Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming Age Level: Toddler and up
Synopsis: After planting the garden he has dreamed of for years, Mr. McGreely tries to find a way to keep some persistent bunnies from eating all his vegetables.

Flannel Board

	Fran's Flower by Lisa Bruce Age Level: Toddler and up
Synopsis: Upon finding a flower pot containing a tiny green shoot, a little girl tries to encourage the plant to grow by feeding it pizza and chocolate chip cookies, but when it still won't grow and bloom, she throws it out the door.

Song

	Whose Garden Is It? by Mary Ann Hoberman Age Level: Preschool and up
Synopsis: When Mrs. McGee walks through a garden wondering whose it is, all of the plants and animals as well as the sun and the gardener claim it as their own.

Song

	Jack's Garden by Henry Cole Age Level: Toddler and up
Synopsis: Cumulative text and illustrations depict what happens in Jack's garden after he plants his seeds.

Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens Age Level: Advanced Preschool and up

Synopsis: Hare solves his family's problems by tricking rich and lazy Bear in this funny, energetic version of an old slave story. With roots in American slave tales, Tops & Bottoms celebrates the trickster tradition of using one's wits to overcome hardship. It's all wonderful fun, and the book opens, fittingly, from top to bottom instead of from side to side, making it perfect for story-time sharing. Note: This is a longer book, but keeps it usually keeps a younger group's attention.

Films

	14 Rats and a Rat-Catcher by James Cressey Age Level: PreK-2
Synopsis: A little old lady with a house full of rats calls on the town rat catcher who does more than solve her rat problem. Note: Don't have a garden film readily available, so substituting an extra one for now.

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More Books to Read On Your Own

Planting a Rainbow
by Lois Ehlert
Age Level: Toddler and up
Synopsis: A mother and child plant a rainbow of flowers in the family garden.

The Tiny Seed
by Eric Carle
Age Level: Preschool and up
Synopsis: A simple description of a flowering plant's life cycle through the seasons.

Growing Vegetable Soup
by Lois Ehlert
Age Level: Toddler and up
Synopsis: A father and child grow vegetables and then make them into a soup.

Vegetable Garden
by Douglas Florian
Age Level: Toddler and up
Synopsis: Simple rhyming text describes how a family plants a vegetable garden and helps it grow to a rich harvest.

The Gardener
by Sarah Stewart
Age Level: Preschool and up
Synopsis: A series of letters relating what happens when, after her father loses his job, Lydia Grace goes to live with her Uncle Jim in the city but takes her love for gardening with her.

In My Garden
by Ron Maris
Age Level: Preschool and up
Synopsis: A girl notes the objects, animals, and friends she enjoys seeing in her garden. Features half pages that reveal hidden portions of the illustrations.

The Ugly Vegetables
by Grace Lin
Age Level: Preschool and up
Synopsis: A little girl thinks her mother's garden is the ugliest in the neighborhood until she discovers that flowers might look and smell pretty but Chinese vegetable soup smells best of all. Includes a recipe.

The Surprise Garden
by Zoe Hall
Age Level: Preschool and up
Synopsis: After sowing unmarked seeds, three youngsters wait expectantly for their garden to grow.

Bumblebee, Bumblebee, Do You Know Me? A Garden Guessing Game
by Anne Rockwell
Age Level: Preschool and up
Synopsis: A series of riddles that first give descriptions of various flowers and then reveal their names.

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More Songs for at Home

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Mary, Mary, quite contrary
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockleshells
And pretty maids all in a row.

Ring Around the Rosies

[Children hold hands and dance around in a circle.]

Ring around the rosies
A pocket full of posies;
Ashes, Ashes
All stand still.
[Children hold still.]

The King has sent his daughter,
To fetch a pail of water;
[Children hold hands and dance around in a circle.]
Ashes, Ashes
All fall down.
[Children fall to the floor.]

The bird upon the steeple,
Sits high above the people;
[Children hold hands and dance around in a circle.]
Ashes, Ashes
All kneel down.
[Children kneel.]

The wedding bells are ringing,
The boys and girls are singing;
[Children hold hands and dance around in a circle.]
Ashes, Ashes,
All fall down.
[Children fall to the floor.]

Five Purple Violets

One purple violet in our garden grew
Up popped another, and that made two
Two purple violets were all that I could see
But I found another, and that made three
Three purple violets -- if I could find one more,
We'd give them to mother -- we'd have four!
Four purple violets -- sure as you're alive!
Why here is another! And now there are five.

