These fabulous children’s books about flowers are as sweet as they are special! Meet our favorite fictional stories about flowers, nonfiction about the plant life cycle, and stories about the importance of patience when it comes to tending a garden.
There’s no doubt about it: a vase filled with flowers resting upon your kitchen table can brighten the whole home.
A garden filled with vibrant blooms fills your yard with wonder.
And children’s books about flowers bring beauty and serenity to your day.
I love sharing picture books about flowers with young readers, for they are both endlessly fascinating and stunning, too. And they even come with their fair share of benefits!
Reading children’s books about flowers offers a variety of benefits to our young learners. These books help engage all of a child’s five senses. How do the flowers smell? How many different colors do you see? How do the petals feel under your fingers?
Children’s books about flowers also give kids a great introduction to science and the plant lifecycle. Through stories, kids learn that flowers sprout from seeds. They learn what these plants need to grow, such as sunlight and water. They also learn why certain soils and climates are better for the growth of particular flowers than others.
Finally – and perhaps most importantly – children’s books about flowers help kids understand the value of patience. Seeds will never sprout in a day! When our children read about other kids nurturing and caring for gardens as they wait for flowers to grow, it helps our readers learn responsibility as they become important environmental stewards and help care for the earth!
Check out our fabulous selection of children’s books about flowers below. There is no doubt about it – there’s a book on our list that will be perfect for your young readers!
RELATED: Did you know Happily Ever Elephants has more than 125 children’s book lists on the blog? Make sure to check out this link!
Teaching children about flowers is valuable for so many reasons. Gardening gives kids a basic understanding of science, and it also teaches children the stages of the plant life cycle. A flower study can help children learn about the five senses. Additionally, teaching kids about flowers helps them understand the important role living things play in our environment, thus encouraging our young learners to become important environmental stewards!
How can you teach children about flowers?
With books, of course! The children’s books about flowers on our list below introduce kids to the world of science, the stages of the plant life cycle, and the importance of patience and care when it comes to tending a garden. These stories have so many benefits for kids, and they are fun and engaging, too!
What is your favorite children’s book about flowers?
I absolutely love the Caldecott Honoree, Have You Ever Seen a Flower?, by Shawn Harris for its unique approach to the senses and its phenomenal use of color. I also adore The Curious Garden, by Peter Brown. It is based on the Highline in New York City, and it is a fabulous and beloved story of one boy’s will to grow a garden where nothing had been grown before! Both of these books are featured below
Happily Ever Elephants participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
RELATED: We’ve got the best spring books for children, so be sure to check them out!
Have you Ever Seen A Flower?
By Shawn Harris
This stunning picture book helps children explore a flower using all of their five senses. What color is it? How does it smell? This beautiful, Caldecott-winning story encourages children to observe the world closely, as looking at something – really looking with all five senses – can expand our perspective and perception.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
The Curious Garden
By Peter Brown
This is a beautiful story about a boy in a dreary town who discovers a straggling garden while out on a walk one day. He decides to care for it, nurturing the garden with love, patience, and perseverance, even after it is harmed by the elements. Under his care, the garden grows and grows, bringing life to the city and blue to the skies. This book is stunning both in story and illustration, with themes of determination, environmental activism, and community improvement. It is one of our all-time favorite children’s books about plants!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
RELATED: For more fabulous children’s books about plants, click the link!
A Seed Grows
By Antoinette Portis
I love books that fabulously depict lifecycles, and so do kids! This wonderful story illustrates the transformative life cycle of a sunflower. The flower begins as a tiny seed, with winding roots growing below the soil. With sun and rain, the seed grows, leading up to a stunning fold out of a full-grown sunflower. I love how this beautiful children’s book about flowers showcases each stage of a plant’s lifecycle!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Plant the Tiny Seed
By Christie Matheson
If you are looking for a lively and fun interactive book to get your kids excited about the coming of spring, this sweet story is a must! Plant the Tiny Seed is a fabulous book to get little ones engaged in the idea of planting gardens – they can wiggle their fingers to water the seeds, clap to make the sun shine, and even shoo away pesky snails. Your kids will delight in watching tiny seedlings grow into beautiful flowers, resulting in a vibrant garden filled with bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds too. This is such an engaging children’s book about flowers.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
RELATED: We’ve got a fabulous list of kindergarten read-alouds for you on Happily Ever Elephants, all of which make for great bedtime stories. Be sure to check them out!
