25 Earth Day Picture Books for Super Kids Who Want To Save the World!
April 22 each year is Earth Day, providing a fabulous opportunity occasion for talking with students about all the different ways they can help contribute to caring for our planet. To help you prepare for this day of awareness, I’ve collated a list of the best Earth Day picture books for kids, that includes both fiction titles and informational texts.
There really are many ways children and families can have a positive impact upon the earth and the consumption of natural resources and these books cover a range of conservation themes – from recycling to using alternative power sources to composting, but they also go further than practical activities, encouraging the development of more environmentally conscious attitudes of students.
25 Best Earth Day Picture Books for Kids
Like all of the books in our Best Books for Kids collection, each book on this Earth Day picture book list is linked to Amazon (these are affiliate links) where you can find reviews and age recommendations for any titles you are not familiar with.
I have divide the books into three sections to correspond to the Think, Act, Care framework. While there is overlap, the categories each explore;
- Think: Where do resources come from? What impact do people have on the environment?
- Act: What can students do within a practical, everyday context to reduce the negative impact of human behaviour on the environment?
- Care: How do we protect natural environments and living things?
Think: Books for Understanding Environmental Issues
I Am Earth by Rebecca & James McDonald
The perfect introduction to Earth Day for kids! Students will love learning about what makes the Earth special and how we can work together to take care of it. A great pick for 3-6 year olds new to Earth Day.
Thank you, Earth! by April Pulley Sayre
Winner of the Green Prize for Sustainable Literature, this poetic love letter to Earth, will encourage students to appreciate the beauty in our planet. It touches on concepts related to science, nature, geography, biology, and humanities.
On Earth by G Brian Karas
This book is beautifully illustrated, with facts shared in a way that is easy for children to understand and relate to. Kids will love learning about the Earth and all that it is capable of.
The Water Princess by Susan Verde
Based on real life experiences of life in an African village, a young girl shares her daily struggle with walking miles each day to collect, carry and boil water for her family to drink and clean with, and her dream of a clean water source for her village.
Act: Books for Taking Practical Action
The Earth Book by Todd Parr
In distinct Todd Parr style, The Earth Book inspires children with simple, kid-friendly ideas for protecting the Earth, who in turn will protect us too.
I Can Save the Earth! by Alison Inches
What’s more fun than a little green monster? A little green monster who wants to help save the Earth, of course! Follow along with this fun guy as he learns to recycle, reuse, and reduce waste to help the planet Earth.
10 Things I Can Do to Help My World by Melanie Walsh
Do you remember to turn off the tap while you brush your teeth? How about using both sides of the paper when writing and drawing? Bold illustrations and die-cut pages will draw in young children with easy, everyday ways to be kinder to the earth.
What Does It Mean To Be Green? by Rana DiOrio
A boy and girl explore all the different ways they can be green over the course of a day and realize there’s so much they can do to save our world, as well as discovering lots of amazing facts (like our food travels an average of 1,500 miles to be on our plate!)
Go Easy on Energy by Lisa Bullard
Even adults can learn new facts about energy and electricity in this informative book. Did you know some forms of energy can make the Earth dirty? But don’t worry, there are also tips for being a planet protector and making good choices with your use of electricity.
There are seven books in the Planet Protector series by Cloverleaf Books, exploring strategies for ‘going green’ within five different communities from around the world.
Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed Their World by Allan Drummond
It’s windy on the Danish island of Samso, and it’s citizens have accomplished something quite extraordinary-in just ten years they have almost completely energy independent – thanks to the power of the wind.
There are five books in the Green Power series by Allan Drummond, exploring strategies for ‘going green’ within five different communities from around the world.
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss
Best for use with school aged students, One Well considers all of the water on Earth as ‘one well,’ a limited resource essential to the survival of all life on Earth. Strauss shares interesting facts, information on threats to supply and suggestions for conservation and protection of the world’s valuable water sources.
Compost Stew by Mary McKenna Siddals
Composting is an easy eco friendly strategy for families, needing little to get started. Compost Stew is a great tool to introduce composting to children, including information about what it takes to start one, what to include, and why it’s so good for our Earth, through simple child-friendly prose and engaging illustrations.
The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle by Alison Inches
The diary of a plastic bottle as it journeys from the refinery plant to the manufacturing line, to the store shelf, to a garbage can, and finally to a recycling plant where it emerges for a whole new adventure!
One of six books from the Little Green series which aims to educate children with strategies and information about making eco friendly choices.
Where Does the Garbage Go? by Paul Showers
An exploration of the journey our trash takes shared with instructional diagrams and great illustrations, children are sure to learn lots of new facts about trash!
Care: Books That Develop Responsibility for the Natural World
The Tantrum That Saved the World by Megan Herbert & Michael E. Mann
Sophie is astounded as a series of endangered animals arrive at her home – but where else are they to go? As Sophia hears their stories, she learns that this is her fight, too and discovers the power of collective action, the strength of her own voice, and how all of us are stronger together
Tidy by Emily Gravett
Pete the badger likes everything to be neat and tidy at all times, but what starts as the collecting of one fallen leaf escalates and ends with the complete destruction of the forest. Can Pete reverse his tidying habit?
Window by Jeannie Baker
A beautiful wordless picture book that shows changes through a window over a series of years as land is cleared to make way for housing.
Florette by Anna Walker
This beautiful, award winning picture book tells the story of Mae’s move to the city with her family. Mae so wishes she could bring her garden with her but there’s no room for a garden in the city. Or is there?
Uno’s Garden by Graeme Base
I am a huge fan of Graeme Base’s books – the details are exquisitely detailed. Uno’s Garden is a thoughtfully shared story with beautiful illustrations that is wonderful for engaging school age children with the environmental impacts of ongoing land development for habitation.
The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by H. Joseph Hopkins
A popular pick from my collection of picture book Nature Scientist Biographies, The Tree Lady shares the biographical story of pioneer, scientist and activist, Kate Sessions, work transforming San Diego from a dry desert town into a lush, leafy city.
A Forest by Marc Martin
A simple, powerful parable with captivating pictures about a forest being destroyed by humans and their greed, and then re-growing through nurturing human care.
One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of Gambia by Miranda Paul
The inspiring story of how one African woman began a movement to recycle the broken plastic bags that were polluting her community, developing an industry for women in her community as a result.
The Mess That We Made by Michelle Lord
Stunning illustrations and the use of the familiar rhyming style of The House That Jack Built are combined to demonstrate the cause and effect of human actions on the natural world, particularly ocean life. Also includes interesting facts and suggestions for activities and actions that children can easily adopt to become stewards of the Earth.
The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Paying by Sophia Gholz
The erosive impact of seasonal floodwaters on the animals of his island home in India propels a young boy to take action. He begins planting trees, watering them every day until a forest grows, filled with native plants and even more animals. An inspiring true story to remind us all of the difference even one person can make.
Zonia’s Rain Forest by Juana Martinez-Neal
Zonia, a young Asháninka girl living in the Amazon rainforest takes h a walk through the forest, greeting all her animal friends. When she stumbles upon a deforested patch of rainforest, she rushes home frightened to tell her mother, and ultimately makes the decision to act to protect her home. A great read for young environmentalists.
These Earth Day picture books will make a great addition to your classroom library for independent reading, and I also find them fabulous for introducing conservation concepts during a circle time or morning meetings.
More Nature Picture Books for Kids
For more books like these Earth Day picture books, be sure to check out our big lists of Ocean Books for Kids and Frog Books for Kids.
