Why am I passionate about this?

I write children’s books, both fiction and non-fiction, including One Duck Stuck, Big Momma Makes the World, Rattletrap Car, Plant a Pocket of Prairie, and, in collaboration with Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Liza Ketchum, Begin With A Bee, a picture book about the federally endangered rusty-patched bumblebee. Recently I have been putting my garden to bed for the winter, pulling tomato vines, harvesting beans that have dried on the vine, cutting herbs, and planting cloves of garlic to grow into heads in next year’s garden. In a couple of months snow will bury the garden beds, and the only gardens will be in the pages of books. Here are five of the children’s books that I love about growing things.


I wrote

Book cover of Anywhere Farm

What is my book about?

You might think a farm means fields, tractors, and a barnyard full of animals. But you can plant a farm…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Old Truck

Phyllis Root Why did I love this book?

On a family farm, an old truck works long and hard. As the truck grows older, so does the young girl whose family owns the farm. When the truck is finally too worn out to work anymore, it rests and dreams. When the girl grows up and becomes a farmer, she works on the old truck until, Vroom, once again the truck is a working truck, helping the farmer on the farm. Created by two brothers who both wrote and illustrated the book (using more than 250 different stamps that they made) this book honors persistence and family.

By Jarrett Pumphrey, Jerome Pumphrey (,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Old Truck as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When is an old truck something more? On a small, bustling farm, a resilient and steadfast pickup works tirelessly alongside the family that lives there, and becomes a part of the dreams and ambitions of the family's young daughter.

After long days and years of hard work leave the old truck rusting in the weeds, it's time for the girl to roll up her sleeves. Soon she is running her own busy farm, and in the midst of all the repairing and restoring, it may be time to bring her faithful childhood companion back to life.

With an eye-catching retro…


Book cover of The Gardener

Phyllis Root Why did I love this book?

Told through letters Lydia Grace writes home to her family, this is the story of a girl sent from the family farm to stay with her uncle in the city during the Depression. Lydia Grace’s Uncle Jim never smiles, but the flower seeds Lydia brings with her and plants bring smiles to other people’s faces. On the rooftop of the building, Lydia Grace plants a secret garden that, when her uncle sees it, brings a smile even to his face. The final art shows that even an unsmiling Uncle Jim has loved his niece all along.  

By Sarah Stewart, David Small (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Gardener as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

The Gardener is a 1997 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and a 1998 Caldecott Honor Book.

From the author-and-illustrator team of the bestselling The Library.

Lydia Grace Finch brings a suitcase full of seeds to the big gray city, where she goes to stay with her Uncle Jim, a cantankerous baker. There she initiates a gradual transformation, bit by bit brightening the shop and bringing smiles to customers' faces with the flowers she grows. But it is in a secret place that Lydia Grace works on her masterpiece -- an ambitious rooftop garden --…


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Book cover of Benghazi! A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink

Benghazi! A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink by Ethan Chorin,

Benghazi: A New History is a look back at the enigmatic 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, its long-tail causes, and devastating (and largely unexamined) consequences for US domestic politics and foreign policy. It contains information not found elsewhere, and is backed up by 40 pages of…

Book cover of And Then It's Spring

Phyllis Root Why did I love this book?

Told in one long sentence, this is the story of a child and their dog who plant seeds after winter and wait and wait and wait for the brown ground to–finally–become green. The ongoing sentence resonates with waiting for hopeful signs that spring is on the way. 

By Julie Fogliano, Erin E. Stead (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked And Then It's Spring as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Following a snow-filled winter, a young boy and his dog decide that they've had enough of all that brown and resolve to plant a garden. They dig, they plant, they play, they wait . . . and wait . . . until at last, the brown becomes a more hopeful shade of brown, a sign that spring may finally be on its way.

Julie Fogliano's tender story of anticipation is brought to life by the distinctive illustrations Erin E. Stead, recipient of the 2011 Caldecott Medal.

This title has Common Core connections.

And Then It's Spring is one of The…


Book cover of The Farmer

Phyllis Root Why did I love this book?

First published in French and illustrated with wonderfully vivid art, this is a story of a farmer who works hard mowing, raking, digging, watering in his fields. He rejoices when things begin to grow, but a drought threatens all his hard work. The farmer is not alone, though, in his efforts, and the art shows the farm animals helping, followed by rain falling and bringing his fields to colorful and joyful abundance. Hard work matters, and so do friends.

By Ximo Abadia,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Farmer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

A farmer's hard work is rewarded in this eco-friendly and elegantly illustrated picture book.

A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book of the Year!

In the town, everyone is sleeping. But not Paul.

Paul mows. Paul rakes. Paul sows. Paul draws water. And soon Paul has beautiful plants and flowers growing all around him. But one day, the water dries up. The sun beats down. Paul despairs. But thanks to his animal friends, and a bit of rain, help is on the way . . .

Filled with vivid illustrations of Paul's hard work, the brilliant blooms…


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Book cover of Who Will Take Care of Me When I'm Old?: Plan Now to Safeguard Your Health and Happiness in Old Age

Who Will Take Care of Me When I'm Old? by Joy Loverde,

Everything you need to know to plan for your own safe, financially secure, healthy, and happy old age.

For those who have no support system in place, the thought of aging without help can be a frightening, isolating prospect. Whether you have friends and family ready and able to help…

Book cover of The Boy Who Didn't Believe in Spring

Phyllis Root Why did I love this book?

King Shabazz doesn’t believe in this spring that everybody is talking about, but he and his friend Tony Polita and set out through the city in search of it, finding spring in green growing sprouts with pointy yellow flowers in a vacant lot and a nest of eggs birds have made in an abandoned car. 

By Lucille Clifton, Brinton Turkle (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Boy Who Didn't Believe in Spring as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the middle of the city, two young friends set out to find Spring. Their search ends in a most unlikely but utterly convincing discovery.


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of Anywhere Farm

What is my book about?

You might think a farm means fields, tractors, and a barnyard full of animals. But you can plant a farm anywhere you like! A box or a bucket, a boot or a pan — almost anything can be turned into a home for green, growing things. Windows, balconies, and front steps all make wonderful spots to start. Who knows what plants you may choose to grow and who will come to see your new garden?

Phyllis Root delivers a modern rhyming mantra for anyone hoping to put their green thumbs to good use, while G. Brian Karas’s cheerful urban illustrations sprout from every page. After all, anywhere can be a farm — all it takes is one small seed and someone to plant it.

Book cover of The Old Truck
Book cover of The Gardener
Book cover of And Then It's Spring

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in farms, spring, and gardens?

Farms 69 books
Spring 9 books
Gardens 46 books