Here I am listing stories that I would not want to read to my child, even though they include significant plant themes or imagery. I hesitated for a long time over whether to include this sub-page, because I hate to hurt the feelings of people who are fond of these books -- many of these stories have racked up positive reviews elsewhere. The number of ways to read a story probably equals the number of readers. For you, the stories listed here may resonate in positive ways; the balance between pros and cons trips differently for different readers. For me, stories on this list troubled me enough that I would not choose them for my child - but you may (and maybe should!) feel and choose differently.
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
An apple tree, portrayed as female, tries to fulfill every wish of a selfish little boy. She provides first a shady playground, then apples to sell, then branches to build a house, then her trunk to build a boat, then a stump for the boy to sit on when he is old.
Re-named "The co-dependent tree" by one reviewer, this story is read by others as a tale of unconditional love. The illustrations succeed in depicting the destructiveness of following desires without empathy for other living beings harmed in the process. The sweet and the tragic combine effectively to draw in young readers, but the emotional freight may require analytical thinking and discussion to avoid conveying undesired messages (e.g. love means giving up all of yourself, mothers should sacrifice themselves to sons). As a botanist, I am wishing for tree stories that neither focus on exploitation nor predictably end with a stump.
Age 1 - 8. (bookseller's recommendation - may recommend more discussion)
The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie dePaola
After years of drought and resulting famine kill her family, a Comanche girl named She-who-is-alone burns her doll to induce the spirits to send rain. The next morning the hills are covered in lupines, called Texas Bluebonnets. Then it starts to rain, and the little girl is re-named One-who-dearly-loved-her-peope.
I liked the idea of illustrating a Native American legend, and the author has done this nicely. However, other versions of this legend have the flowers come after the rain--which seems essential, if part of the idea is to teach young children about nature. I am also troubled by hammering home to little girls that sacrifice brings you love. The doll represents the girl's only site of emotional support and memory of her family, rather than simply a "possession" as demanded by the spirits through the shaman, unlike the blankets and bows others in her tribe are unwilling to burn. The child-effigy represented by the doll creates an eerie resemblance to biblical stories of child-sacrifice.
Age 4 - 8.