Green Leaf

Here's a green leaf
[Show hand.]
And here's a green leaf,
[Show other hand.]
That you see, makes two.
Here is a bud cup
[Hands together.]
That makes a flower;
Watch it bloom for you!
[Open cupped hands gradually.]

Mister Carrot

Nice mister carrot
Makes curly hair,
[Hand on head.]
His head grows underneath the ground
[Bob head.]
His feet up in the air
[Raise feet.]
And early in the morning
I find him in his bed close eyes,
[Lay head on hands.]
And give his feet a great big pull
[Stretch legs out.]
And out comes his head!

Dig a Little Hole

Dig a little hole
[Dig.]
Plant a little seed
[Drop seed.]
Pour a little water
[Pour.]
Pull a little weed
[Pull up and throw away.]

Chase a little bug
[Chasing motion.]
Heigh-ho, there he goes!
[Shade eyes.]
Give a little sunshine
[Cup hands.]
Grow a little rose.
[Smell flower, eyes closed, smiling.]

Make a Garden

Dig! Dig! Dig! Rake just so
Plant the seeds, watch them grow
Chop! Chop! Chop! Pull out weeds
Warm rain and sun, my garden needs.
Up! Up! Up! Green stems climb.
Open wide, it's blossom time!

Relaxing Flowers

Five little flowers
[Hold up five fingers.]
Standing in the sun
See their heads nodding
[Make fingers nod.]
Bowing, one by one.
[Make fingers bow.]
Down, down, down
Falls the gentle rain,
[Flutter fingers downward.]
And the five little flowers
Lift up their heads again!
[Hold up five fingers.]

My Garden

This is my garden
[Extend on hand forward, palm up.]
I'll rake it with care,
[Make raking motion on palm with three fingers of other hand.]
And then some flower seeds
[Plant motion.]
I'll plant in there.
The sun will shine
[Make circle with hands.]
And the rain will fall
[Let fingers flutter down to lap.]
And my garden will blossom
[Cup hands together; extend upward slowly.]
And grow straight and tall.

I'll Plant A Little Seed
(Tune: "I'm A Little Teapot")

I'll plant a little seed in the dark, dark ground.
Out comes the yellow sun, big and round.
Down comes the cool rain, soft and slow.
Up comes the little seed, grow, grow, grow!

What Do You Suppose?

What do you suppose?
A bee sat on my nose!
[Place finger on nose.]
Then what do you think?
He gave me a great big wink,
[Wink.]
And said, "I beg your pardon,
I thought you were a garden!"

Parts of the Plants
(Tune: "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes")

Do you know the parts of plants, parts of plants?
Do you know the parts of plants, parts of plants?
All kinds of plants that grow and grow and grow.
Do you know the parts of plants, parts of plants?

The roots hold the plant in place, plant in place.
The roots hold the plant in place, plant in place.
The roots store food and water too.
The roots hold the plant in place, plant in place.

The stem moves water up the plant, up the plant.
The stem moves water up the plant, up the plant.
The stem brings water to the leaves.
The stem moves water up the plant, up the plant.

The leaves soak up the sun, soak up the sun.
The leaves soak up the sun, soak up the sun.
The sun helps the plant to grow and grow and grow.
The leaves soak up the sun, soak up the sun.

The flower grows into a fruit, into a fruit.
The flower grows into a fruit, into a fruit.
Inside the fruit are little, tiny seeds.
The flower grows into a fruit, into a fruit.

I'm a Little Flower Pot
(Tune: "I'm a Little Teapot")

I'm a little flower pot mom put out
[Point to self.]
If you take care of me, I will sprout.
[Nod head, point to self.]
When you water me, I will grow
[Make sprinkling motions with right hand.]
Into a pretty flower, don't you know!
[Raise left hand slowly up from floor, make wide circle with hands or arms.]

The Green Grass Grows All Around

There was a tree
(There was a tree)
All in the wood
(All in the wood)
The prettiest tree
(The prettiest tree)
That you ever did see
(That you ever did see)

The tree in a hole
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
The green grass grows all around

And on that tree
(And on that tree)
There was a limb
(There was a limb)
The prettiest limb
(The prettiest limb)
That you ever did see
(That you ever did see)

The limb on the tree,
And the tree in a hole,
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
The green grass grows all around.

And on that limb
(And on that limb)
There was a branch
(There was a branch)
The prettiest branch
(The prettiest branch)
That you ever did see
(That you ever did see)

The branch on the limb,
And the limb on the tree,
And the tree in a hole,
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
The green grass grows all around.

