October 12, 2025 is National Farmer’s Day! It is a day that recognizes all the hard work, dedication, and joy that go into growing food and livestock that feed communities all around the world. The fiction and nonfiction picture books listed tell the stories of George Washington Carver, Junius G. Groves, Tony Hillery, and more. Whether the food was grown on acres of land, a country backyard, small plots in the city, or even at the White House, the goal was the same: to feed people. Make sure to share these books with your children at home, school, and in the community.
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1. Saturdays at Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood
Tony Hillery | Jessie Hartland | Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman | July 2, 2024
2. On the Farm
Nikki Shannon Smith | Amanda Quartey | Crown BYR | May 28, 2024
Antwan Eady | Jerome Pumphrey | Jarrett Pumphrey | Knopf BYR | January 30, 2024
Bernette Ford | Frank Morrison | Holiday House | May 3, 2022
5. Amara’s Farm (Where In the Garden?)
JaNay Brown-Wood | Samara Hardy | Peachtree | September 7, 2021
6. Michelle’s Garden: How the First Lady Planted Seeds of Change
Sharee Miller | Little, Brown BYR | March 2, 2021
7. Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood
Tony Hillery | Jessie Hartland | S & S/Paula Wiseman | August 18, 2020
8. Grandpa Cacao: A Tale of Chocolate, from Farm to Family
Elizabeth Zunon | Bloomsbury Children’s Books | May 21, 2019
9. I Am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon
Baptiste Paul | Miranda Paul | Elizabeth Zunon | Millbrook Press | February 5, 2019
10. No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas
Tonya Bolden | Don Tate | Knopf BYR | October 16, 2018
11. Mr. Okra Sells Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Lashon Daley | Emile Henriquez | Pelican | February 1, 2016
Tonya Bolden | Harry N. Abrams | September 22, 2015
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