These picture books are great resources for kids and families who want to know more about environmental issues. Many of the books listed here are appropriate for a wide age range. The non-fiction, in particular, is clear enough to be read aloud to preschoolers but complex enough to hold the interest of much older kids.
Happy reading!
Note: We have consciously chosen NOT to link these items to online retailers. We highly recommend checking these out from your local library. Sharing resources is the ultimate way to reduce greenhouse gases, supports your local institutions, and teaches children the value of the local library. If you are attached to a book, then order or find it at a local retailer, and maybe kick us a buck for helping? 🙂
Non-fiction About People Who Have Made a Difference :
- The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadev Payeng by Sophia Gholz
- One Plastic Bag: Isatau Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul
- I Am Farmer: Building an Environmental Movement in Cameroon by Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul
- Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson
- Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa by Jeanette Winter
- Olivia’s Birds: Saving the Gulf by Olivia Bouler
- Rachel Carson and Her Book that Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor
- The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs by Kate Messner
Informational Nonfiction :
- Climate Change by John Woodward
- What a Waste: Trash, Recycling, and Protecting Our Planet by Jess French
- If Sharks Disappeared by Lily Williams
- If Polar Bears Disappeared by Lily Williams
Stories With Environmental Themes :
- Life by Cynthia Rylant
- Tokyo Digs a Garden by Jon-Erik Lappano
- Carl and the Meaning of Life by Deborah Freedman
- The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
- Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
- Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers
- Sparrow Girl by Sara Pennypacker
- Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles by Philippe Cousteau
If you have recommendations for how to make this list easier to use, please let us know!
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