The Empty Pot
By Demi
Telling the truth can be downright scary — especially when you fear it will result in grave consequences. But this beautiful story masterfully illuminates how telling the truth can be the most courageous action one can possibly take — and it can result in great, great rewards. This is the story of Ping, a young boy hoping to grow the most beautiful flowers and become heir to the emperor. When the seeds given to him by the emperor fail to grow, he faces two tough options: exchange his failed plant for a beautiful new one and lie, or tell the emperor that despite his best efforts, his seeds did not bloom. What will he do? So in love with this stellar story!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Drawn From Nature
By Helen Ahpornsiri
Oh my gosh, this book is exquisite! You won’t want to miss this one if you teach your kids or students about our four seasons. The illustrations are intricately made from pressed plants and include leaves, seeds, and petals. The result? A uniquely gorgeous feast for the eyes, majestically capturing natural wonders.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Miss Rumphius
By Barbara Cooney
This will always be a favorite of mine! If you have children who long to make the world a more beautiful place, this timeless story is a must. Miss Rumphius, has a desire to do three things: live by the sea, travel, and beautify her surroundings. With some great big wanderlust and some small but mighty lupine seeds, the “lupine lady” left her legacy blooming all along the coast of Maine. This is such a special children’s book about flowers and leaving a legacy!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Planting a Rainbow
By Lois Ehlert
How do you plant a rainbow? Buy bulbs and seeds, plant them in the dirt, and care for them until they grow! A beautiful board book that will give your littlest kids a wonderful lesson on colors and flowers.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Sidewalk Flowers
By JonArno Lawrence
In this powerful wordless picture book, a little girl walks along the sidewalk with her distracted father who, busy on his cell phone and walking straight ahead, doesn’t notice his daughter collecting wildflowers as they walk. The girl, though, doesn’t just collect. Instead, she also gives — and gives and gives. A man lying on a bench gets a flower, a mother and her children get flowers, an injured bird gets flowers. As she gives the flowers away, her kindness transforms those she encounters — and changes the girl, too. A small masterpiece, this is a brilliant book for any collection!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
RELATED: Looking for great books for 2-year-olds and books for 3-year-olds? Check out these links!
What’s Inside a Flower and Other Questions About Science and Nature
By Rachel Ignotofsky
Any book that gets budding kid scientists intrigued about the natural world gets high praise from my crew! We have forever adored Ignotofsky’s illustrations (her books about Women in Science and Women in Sports are big-time favorites among my students!), and when matched with fabulous facts about the life cycles of a flower – from seeds to roots to blooms – you’ve got a winner on your hands! The pages overflow with beauty and fun facts teaching kids everything from how a flower grows to why they bloom on plants.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
The Big Book of Blooms
By Yuval Zommer, Elisa Bondi, Scott Taylor and Barbara Taylor
If you are looking for a fabulous nonfiction children’s book about flowers that will teach your kids about gorgeous blooms from around the world, this is your book! From lessons in botany to habitats, young readers will pore over the stunning illustrations and get lost learning fascinating facts about endangered flowers, why blooms are bright or fragrant, and which flowers are poisonous. This will be a fabulous addition to your little gardener’s library!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
The Night Flower
By Lara Hawthorne
Each year, a special event happens in Arizona’s Sonoran desert. Why? The Night Flower is ready to bloom! Welcome to the Saguaro Cactus, with its stunning flower that blooms in the moonlight and sets the desert abuzz! This nonfiction beauty is a fantastic exploration of the desert ecosystem, introducing young readers to the animals and insects that gather for this yearly event through gorgeous illustrations and rhyming text.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Flowers Are Calling
By Rita Gray and Kenard Pak
“Drink me!” say the flowers to the animals. This beautiful rhyming picture book explores the symbiotic relationship between plants, animals, and insects, with each playing an integral part in the lifecycle of the forest. This children’s book about flowers offers a perfect blend of facts and beauty!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Mrs. Peanuckle’s Flower Alphabet
By Jessie Ford
Teach your child the alphabet with this fabulous and lively book! From the aster to the zinnia, young readers will learn facts about 26 different flowers from around the globe. Vibrant, witty, and oh-so-memorable, we simply adore this lovely children’s book about flowers!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
The Language of Flowers
By Dena Seiferling
Beatrice, a tiny bumblebee, finds herself deep within a magical meadow where she is taken in by some lonely flowers. The flowers care for Beatrice and help her learn to fly, and all the while Beatrice learns the language of gratitude and kindness from the flowers. Beatrice passes the message of kindness around from flower to flower until one day, she becomes lost beyond the meadow’s safety. WIll she survive among the strange and scary plants? Could the plants be in need of some kindness themselves? We love this sweet story of pollination and the beautiful relationship between flowers and bees!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
RELATED: Do you have big kids getting ready to read at your house? Don’t miss our fantastic list of the best early reader books!