And on that branch
(And on that branch)
There was a nest

(There was a nest)
The prettiest nest
(The prettiest nest)
That you ever did see
(That you ever did see)

The nest on the branch,
And the branch on the limb,
And the limb on the tree,
And the tree in a hole,
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
The green grass grows all around.

And in that nest
(And in that nest)
There was an egg
(There was an egg)
The prettiest egg
(The prettiest egg)
That you ever did see
(That you ever did see)

The egg in the nest,
And the nest on the branch,
And the branch on the limb,
And the limb on the tree,
And the tree in a hole,
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
The green grass grows all around.

And in that egg
(And in that egg)
There was a bird
(There was a bird)
The prettiest bird
(The prettiest bird)
That you ever did see
(That you ever did see)

The bird in the egg,
And the egg in the nest,
And the nest on the branch,
And the branch on the limb,
And the limb on the tree,
And the tree in a hole,
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
The green grass grows all around.

And on that bird
(And on that bird)
There was a wing
(There was a wing)
The prettiest wing
(The prettiest wing)
That you ever did see
(That you ever did see)

The wing on the bird,
And the bird in the egg,
And the egg in the nest,
And the nest on the branch,
And the branch on the limb,
And the limb on the tree,
And the tree in a hole,
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
The green grass grows all around.

And on that wing
(And on that wing)
There was a feather
(There was a feather)
The prettiest feather
(The prettiest feather)
That you ever did see
(That you ever did see)

The feather on the wing,
And the wing on the bird,
And the bird in the egg,
And the egg in the nest,
And the nest on the branch,
And the branch on the limb,
And the limb on the tree,
And the tree in a hole,
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
The green grass grows all around.

And on that feather
(And on that feather)
There was a bug
(There was a bug)
The prettiest bug
(The prettiest bug)
That you ever did see
(That you ever did see)

The bug on the feather,
And the feather on the wing,
And the wing on the bird,
And the bird in the egg,
And the egg in the nest,
And the nest on the branch,
And the branch on the limb,
And the limb on the tree,
And the tree in a hole,
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
The green grass grows all around.

And on that bug
(And on that bug)
There was a germ
(There was a germ)
The prettiest germ
(The prettiest germ)
That you ever did see
(That you ever did see)

The germ on the bug,
And the bug on the feather,
And the feather on the wing,
And the wing on the bird,
And the bird in the egg,
And the egg in the nest,
And the nest on the branch,
And the branch on the limb,
And the limb on the tree,
And the tree in a hole,
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
The green grass grows all around.

Yes, the green grass grows all around, all around
The green grass grows all around!

Over in the Meadow

Over in the meadow,
In the sand in the sun
Lived an old mother toadie
And her little toadie one
"Wink!" said the mother;
"I wink!" said the one,
So they winked and they blinked
In the sand in the sun

Over in the meadow,
Where the stream runs blue
Lived an old mother fish
And her little fishes two
"Swim!" said the mother;
"We swim!" said the two,
So they swam and they leaped
Where the stream runs blue

Over in the meadow,
In a hole in a tree
Lived an old mother bluebird
And her little birdies three
"Sing!" said the mother;
"We sing!" said the three
So they sang and were glad
In a hole in the tree

Over in the meadow,
In the reeds on the shore
Lived an old mother muskrat
And her little ratties four
"Dive!" said the mother;
"We dive!" said the four
So they dived and they burrowed
In the reeds on the shore

Over in the meadow,
In a snug beehive
Lived a mother honey bee
And her little bees five
"Buzz!" said the mother;
"We buzz!" said the five
So they buzzed and they hummed
In the snug beehive

Over in the meadow,
In a nest built of sticks
Lived a black mother crow
And her little crows six
"Caw!" said the mother;
"We caw!" said the six
So they cawed and they called
In their nest built of sticks

Over in the meadow,
Where the grass is so even
Lived a gay mother cricket
And her little crickets seven
"Chirp!" said the mother;
"We chirp!" said the seven
So they chirped cheery notes
In the grass soft and even

Over in the meadow,
By the old mossy gate
Lived a brown mother lizard
And her little lizards eight
"Bask!" said the mother;
"We bask!" said the eight
So they basked in the sun
On the old mossy gate

Over in the meadow,
Where the quiet pools shine
Lived a green mother frog
And her little froggies nine
"Croak!" said the mother;
"We croak!" said the nine
So they croaked and they splashed
Where the quiet pools shine

Over in the meadow,
In a sly little den
Lived a gray mother spider
And her little spiders ten
"Spin!" said the mother;
"We spin!" said the ten
So they spun lacy webs
In their sly little den