The spring is my favorite time to share read alouds about plants and seeds, but you can read them to your students any time of the school year. This post shares popular plant and seed picture books for kids that elementary teachers often use as read alouds. All of the picture books on this list lend themselves to these topics really well. Take a peek below to learn more about these plant and seed picture books for kids!
3 Plant Picture Books
Below is a list of some of our favorite plants and seeds picture books for kids at the elementary level. Check them out below!
1. The Empty Pot by Demi
The Empty Pot by Demi is about a boy named Ping. Ping loves flowers and everything that he plants blooms beautifully. One day, the Emperor announces that the person who will succeed him to the throne will be the one who blooms the best flower out of seeds that the Emperor gives them. All of the children in the land go to the palace to get their seeds, and set off to plant them in hopes of becoming the next Emperor. Ping plants his seed, and is surprised when nothing blooms.
After a year’s time, still nothing has bloomed and he has to present his empty pot to the Emperor. Ping is ashamed when he sees that all the other boys and girls have beautiful flowers. However, the Emperor announces that Ping will be the next Emperor! He says that the seeds he gave all the boys and girls were cooked and unable to grow flowers. Ping was the only one who was honest. Students will learn a lesson about honesty as they read this book.
Check out these The Empty Pot lessons and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
2. The Bad Seed by Jory John
In the book The Bad Seed by Jory John, the main character is a sunflower seed who considers himself to be bad. He does not use his manners and he describes all the ways that he is bad. The people in his community call him the Bad Seed and do not want to be around him.
The Bad Seed was not always a bad seed. One day he was picked to be a sunflower seed snack, was almost eaten by a giant, and then was spit out and stuck to a wad of gum. This caused him to be bad. At the end of the story, the Bad Seed decides he doesn’t want to be bad anymore and is ready to be good. He changes his mindset and self-talk and becomes a good seed. He also works really hard on using his manners. Ultimately, he admits that it is hard but continues to try his best.
Check out these The Bad Seed lessons and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
3. The Seed of Compassion by His Holiness The Dalai Lama
The Seed of Compassion by His Holiness The Dalai Lama teaches readers the importance of showing compassion. The Dalai Lama narrates the book himself and starts off by telling readers about his childhood. He learned about compassion at an early age from his mother, who was always helping those in need. When the Dalai Lama was three, monks came looking to find the next Dalai Lama. To the family’s surprise, he passed the tests and they moved to the capital to start his training.
While he studied many different subjects during his formal training, the Dalai Lama always enjoyed studying compassion. He explains that it is a special capability humans have, that other living creatures do not. Throughout the book, the Dalai Lama explains that children can grow to be more compassionate and it helps make the world a better place.
Check out these The Seed of Compassion lessons and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
Grab the Free Reading Resources!
In closing, we hope you found this list of plant and seed picture books for kids helpful! They are part of our Starts With a Story collection. If you want to get more book ideas to read aloud to your elementary students, then grab this reading freebie. It includes read aloud books lists, reading logs, and reading challenges for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom teachers. It will have you covered for the entire school year, as well as the summer months! Grab this free elementary reading packet now!
