I like books. I like being kind to the environment. I like books that teach kids to be kind to the environment. So it kind of makes perfect sense to put together a post full of Earth Day books for kids, doesn’t it?
I made a list of five, but if I missed one of your favorites, please add it in the comments!
The Tiny Seed
by Eric Carle
This book combines Eric Carle’s gorgeous illustrations with the tale of a tiny (but mighty!) seed. We follow the little seed over the course of a year, watching it blow from a flower in the fall, drift, and root itself. Eventually, it becomes a giant flower and its own little seeds fly off in the wind. Perfect for teaching little ones about the life cycle of a seed!
The Berenstain Bears Go Green
by Jan and Mike Berenstain
In this story, the Bear family is out on a little fishing adventure in their local creek when they notice a horrible smell. Soon, they realize that waste from a dump is leaking into the water. Mama Bear is horrified and decides the family is going to do something about it. In the end, the whole town works together to clean up the dump. I love that the Bear family recognizes a problem and sets out to do something about it.
We are Extremely Very Good Recyclers
by Lauren Child
The girls and I love Lauren Child’s Charlie and Lola series. This one, like the Berenstain Bears book, is about taking action. When Lola sees their friend Marty’s messy room, she decides she never wants hers to look like that and starts throwing everything away. Big brother Charlie teaches her about recycling, which leads to her reading a book about it and finding a recycling contest. If Charlie and Lola recycle one hundred tin cans, one hundred plastic things and one hundred things made of paper, they can win their own tree to plant wherever they’d like. They quickly realize they can’t do it all on their own and they enlist the help of their whole school.
The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge
by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen
The Magic School Bus series is another favorite of ours. In this one, Mrs. Frizzle’s class is doing a play on climate change. When they realize the information they’re using is out-of-date, the Friz puts them on the bus and they travel around the world, noticing the changes in the environment. Soon, she shrinks them down to see why the changes are happening. The kids learn about greenhouse gases before Mrs. Frizzle teaches them about alternative energy. When they return to the school, the kids get to work making changes to conserve energy.
by Dr. Seuss
This one is a classic and a no brainer. Dr. Seuss is fantastic at drawing kids in with colorful language and illustrations. It creates a totally captive audience, ready to soak up whatever info you might be ready to teach. For anyone who doesn’t know, The Lorax tells the story of the Once-ler, who used the tufts of special trees to knit Thneeds. The Lorax came, speaking for the trees and warning the Once-ler against it. But a little bit of money filled the Once-ler with greed and eventually—even though the Lorax repeatedly warned against it, the Once-ler grew his factories bigger and bigger and cut down more trees until there was nothing left but a barren wasteland. A tale of caution, it will definitely get older kids thinking.