Children’s books about flowers are as great as they are gorgeous!
There’s no doubt about it: a vase filled with flowers resting upon your kitchen table can brighten the whole home.
A garden filled with vibrant blooms fills your yard with wonder.
And children’s books about flowers bring beauty and serenity to your day.
I love sharing picture books about flowers with young readers, for they are both endlessly fascinating and stunning, too. And they even come with their fair share of benefits!
The benefits of reading kids’ books about flowers
Reading children’s books about flowers offers a variety of benefits to our young learners. These books help engage all of a child’s five senses. How do the flowers smell? How many different colors do you see? How do the petals feel under your fingers?
Children’s books about flowers also give kids a great introduction to science and the plant lifecycle. Through stories, kids learn that flowers sprout from seeds. They learn what these plants need to grow, such as sunlight and water. They also learn why certain soils and climates are better for the growth of particular flowers than others.
Finally – and perhaps most importantly – children’s books about flowers help kids understand the value of patience. Seeds will never sprout in a day! When our children read about other kids nurturing and caring for gardens as they wait for flowers to grow, it helps our readers learn responsibility as they become important environmental stewards and help care for the earth!
Check out our fabulous selection of children’s books about flowers below. There is no doubt about it – there’s a book on our list that will be perfect for your young readers!
RELATED: Did you know Happily Ever Elephants has more than 125 children’s book lists on the blog? Make sure to check out this link!
Frequently asked questions
Why should children learn about flowers?Teaching children about flowers is valuable for so many reasons. Gardening gives kids a basic understanding of science, and it also teaches children the stages of the plant life cycle. A flower study can help children learn about the five senses. Additionally, teaching kids about flowers helps them understand the important role living things play in our environment, thus encouraging our young learners to become important environmental stewards!
How can you teach children about flowers?
With books, of course! The children’s books about flowers on our list below introduce kids to the world of science, the stages of the plant life cycle, and the importance of patience and care when it comes to tending a garden. These stories have so many benefits for kids, and they are fun and engaging, too!
What is your favorite children’s book about flowers?
I absolutely love the Caldecott Honoree, Have You Ever Seen a Flower?, by Shawn Harris for its unique approach to the senses and its phenomenal use of color. I also adore The Curious Garden, by Peter Brown. It is based on the Highline in New York City, and it is a fabulous and beloved story of one boy’s will to grow a garden where nothing had been grown before! Both of these books are featured below
Happily Ever Elephants participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
RELATED: We’ve got the best spring books for children, so be sure to check them out!
We love these children’s books about flowers!
Have you Ever Seen A Flower?
By Shawn Harris
This stunning picture book helps children explore a flower using all of their five senses. What color is it? How does it smell? This beautiful, Caldecott-winning story encourages children to observe the world closely, as looking at something – really looking with all five senses – can expand our perspective and perception.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
The Curious Garden
By Peter Brown
This is a beautiful story about a boy in a dreary town who discovers a straggling garden while out on a walk one day. He decides to care for it, nurturing the garden with love, patience, and perseverance, even after it is harmed by the elements. Under his care, the garden grows and grows, bringing life to the city and blue to the skies. This book is stunning both in story and illustration, with themes of determination, environmental activism, and community improvement. It is one of our all-time favorite children’s books about plants!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
RELATED: For more fabulous children’s books about plants, click the link!
A Seed Grows
By Antoinette Portis
I love books that fabulously depict lifecycles, and so do kids! This wonderful story illustrates the transformative life cycle of a sunflower. The flower begins as a tiny seed, with winding roots growing below the soil. With sun and rain, the seed grows, leading up to a stunning fold out of a full-grown sunflower. I love how this beautiful children’s book about flowers showcases each stage of a plant’s lifecycle!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Plant the Tiny Seed
By Christie Matheson
If you are looking for a lively and fun interactive book to get your kids excited about the coming of spring, this sweet story is a must! Plant the Tiny Seed is a fabulous book to get little ones engaged in the idea of planting gardens – they can wiggle their fingers to water the seeds, clap to make the sun shine, and even shoo away pesky snails. Your kids will delight in watching tiny seedlings grow into beautiful flowers, resulting in a vibrant garden filled with bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds too. This is such an engaging children’s book about flowers.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
RELATED: We’ve got a fabulous list of kindergarten read-alouds for you on Happily Ever Elephants, all of which make for great bedtime stories. Be sure to check them out!
