Gardening Picture Books

It’s finally that warm time of year when the flowers are beginning to bloom. In honor of that, this seemed like a great time to write a post about my favorite gardening picture books. Here are the three that I found to enjoy.

The books are The Gardener, Miss Rumphius, and A Little More Beautiful. 🙂

The special thing about these first two books is that they heavily inspired the last book, A Little More Beautiful, by Sarah Mackenzie. In an interview I found, Sarah explains the significance these books had on her when writing her own book, and I very much enjoy finding hints of the original stories in her pictures.

The Gardener, Sarah Stewart

The Gardener is a picture book told in the form of letters written from Lydia Grace to her family. First, she writes to her uncles, who she is going to be living with for the time being, and then to the family members she has left behind. This style fits the book so well, and I love the way it gives the pictures a chance to shine at telling the story. Since only so much can be told in a letter, a lot of the details come through the wonderful drawings, which bring so much life to the book.

This book doesn’t strictly just have to be read during the spring months, because it takes place all the way from August to July, making it the perfect book all year round! However, I think it is especially special in the spring or summer, when the world is blooming all around us. After all, this book is about a gardener. 😉

I can't wait to help you in your garden again. We gardeners never retire. 

Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney

Miss Rumphius is clearly an older book, but that makes it all the more delightful for me, because many of my favorite picture books are classics. It’s also the story that grows on you the more you mature, because there is simply so much to be discovered and noticed between its pages! The story begins when Miss Rumphius is only a little girl, but by the end of the book she is an old great aunt.

Over the course of her life Miss Rumphius went through several names. First, when she was a girl, she was Alice. When she grew up she was called Miss Rumphius, and by the time she was old she had begun to be known as the Lupine Lady. Lupines are long purple flowers that are known to grow in hard conditions. Miss Rumphius planted them everywhere she could to do her part in making the world a little more beautiful.

'The next spring there were lupines everywhere. Fields and hillsides were covered with blue and purple and rose-colored flowers. They bloomed along the highways and down the lanes. Bright patches lay around the schoolhouse and back of the church. Down in the hollows and along the stone walls grew the beautiful flowers.'

A Little More Beautiful, by Sarah Mackenzie

This is the book that really inspired this post. I’ve listened to Sarah Mackenzie for years and knew of her picture book that had come out, but it wasn’t until I found a podcast in which she was discussing picture book writing that I took the time to read her book. My goodness, I am so happy I finally did! This book is truly a wonderful piece of art in every way, and it was such a pleasure to read. There is no doubt that Sarah understands what makes a picture book.

There are so many ways that this book builds off of Miss Rumphius, and so many more hints in the pictures at that older book. From the layout of some of the pages to the flowers in the corners of the pictures, to the sheer appreciation for flowers and beauty, this book is an amazing nod to the classic. But even more than that, it’s its own story, and holds a special sort of charm all its own.

Sow, tend, water, mend.
And the world was beautiful once more.

Final Thoughts

These are three truly wonderful picture books, and if you haven’t had the pleasure of reading them before I encourage you to do so now! What better time than in the season of flowers and beautiful blossoms?

Have you read or heard of any of these books? I would love to hear about your experience! 🙂