Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Topic: Plants & Trees KS2

Bloom – Nicola Skinner

Chapter book

Hilarious and truly original, here is a book with all the ingredients to take root and blossom wildly among the imaginations of young readers! We immediately loved the premise of the ‘surprising seeds’ that lead to an epidemic causing people to grow flowers out of their heads.

Sorrel Fallowfield is a rule follower. Never wishing to cause trouble for her overworked Mum or to break the strict rules of a perfection-demanding headteacher, Sorrel knows that she is in with an excellent chance of winning when school announces a competition to find the most perfectly-behaved student. Even better, the prize for the winner is a family holiday – which is exactly what Sorrel thinks her Mum needs the most.

Sorrel’s luck changes when a mysterious packet of seeds appears in her garden that have the most surprising effects. Before she knows it, the power of the seeds have taken root not just in Sorrel’s life but also in her whole community. Could nature be fighting back against a town that has eradicated all of its green spaces?

A stand-out story full of humour and heart.

Plants & Trees Topic (KS2)

Plants and Trees Topic Booklist

What makes ‘plants and trees’ such a fascinating science topic at KS2? Perhaps because trees are among the longest-living organisms on Earth and come in so many different shapes and sizes. Or maybe it’s because trees have been found to communicate to each other, or perhaps it’s the way that plants make their own food. Many children are also fascinated by the role plants and trees play in our planet’s ecosystem and are inspired to learn about our ability to step in and protect them. From petals and pollination to bark and branches, there’s plenty to enjoy in our selection of the best children’s books about plants and trees.

NB: This selection of books about plants and trees is aimed at children in KS2 (7-11). For books for younger children, try our Growing Plants KS1 list.

The Last Tree

Emily Haworth-Booth

Picturebook

The Last Tree is an eco-fable for our times, with themes of nature, conserving trees, community and listening to the voices of the young. “Once upon a time, a group of friends were looking for a place to live” – they find a tree, then a forest and make a happy community. However, what begins as building a few cabins and a fire to warm themselves, gradually develops into an insatiable use of all the wood and the construction of a high fence to keep out the wind. Only one last tree remains. The children of each family are told to go and cut it down for their family, quickly, before the neighbours do. But here the children rebel, and we end on an uplifting note of hope for the future, as the fence is dismantled and a new forest planted. Printed on recycled paper and with pictures in soft pencil shading and muted colours, the look of the book suits the important message of the tale. The Last Tree could be useful with all primary age groups, for example in assembly, as the message is accessible to KS1 while leaving room for discussion and debate in KS2.

A Seed is Sleepy

Dianna Aston & Sylvia Long

Non-fiction

This beautifully illustrated non-fiction text showcases how amazing seeds are. Each page shows how different types of seeds are perfectly adapted to survive, spread and grow into amazing plants. The text is poetic and the botanical illustrations are beautiful and detailed. If it never occurred to you to appreciate how amazing seeds can be, it will after reading this!

Toby Alone

Francois Place & Timothee de Fombelle

Chapter book

This is an award-winning children’s novel with a positive message about looking after the natural world. Toby is miniature at just 1.5mm tall and he lives in the Great Oak Tree. Toby and his family find themselves cast out of the Oak Tree society when Toby’s father attempts to protect the energy source at the heart of the tree from powerful people who wish to use up natural resources for their own gains, even if doing so will eventually destroy their environment.

Botanicum (Welcome To The Museum)

Kathy Willis & Katie Scott

Non-fiction

This impressive hardback is the closest thing you can get to a museum in book form. Exhibited in the pages are all sorts of plants from different habitats around the globe, displayed with beautiful botanical illustrations and informative text explaining the science behind how each plant looks and behaves. This is a beautiful non-fiction text to treasure and to amaze readers with the incredible diversity of the plant world. There is also an accompanying activity book (available here) and poster book (available here).

I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast

Michael Holland & Philip Giordano

Non-fiction

Flying Eye has built a reputation for publishing high-quality non-fiction for children and I Ate Sunshine For Breakfast is no exception. Its subtitle – A Celebration of Plants Around the World – is fitting, as the whole book bursts with colour, information and adoration.

The book is split into four main parts: All About Plants, World of Plants, From Breakfast Until Bedtime and The Power of Plants. Sections within these parts range from covering large concepts such as plants’ roles in food chains and food webs, down to the interesting details about how plants help us look after our teeth. There are various “DIY” investigations and experiments to try such as making invisible ink and creating bottle gardens. The book is visually stunning throughout and playfully illustrated as a flying insect pops up frequently to guide us through it all. I Ate Sunshine For Breakfast strikes a great balance between the everyday uses and marvels of plants and the science within this.

Plants play a large role in the primary Science curriculum, and so this appealing book is a gem that could be dipped into again and again in KS2.

The Boy Who Grew Dragons

Andy Shepherd & Sara Ogilvie

Chapter book

Imaginative and charming, The Boy Who Grew Dragons is a wonderfully whimsical story that kept me smiling the whole way through. The first in a series, this hugely entertaining adventure about a small boy and his pet dragon makes a super read-aloud for Year 3.

Tomas is busy in the garden with Grandad, planning which fruits to grow that might be turned into delicious jams or tarts. When Tomas stumbles across a strange tree with curious-looking fruit, he never expects that what might emerge from the fruit is a real live dragon! This is an adventure that is humorous at every turn, but also full of heart. Tomas is a great positive role model for showing how young people can apply curiosity and creativity to the process of growing and nurturing plants and see ‘magic’ in the course.

Coupled with charming illustrations by Sara Ogilvie, this early chapter book makes a fantastic choice for newly confident readers just taking off with independent reading and it will also go down a storm as an entertaining story choice.

Grow: A First Guide to Plants and How to Grow Them

Rizanino Reyes & Sara Boccacini Meadows

Non-fiction

Discover 15 plants and fungi with heroic powers, then learn how to grow them. Meet their surprising relatives (the tasty tomato is a cousin of deadly nightshade!) and unearth their interesting histories (lettuce was the first vegetable to be grown in space!). Then follow step-by-step instructions to grow and care for each one, whether you have a big backyard garden or a sunny windowsill.

Killer Plants and Other Green Gunk

Anna Claybourne

Non-fiction

A quirky, colourful guide to the horrible, shocking and disgusting aspects of the science of life cycles and a fantastic way to inspire children in science learning. Killer Plants investigates all things green and gross, from insect-eating pitcher plants to giant lilies that smell of rotting corpses.

Best Books by Age

Popular Children's Authors

Topic: Plants & Trees KS2

News: Reflecting Realities Report 2025: Summary of Findings

NEWS: The Children’s Booker Prize is Established

Stories That Make You Feel: Simon Stephenson on The Snowman Code

Subscribe to our newsletter

Your Review