This spring we borrowed a bunch of flower and plant-themed books from our local library—and a few from our home collection—and I wanted to round them up for you! We’re lucky to have a great library system that carries almost all the books below. We LOVE our library and if you haven’t already, I encourage you to get a library card or start using your local branch more often. Hey, maybe you’ll find a book in this list you’ll want to put a hold on.
For those who want to purchase books we’ve listed, I’ll be linking the books through Yardstick Books, our local indie bookstore. If a book is also available through my PaperPie (formerly Usborne) shop, I’ll let you know, too. I always recommend supporting local first, but if you’d like to support me directly, I’d be grateful for any PaperPie orders as well.
PS – If you haven’t already read it, check out our Homeschool Budding Botanist blog post for how we used many of these in our homeschool rhythm.
🌼 Flower Board Book Picks
Mrs. Peanuckle’s Flower Alphabet – A beautiful board book with vivid illustrations. I didn’t even know some of the flower names in this one! We’ve borrowed a bunch of the Mrs. Peanuckle books from our library—they’re all gorgeous.
It’s Time to Grow It! (Kane Miller / PaperPie) – A slider book with simple wording that’s perfect for toddlers. Camden enjoyed it, but I think baby brother will be the true fan as time goes on.
Wildflowers Grow by Amber Hendricks – Another sweet board book for our littlest botanist. A quick read with simple visuals to keep tiny hands flipping pages (and not ripping them!).
📖 Flower Picture Books & Read-Alouds
The Night Flower by Lara Hawthorn – A stunning look at the desert cactus that blooms at night and the animals that rely on it. Perfect for sparking curiosity about what happens while we’re asleep.
The Plant Rescuer by Matthew Rivera – This story about a kid who gets a plant and doesn’t know how to take care of it is SO relatable. He ends up going to the library to learn more—such a great lesson in resourcefulness and love for libraries!
How Do Flowers Grow? (Usborne / PaperPie) – A lift-the-flap interactive book that’s super engaging for toddlers. I found this one at a thrift store, but it’s still available through PaperPie!
A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston – Gorgeous illustrations and a calming rhythm. This one was on repeat for us, and Camden really absorbed how seeds grow and spread.
Seeds by Carme Lemniscates – A beautifully simple explanation of seeds mixed with a deeper life message. We read this while eating sunflower seeds one day during our homeschool theme.
What’s Inside a Flower by Rachel Ignotofsky – A lovely visual guide to the anatomy of a flower. A bit more advanced but Camden still enjoyed it.
What Will Grow by Jennifer Ward – This is a fun one! You see part of the plant on one page and lift the flap to see what it is. Great for learning about how veggies grow.
Don’t Touch That Flower by Alice Hemming – A charming and funny look at how to care for flowers (or not!). We also read this during storytime at the Kalahari Resort—linking that blog here once it’s up!
Little Dandelion Seeds the World by Julia Richardson – I learned something new from this one, and now it’s one of my go-to “Did you know?” facts! A beautiful look at how dandelions travel.
We Found a Seed by Rob Ramsden – A gentle read about discovering, caring for, and patiently waiting for a seed to grow.
My First Garden by Livi Gosling – We haven’t returned this one yet—it’s so good! A great intro book for kids (and honestly, adults) interested in gardening.
Blossom & Bud by Frank Sileo – A cute story with an ending that surprised me. A sweet complement to some of the more education-heavy books.
Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson – If you’ve read any of Christie’s books, you know how fun and interactive they are. A great one for pretend planting indoors before real garden season starts. This one also comes in a board book if you have younger readers.
The Digger and the Flower by Joseph Kuefler – Trucks and flowers? Yes, please. A beautiful message about kindness, caring, and growth in unexpected places. While looking at this book on Yardstick website I see this one also is a board book and is tempting me.
🌿 Flower Books for Older Readers or Parent Reference
Nature All Around: Plants by Pamela Hickman – We didn’t read every page, but this was great to flip through with Camden and would be amazing for older kids.
The Big Book of Blooms by Yuval Zommer – The illustrations are incredible. I want to own the entire series. While Camden enjoyed browsing, this is definitely one we’ll revisit as he gets older.
Botanicum by Katie Scott – Recommended on Pinterest and lived up to the hype. Gorgeous illustrations and very in-depth. We didn’t read it all, but enjoyed paging through together.
Grow by Riz Reyes – Another advanced read we browsed through, but it’s full of amazing info for homeschoolers or future gardeners.
Flowers Are Pretty…Weird! by Rosemary Mosco – This was a hit with Camden because it talks about weird and gross flowers. It reminded me of a book I read recently for book club—World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, which also mentions the corpse flower.
🏆 Honorable Mention
Percy’s Museum by Sara O’Leary – This one deserves a special shoutout. It brought back memories of collecting little treasures from nature as a kid. I can’t wait until Camden starts his own little nature collection—rocks, sticks, feathers, all of it.
Let me know if you end up checking any of these out! And if you’ve got any favorites we missed, I’d love to add them to our library list. 🌸