One of my favorite science units to teach in the spring is my All About Plant Unit! I can’t help it… I just love a good read aloud for teaching about plants, and it has nothing to do with my love for plants or gardening. As a matter of fact, if I’m being honest, I have a black thumb You see I can’t even keep a poor cactus alive #sadreality
I do, however, enjoy my students love for all things nature + having a kid-friendly book list to use is important! That’s why I’m sharing 6 of my favorite books for teaching about plants and seeds to elementary students. Read more about each one below!
Each of the books I’m going to share with you today can easily be found at the library or purchased on Amazon. Just click the links below and stock up on some great read alouds for your plant unit. I don’t know about you, but I using my prime membership to get FREE 2-day shipping! I guess you can say I’m a little impatient when it comes to shopping… LOL!
Seed to Plant By Kristin Baird Rattini
My kiddos and I absolutely love National Geographic Readers! Their kid-friendly text and beautiful photographs are always a hit.
This non-fiction text is perfect for starting off your plant unit. It introduces the parts of a plant, what plants need to grow, the idea that seeds can be found in different parts of a plant, explains seed dispersal, and even touches upon pollination. WOW, look at all that goodness in one book! Now keep in mind, this is a great starter book. It does NOT go into a lot of detail. However, it’s great for setting the tone and activating your students’ background knowledge. To top it off, your kiddos will get a kick out of the fun facts shared in this reader. For example, did you know that the heaviest seed in the world weighs as much as a fourth grader?
Oh Say Can You Seed? All About Flowering Plants by Bonnie Worth
Don’t let this Dr. Seussish book fool you! Just because it’s a fun tale written in a Dr. Seuss rhyming style doesn’t mean its babyish by any means. Trust me, this book is filled with information perfect for a plant unit for kids in grade 2-4.
In this story told by the Cat in the Hat, the Cat leads two children throughout the wonderful world of flowering plants. He teaches them how plants are not only used for food, but also for clothing + medicine when we are sick. It also includes facts on the parts of a seed, photosynthesis, and pollination just to name a few. The author does a great job of including many important plant facts all while giving kids relatable examples that they’re used to seeing in their daily lives. That connection to the real world makes this book a perfect read aloud for teaching about plants.
Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens
This book is not the typical non-fiction books we’re used to reading during science class. It’s actually a trickster tale! Whenever I get a chance, I love to weave literature into my science units and this book is a perfect pick to do just that.
In this story, a clever hare solves his family’s problem by tricking a lazy bear. They both start a gardening business in which Hare’s tricks and hard work allow him to reap up all the vegetable profits. The bear, on the other hand, sleeps through every planting season and doesn’t make any profit. {Doesn’t this kinda remind you of the fable The Ant and the Grasshopper?} Despite being a great piece of literature, it’s also perfect for introducing students to the concept of harvesting and the idea that some of the foods we eat are actually on the tops of plants and others on the bottom (think roots + carrots).
Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move by JoAnn Early Macken
With its beautiful illustrations and understandable text, this book is another great non-fiction text that can be used across the curriculum. I could spend an entire week on this book in my classroom. I mean check out an example of the author’s poetic language… “maple seeds fly like shiny green helicopters, tumbleweeds scatter their seeds as they roll, roll, roll; locust tree pods skitter and skate on slippery ice”. WOW… did you spot all that figurative language?
Besides being a great book for the ELA classroom, it’s also a perfect read aloud for teaching about plants. In this book, the author introduces the reader to the idea of seed dispersal. She goes on to explain that seeds are not just planted by people but by animals as well. They’re also planted in many different climates and in many different places. So if you’re looking for a book focused on the many ways that plants travel, this is the text for you.
From Seed To Plant by Gail Gibbons
Gail Gibbons is a wonderful author! Her books are always a perfect read aloud for my 3rd graders. In this book, she uses simple language and colorful illustrations to introduce young readers to the complicated process of pollination, seed formation, and germination. What I love about Gibbons is that she always has a way of explaining difficult concepts in such a way that children are able to understand.
Plants by Kathryn Williams
It’s very difficult to find books for young readers with such captivating photographs of the real world. That’s why I’m including another National Geographic Reader. My kids love rereading them + I love integrating them into my science units.
This reader is not only a quick read but full of accurate and interesting scientific facts about the structure + function of plants as well as their ability to adapt to their environment. Your kids are going to love this book as well!
These 6 kid-friendly read aloud texts for teaching about plants is only part of your plant unit. There’s just so much material to cover on seeds and plants that books alone cannot possibly cover it all. That’s why in addition to these read alouds, I like to use this All About Plant Unit that includes:
- 11-page kid-friendly informational text booklet
- 7 quick checks to assess students’ understanding throughout the unit (answer keys provided)
- 3-page unit assessment (answer keys Provided)
- 35 vocabulary cards w/real life pictures
- 5 Experiments- lab sheets with discussion questions
- Writing Connection- 5 writing prompts
If you’d like to take a closer look at the complete unit you can click HERE or on the picture above.
If you liked these read-aloud books, feel free to use the image above to save this post to your Pinterest board.
More Plant Unit Resources
*Kid-friendly videos about seeds and plants
You’ll find more science resources on my Elementary Science Ideas Pinterest board and my Science: Plants Pinterest board.
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