June and the Little Food Forest

About this printable

What if a backyard could feed you?

June's backyard was grass. Just grass. Then Nana arrives with a straw hat, a notebook and a jar of seeds, and over one year the two of them turn a plain lawn into a little food forest. They watch where the sun goes, feed the soil, plant in layers, welcome the ladybugs, catch the rain and share the harvest with the whole street.

It's a gentle, read-aloud picture book that teaches real permaculture and sustainability through a story, never a lecture. Then come activity pages so kids can go outside and try it.

Made to be read again and again

• Find Dot! A little ladybug with a white heart hides on every story page, with an answer page at the back
• Nana's Notes: a true, kid-sized science fact on every story page (how much rain a roof catches, why ladybugs love aphids, how fungi help trees share)

THE STORY (17 pages)

• Fully illustrated, cut-paper style art on every page
• One big idea per spread: watch first, feed the soil, plant in layers, every creature has a job, slow-spread-sink the rain, nothing is wasted, share what you have
• Reads aloud in about 10 minutes, so it's perfect for bedtime, circle time or a nature-study morning

Grow your own

A family guide to starting your own little food forest, in a big pot on a balcony or in one corner of a yard, step by step.

7 grow-along activities + certificate

• Color the seven layers of a food forest
• Be a yard detective: map sun, shade, puddles and wind
• What can feed the worms? A compost sort with an answer key
• Make a worm window: step by step, plus a 7-day observation log
• Grow a bean in a jar: a 14-day bean diary
• Garden helper hunt: find 9 helpful creatures
• Design your own little food forest with cut-out plants

+ An "Official Earth Helper" certificate

For grown-ups

A one-page guide to the big ideas in the book: what each page is teaching, a question to ask, and garden safety notes for little helpers.

What you get

• 29-page PDF in two sizes: US Letter (11 × 8.5 in) and A4, both landscape
• Print at home in color; activity pages also print well in black and white
• Print the activities as often as you like for siblings, friends and next spring

This is a digital download. Nothing will be shipped. Download from Purchases and Reviews on etsy.com in a web browser (the Etsy app can't download files).

Good to know

• Ages 4–8; younger kids love the pictures, and older kids can read it themselves
• Personal-use license: print as many copies as your household needs. Teachers: please buy one copy per classroom. Please don't resell or share the files.
• Want more? The Little Food Forest Unit Study turns this book into 12 hands-on lessons (sold separately).