blending fantasy with reality. [Topic: Creativity & imagination in gardening]

6️⃣ If You Plant a Seed (Kadir Nelson) 🌱 – A simple but powerful story about kindness and sharing through planting. [Topic: Growing food, kindness]

7️⃣ What Makes the Seasons? (Megan Montague Cash) ❄️☀️ – Explains how seasons change and affect nature. [Topic: Weather, seasonal changes]

8️⃣ Brambly Hedge Spring Story (Jill Barklem) 🐭 – A beautifully illustrated spring adventure of mice in nature. [Topic: Seasonal gardening, community]

9️⃣ Little Dandelion Seeds the World! (Julia Richardson) 🌾 – Shows how dandelion seeds travel and spread. [Topic: Seed dispersal, ecosystems]

🔟 It's Mine (Leo Lionni) 🐸 – A lesson on sharing and community set in a pond environment. [Topic: Cooperation in nature]

🌸 Ages 5-7: Deeper Look at Nature, Growth & Environmental Care

📌 Longer stories with lessons on patience, teamwork, and sustainability

1️⃣1️⃣ The Gardener (Sarah Stewart) 🌿 – A heartwarming tale of a girl who transforms a rooftop into a lush garden. [Topic: Urban gardening, persistence]

1️⃣2️⃣ The Curious Garden (Peter Brown) 🌱 – A boy discovers an abandoned space and brings it to life. [Topic: City greening, environmental care]

1️⃣3️⃣ Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt (Kate Messner) 🌾 – Explores both what happens above and below the soil in a garden. [Topic: Soil health, underground creatures]

1️⃣4️⃣ Planting Seeds (Lauren James) 🌿 – Encourages kids to be patient and take care of their growing plants. [Topic: Gardening patience, nurturing]

1️⃣5️⃣ Diary of a Worm (Doreen Cronin) 🪱 – A funny perspective on the life of a worm and its role in nature. [Topic: Composting, soil life]

🍂 Ages 6-8: Seasonal & Inspirational Gardening Stories

📌 Perfect for discussing seasonal gardening and nature’s cycles

1️⃣6️⃣ The Magical Snow Garden (Tracey Corderoy) ❄️🌿 – A child grows a garden in winter despite the odds. [Topic: Gardening creativity in unexpected places]

1️⃣7️⃣ Firebird: He Lived for the Sunshine (Brent McCorkle & Amy Parker) ☀️🔥 – A bird searches for meaning and joy in nature. [Topic: Appreciation of the natural world]

1️⃣8️⃣ Countdown to Spring (Janet Schulman) 🌷 – Helps children recognize nature's signals as spring approaches. [Topic: Observing seasonal changes]

1️⃣9️⃣ Let It Fall (Maryann Cocca-Leffler) 🍁 – A joyful look at autumn and its changes in the garden. [Topic: Fall gardening, nature’s transformations]

2️⃣0️⃣ Amazing Autumn (Jennifer Marino Walters) 🍂 – A deeper dive into fall and how it affects plants and animals. [Topic: Seasonal gardening, plant cycles]