If we each do small things day in and day out then we can make a big impact. Practicing the three Rs is one way to do that- REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE. Enjoy reading these children’s books about recycling with your kids.
Books About Recycling
One Plastic Bag by Isatou Ceesay is the story of how a group of women took a problem of too much trash and turn it into an art that became a money maker.
A good pick for preschoolers is Look Out for Litter by Lisa Bullard. Kids get to pretend to be Earth savers watching out for litter and doing something about it. Children will also discover the consequences of littering on our Earth.
Continue to be a superhero in Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel. Michael Recycle goes from town to town convincing the residents to clean up their spaces.
Give kids a greater appreciation of why it is important to recycle by showing them where our trash goes in Where Does the Garbage Go? by Paul Showers. Includes a diagram of the layers of a landfill and a pie graph of the composition of a landfill. I was really surprised that plastic wasn’t a higher percentage.
So, I learned quite a bit about how aluminum cans are made in The Adventures of an Aluminum Can by Little Green Books. Told in a diary format, we follow from a piece of alumina underground to the transformation into a can followed by the journey the can takes becoming all sorts of things. Kids will learn lots of vocabulary words including: bale, bauxite, and refinery.
How about reading a book made of recycled material? Don’t Throw That Away! also by Little Green Books is a board book pick for toddlers. Each lift the flap pages features an item that kids can reuse and turn into something new.
Kenya’s Art by Linda Trice is the story of a little girl on spring break who is looking for something to do. She discovers that she can use her broken and outgrown toys to create a recycled masterpiece.
Lola learns about recycling and soon wants to recycle everything in We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers by Lauren Child.
I Love You, Blue by Barroux is a story of our dependence on each other We have to take care of our waterways so that they will be there for us. We must keep plastic out of the water.
Ducks Overboard! by Markus Motum takes us to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to learn about the impact that plastic and garbage is having on our oceans.
We take this journey with thousands of yellow rubber ducks that fell overboard off a ship during a storm at sea.This informational narrative story will capture the interest of children while at the same time teaching them an important lesson in conservation. Plus, students will get a geography lesson tracking all the places the ducks ended up in the world on the map spread in the book.
Back matter includes information on ocean currents, plastic facts, and resources for helping keep plastic out of our waterways.
Heroes of the Environment by Harriet Rohmer is a collection of stories about people making a difference for the environment. Check out Chapter 7, “Recycling Electronic Waste,” for an inspiring story about recycling.
If you are looking for something artsy to do with recycled materials, check out Trash Origami: 25 Paper Folding Projects Reusing Everyday Materials.
Gifts From the Garbage Truck by Andrew Larsen is the story of refuse collector who literally collected things people threw out, cleaned them up, and displayed them for others to see all the we needlessly throw away.
For more books about protecting our earth, check out our Earth Day Book List.
Get the Printable Book Lists and Conversation Starters
Grab the printable book list that you can take to the library or share with other families. You also get six conversation starters to spark discussion on the topic.
Just click the green button below.
Create a Family Dinner Book Club Featuring Recycling
What is a Family Dinner Book Club?
Each month:
- On the first of each month, we provide all the details for your dinner.
- Laura from Sunny Day Family shares an activity that relates to the theme.
- And, I share a book list that compliments the themes, conversation starters, and a family service project.
Books and Conversation Starters
For our theme of RECYCLING, you have found the book list and discussion starters on this page. (see above)
Book Related Activity
And, visit Sunny Day Family for an activity to do with the theme.—> RECYCLING ACTIVITY
Family Service Project
There are many ways we can recycle.
- Make a pledge to recycle more at home or school.
- Think about ways you can reduce or reuse materials so there is less that needs to be thrown away or recycled.
This Family Dinner Book Club can just be the first of many. Join us in a year-long focus of kids making a difference in the world.—>See All The Kids Making a Difference in the World Family Dinner Book Clubs