Children's Literature — Nonfiction

A Cow's ALFALFA-BET by Woody Jackson - A tour of farm life through the eyes of a cow. Kids could write their own alphabet books - their lives A to Z! Jackson is the fine artist whose paintings grace the sides of Ben & Jerry's ice cream cartons.

A Harvest of Color - Growing A Vegetable Garden by Melanie Eclare - wonderful photographs coupled with growing tips from kids

A is for Appalachia! - The Alphabet Book of Appalachian Heritage by Linda Pack - Appalachia, the people, the geographic region, the culture

Acorn Pancakes, Dandelion Salad and 38 Other Wild Recipes by Jean Craighead George

Apples by Gail Gibbons - quality info on apples (what topic has been left uncovered by Gibbons?)

Blue Potatoes, Orange Tomatoes by Rosaling Creasy - the title alone is enough to capture attention; great for intro to different veggies; includes recipes, growing tips, etc.

Dirt by Steve "The Dirtmeister" Tomecek - a national Geographic book; everything a kid needs to know about soil with good illustrations

Eating the Alphabet - Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z by Lois Ehlert - a good way to introduce new veggies and fruits with a helpful glossary (there's a video by Ehlert where she explains her art style; would be nice to view this in accompaniment to reading this book)

Eyewitness Explorers - Rocks and Minerals by Steve Parker

From Seed to Plant and The Honey Makers by Gail Gibbons - two from prolific Gibbons that are a must for a garden library

The Garden That We Grew by Joan Holub - a good "beginning to read" choice for understanding the growing process

Global Gourmet by Kathleen Bart - a collection of menus from 12 regions of the world, 60 traditional recipes and entertaining sidebars that present the history of the ingredients and traditions

The Honeymakers by Gail Gibbons - the honey making process in great detail. Everyone finds bees fascinating - invite a beekeeper to your classroom!

How Do You Raise a Raisin? by Pam Munoz Ryan - a funny and informative look at one of America's favorite healthy treats!

In the Garden (First Discovery Look and Learn book) - a good intro to natural science with foldout pages to "look and learn" about flowers, fruits and vegetables

Little Green Fingers - A Kid's Guide to Growing Things by Clare Chandler - fun stuff for kids to try

The Living Earth by Eleonore Schmid

The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds by Joanna Cole, who doesn't miss a trick

Market! by Ted Lewin - From the chill highlands of the Andes to the steamy jungles of central Africa, people come to market. They come to see what they grow, catch, or make and to buy what other people grow, catch or make. Fascinating and wonderfully diverse!

Oh Say Can You Seed - All About Flowering Plants by Bonnie Worth - Dr. Seuss-like text that packs a lot of information

Peterson's First Guides - insects, wildflowers, birds, etc. - children need to be taught how to use a guide

Pumpkin Circle - The Story of a Garden by George Levenson - a first rate intro to the growth cycle coupled with outstanding photos and rhythmic text that provide a wealth of information! Winner of numerous awards.

Soil by Christin Ditchfield - very diverse info about soil

Thinking About Ants by Barbara Brenner - TONS of info on ants and gets kids thinking about the world from the ant's point of view; couldn't decide whether to put this one in the fiction/nonfiction mix (harken back to Hey Little Ant for a more fictionalized ant point of view or Two Bad Ants)

Trees, Leaves and Bark by Diane L. Burns - a take-along guide for tree identification and loads of interesting facts

Unraveling Fibers by Patricia Keeler and Francis McCall, Jr.

Usborne First Skills Starting Gardening by Sue Johnson and Cheryl Evans - a practical guide for young gardening enthusiasts

Your First Garden Book by Marc Brown