The Empty Pot
By Demi
Telling the truth can be downright scary — especially when you fear it will result in grave consequences. But this beautiful story masterfully illuminates how telling the truth can be the most courageous action one can possibly take — and it can result in great, great rewards. This is the story of Ping, a young boy hoping to grow the most beautiful flowers and become heir to the emperor. When the seeds given to him by the emperor fail to grow, he faces two tough options: exchange his failed plant for a beautiful new one and lie, or tell the emperor that despite his best efforts, his seeds did not bloom. What will he do? So in love with this stellar story!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Drawn From Nature
By Helen Ahpornsiri
Oh my gosh, this book is exquisite! You won’t want to miss this one if you teach your kids or students about our four seasons. The illustrations are intricately made from pressed plants and include leaves, seeds, and petals. The result? A uniquely gorgeous feast for the eyes, majestically capturing natural wonders.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Miss Rumphius
By Barbara Cooney
This will always be a favorite of mine! If you have children who long to make the world a more beautiful place, this timeless story is a must. Miss Rumphius, has a desire to do three things: live by the sea, travel, and beautify her surroundings. With some great big wanderlust and some small but mighty lupine seeds, the “lupine lady” left her legacy blooming all along the coast of Maine. This is such a special children’s book about flowers and leaving a legacy!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Planting a Rainbow
By Lois Ehlert
How do you plant a rainbow? Buy bulbs and seeds, plant them in the dirt, and care for them until they grow! A beautiful board book that will give your littlest kids a wonderful lesson on colors and flowers.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Sidewalk Flowers
By JonArno Lawrence
In this powerful wordless picture book, a little girl walks along the sidewalk with her distracted father who, busy on his cell phone and walking straight ahead, doesn’t notice his daughter collecting wildflowers as they walk. The girl, though, doesn’t just collect. Instead, she also gives — and gives and gives. A man lying on a bench gets a flower, a mother and her children get flowers, an injured bird gets flowers. As she gives the flowers away, her kindness transforms those she encounters — and changes the girl, too. A small masterpiece, this is a brilliant book for any collection!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
RELATED: Looking for great books for 2-year-olds and books for 3-year-olds? Check out these links!
What’s Inside a Flower and Other Questions About Science and Nature
By Rachel Ignotofsky
Any book that gets budding kid scientists intrigued about the natural world gets high praise from my crew! We have forever adored Ignotofsky’s illustrations (her books about Women in Science and Women in Sports are big-time favorites among my students!), and when matched with fabulous facts about the life cycles of a flower – from seeds to roots to blooms – you’ve got a winner on your hands! The pages overflow with beauty and fun facts teaching kids everything from how a flower grows to why they bloom on plants.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
The Big Book of Blooms
By Yuval Zommer, Elisa Bondi, Scott Taylor and Barbara Taylor
If you are looking for a fabulous nonfiction children’s book about flowers that will teach your kids about gorgeous blooms from around the world, this is your book! From lessons in botany to habitats, young readers will pore over the stunning illustrations and get lost learning fascinating facts about endangered flowers, why blooms are bright or fragrant, and which flowers are poisonous. This will be a fabulous addition to your little gardener’s library!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
The Night Flower
By Lara Hawthorne
Each year, a special event happens in Arizona’s Sonoran desert. Why? The Night Flower is ready to bloom! Welcome to the Saguaro Cactus, with its stunning flower that blooms in the moonlight and sets the desert abuzz! This nonfiction beauty is a fantastic exploration of the desert ecosystem, introducing young readers to the animals and insects that gather for this yearly event through gorgeous illustrations and rhyming text.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Flowers Are Calling
By Rita Gray and Kenard Pak
“Drink me!” say the flowers to the animals. This beautiful rhyming picture book explores the symbiotic relationship between plants, animals, and insects, with each playing an integral part in the lifecycle of the forest. This children’s book about flowers offers a perfect blend of facts and beauty!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Mrs. Peanuckle’s Flower Alphabet
By Jessie Ford
Teach your child the alphabet with this fabulous and lively book! From the aster to the zinnia, young readers will learn facts about 26 different flowers from around the globe. Vibrant, witty, and oh-so-memorable, we simply adore this lovely children’s book about flowers!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
The Language of Flowers
By Dena Seiferling
Beatrice, a tiny bumblebee, finds herself deep within a magical meadow where she is taken in by some lonely flowers. The flowers care for Beatrice and help her learn to fly, and all the while Beatrice learns the language of gratitude and kindness from the flowers. Beatrice passes the message of kindness around from flower to flower until one day, she becomes lost beyond the meadow’s safety. WIll she survive among the strange and scary plants? Could the plants be in need of some kindness themselves? We love this sweet story of pollination and the beautiful relationship between flowers and bees!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
RELATED: Do you have big kids getting ready to read at your house? Don’t miss our fantastic list of the best early reader books!