Books to Celebrate Earth Day

There are so many neat Earth Day books that have been published for children.  It’s actually pretty exciting to see this topic covered so well.  I’ve narrowed down some of my favorite picks so that you can check them out with your young readers.

Favorite Earth Day Books for Kids

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Count On Us! Climate Activists From One to a Billion by Fabi Snyder

This book is a counting book and an alphabet book.  But, it’s really a lesson in all the ways you can be a climate activist.

If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall

Written as a letter to a visitor from outer space to Earth, it’s a gentle call to take care of the Earth and each other. ⁣ Blackall was inspired to write If You Come to Earth while sitting on top of a Himalayan mountain where she was working with Save the Children.
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“Right this minute, we are all here together on this beautiful planet. It’s the only one we have, so we should take care of it.” ⁣

The Day the River Caught Fire by Barry Wittenstein

Imagine a river that explodes.  Well, that’s what used to happen to a Cleavland river because there was so much gooey oily sludge floating on the top of it. The fire was the beginning of a movement of change.  And, one year later Earth Day was born. A super interesting true story.

Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough by Hayley Rocco

This is a beautifully illustrated book that showcases the life and work of naturalist, Davide Attenborough. A good pick for Earth Day.

Green: The Story of Plant Life On Our Planet by Nicola Davies

A gorgeous book celebrates all the green of our planet, provides a history lesson taking us all the way back a billion years ago to the first plants, and a reminder to take care of it all.

Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years by Stacy McAnulty

Narrated by Earth, we of some important facts about our planet from how the continents formed to life that existed more than 400,000,000 years ago. Maybe if we understand our planet better, we’ll take care of it more.

The Wartville Wizard by Don Madden

The town is being buried in trash.  Careless citizens are throwing gum and soda bottles on the ground.  One tidy man realizes he has the power to get rid of the trash and teaches the town a lesson.  This is such a fun and silly book packed with a powerful environmental message.

Thank You, Earth by April Pully Sayre

A breathtaking photographic journey around planet Earth. The text is a love letter to the beautiful planet we live on each day. Kids will be inspired to take a camera outside and capture the beauty around them.

The Earth Book by Todd Parr

Todd Parr teaches love.  And, in The Earth Book he invites us to love the Earth through bright bold pictures and engaging text.  This is a great pick for younger listeners.

10 Things I Can Do to Help Save My World by Melanie Walsh

This is another good pick for young listeners.  Kids are encouraged to do 10 simple things that can have a big impact on the world from turning off the water when you brush your teeth to picking up trash.

This Is Our Earth by Laura Lee Benson and illustrated by John Carrozza

Benson uses rhythmic verse to paint a portrait of appreciation for our earth at the top of each page.  The subtext at the bottom of each page gives facts to introduce life and earth sciences.  I love the last line, “This is our Earth to cherish and love.  To clean and protect from below and above.”

Love, The Earth by Frances Stickley

This is another love letter from Earth urging us all to take care of what we have here on our planet.

Our Earth by Anne Rockwell

This story explains how our earth has changed over time.  Islands, glaciers, volcanoes, coral reefs, forests, and caves are all explored in this simple introduction book.

Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole

In the garden that Jack built, you will see and meet lots of plants and animals.  Over the course of this cumulative book, you will watch his garden bloom.  This is an excellent book for building vocabulary.

Wilson’s World by Edith Thacher Hurd and Clement Hurd might be a bit hard to find. Wilson sets out to paint a picture and create a story that he titles, “THIS IS WILSON”S WORLD”.  As Wilson adds more and more to his picture he realizes that his “world” is quickly becoming polluted and crowded.   So, he takes out a clean piece of paper and begins to create a world that he really wants to be a part of.  He creates a world where everyone takes care of the environment.

Dear Children of the Earth by Schim Schimmel

This is a letter that Mother Earth writes to the world about the importance of respecting the planet.   Schimmel’s acrylic paintings are a beautiful accompaniment to the poignant text.

City Green by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan

A vacant lot sits in the middle of a city block.  A young girl has an idea to turn the run-down lot into a green space.   The story blossoms into a whole neighborhood coming together to create this beautiful space.  At the end of this book are tips for starting your own community garden.

Alba & The Ocean Clean Up by Lara Hawthorne

This story reminds us to keep plastic out of our waterways. And, it happens to be the main book for one of our Family Dinner Book Clubs.

Earth Day Activities

Eco Girl by Ken Wilson-Max

Eve, the birthday girl, loves living next to the forest.  Leading up to her birthday she reviews what she knows about caring for trees and the Earth. Then, when her big day arrives, she gets her very own baobab seedling.

For more books about trees, see my big list.—> Books About Trees

This is the Planet Where I Live by K.L. Going and Debra Frasier

 This is a cumulative tale about our beautiful planet.

Change Is in the Air by Debbie Levy

First of all, this book is beautifully illustrated by Alex Boersma.  Second, this book does one of the best jobs of explaining carbon and the effect it has on the Earth, than any other resource I have seen. Every reader will come away with a better understanding of carbon and what we can do to help the Earth.

Solar Bear by Beth Ferry

Solar Bear by Beth Ferry is told from the endangered animals’ point of view.  It’s a passionate plea for humans to take action by their choices to protect animals from becoming extinct.

Get a Printable List of Earth Day Books for Kids

Would you like this list to take with you to the library?  Just click the green “get your free printable” button below to download and print.

Related Earth Day Posts

Books About Water & Keeping It Clean

Recycling Books for Children

Recycled Writing Center

ABC Compost Sensory Bin

We also have a week unit on Earth Day in our Spring Literacy Unit for Preschoolers.  Get it today!—>Get the Spring Unit

*This post first was published on Growing Book by Book on 4/16/12 and has now been updated.