15 Children’s Books on Sustainability

Books for Kids that Teach Environmental Responsibility

The Green Earth Lit award is sponsored by the Newton Marasco Foundation for books that either promote an inspired understanding of the environment, an awareness of environmental issues, or a celebration of nature; encourage the concept of environmental stewardship and the role each of us can play in nurturing, protecting, and defending our environment; and with environmental issues that are current and accurately portrayed. What are your favorite Green Earth picture books, chapter, books, or YA books? Please share!

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15 Books for Kids that Teach Environmental Responsibility Winner

Mallory Goes Green by Darby Creek

Mallory McDonald is going green! As an official member of the Fern Falls Elementary Environmental Committee, Mallory is super excited to make her school and home more environmentally friendly. She’s even selected to be class representative for the all-school Green Fair. But the minute Mallory goes green, everything goes wrong. No one wants her “expert” opinion on how to help the environment. Her classmates don’t want to participate in the Green Fair project she’s created. And worst of all, by the time the fair rolls around, many of them aren’t even speaking to Mallory. Can Mallory find a way to save the planet and her friendships? [middle grade, ages 9 and up]

Books for Kids that Teach Environmental Responsibility Honorable Mention

Ancient, Strange and Lovely by Susan Fletcher

After her scientist mother mysteriously disappears, high-school freshman Bryn discovers among her mother’s research materials a large, peculiar egg, which hatches and reveals a baby dragon. Bryn is familiar with extraordinary circumstances; she can communicate telepathically with birds, and she discovers that her talent enables her to connect with the little dragon hatchling, too. After word gets out about the magical little beast, Bryn runs away and encounters dangers, including poachers, as well as unexpected allies. Featuring an appealing, well-drawn protagonist, this stand-alone title in the Dragon Chronicles series is set in the near future and blends suspense, fantasy, and familiar elements in an engaging, absorbing read. –Shelle Rosenfeld from BookList [young adult, ages 12 and up]

A Place for Frogs by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Higgins Bond

“The beautiful, realistic paintings are so lifelike that readers almost expect the subjects to jump off the pages.” —Booklist

[picture book, ages 4 and up]

Garbage Helps Our Garden Grow: A Compost Story by Linda Glaser, photographs by Shelley Rotner

What is that garbage doing next to the garden? It’s not garbage. It’s compost! Amazing things happen inside a compost bin. In go banana peels, grass clippings, and even an old jack-o’-lantern. Out comes compost. The compost goes into the garden to make the soil rich for new plants. Compost is good for the earth. Composting also helps us make less garbage. In this book, you can watch as one family makes compost for their garden and also learn how to start your very own compost bin! [nonfiction picture book, ages 4 and up]

Get Real: What Kind of World Are You Buying by Mara Rockliff

This sturdy paperback points out plenty of practical ways for kids to impact their world by making different choices about what food to eat, what clothes to wear, how often to replace a cell phone, and more. Chapter by chapter, this gives specifics on topics such as bottled water, sweatshops, and toxic chemicals leaching from discarded electronic equipment into landfills; offers suggestions on how to make a difference, and follows up with titles of related books and films. Rockliff also discusses the limitations of recycling and warns about corporate “greenwashing.” Nicely designed, the book has colorful graphic elements on many pages, including photographs and eye-catching digital images incorporating photos. The extensive back matter includes a lengthy list of sources as well as lists of recommended books, Internet sites, and films. A clearly written guide for readers who want to translate social and environmental awareness into action. Grades 6-9. –Carolyn Phelan from BookList

[nonfiction young adult, grades 12 and up]

Let’s Save the Animals by Frances Barry

Although there are plenty of children’s books about animals and wildlife conservation, Barry’s engaging entry brings young children into the conversation without sacrificing an ounce of kid appeal. Sporting a rounded cover, sturdy pages, and inventive die-cut flaps, this primer presents 10 endangered species in their natural habitats, including such favorites as the emperor penguin, African elephant, and orangutan. Barry’s superb, colorful paper-collage illustrations feature close-ups of friendly-looking animals, and the book’s reinforced and cleverly constructed flaps reveal a second view of each creature and its environment. The simple text is filled with dynamic action verbs (“I’d save the polar bear, strolling across the ice / and diving into the Arctic Ocean”), while smaller type tucked into the illustrations detail the environmental and human threats facing the animals. Endpapers feature a world map showing where each species lives, a sidebar of interesting facts, and a list of 10 things children can do to protect wildlife. Preschool-Kindergarten. –Kristen McKulski from BookList [Lift the Flap Picture Book, ages 4 and up]

Seeds Of Change: Planting a Path to Peace by Jen Cullerton Johnson, illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler

Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace brings to life the empowering story of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman, and environmentalist, to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Engaging narrative and vibrant images paint a robust portrait of this inspiring champion of the land and of women’s rights. [picture book, ages 6 and up]

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

*Starred Review* YA debut by Bacigalupi, a rising star in adult science fiction, presents a dystopian future like so many YA SF novels. What is uncommon, though, is that although Bacigalupi’s future earth is brilliantly imagined and its genesis anchored in contemporary issues, it is secondary to the memorable characters. In a world in which society has stratified, fossil fuels have been consumed, and the seas have risen and drowned coastal cities, Nailer, 17, scavenges beached tankers for scrap metals on the Gulf Coast. Every day, he tries to “make quota” and avoid his violent, drug-addicted father. After he discovers a modern clipper ship washed up on the beach, Nailer thinks his fortune is made, but then he discovers a survivor trapped in the wreckage—the “swank” daughter of a shipping company owner. Should he slit the girl’s throat and sell her for parts or take a chance and help her? Clearly respecting his audience, Bacigalupi skillfully integrates his world-building into the compelling narrative, threading the backstory into the pulsing action. The characters are layered and complex, and their almost unthinkable actions and choices seem totally credible. Vivid, brutal, and thematically rich, this captivating title is sure to win teen fans for the award-winning Bacigalupi. Grades 8-12. –Lynn Rutan from BookList

[young adult, ages 14 and up]

The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Bruce Degen

A note from Joanna Cole: While I was writing The Magic School Bus and the Climate Change Challenge, all I could think about was the kids who would read it. I wanted to give them hope. More than that, I wanted to tell them how their own actions as children can help solve the crisis of global warming. You will see a real blueprint for this in the book. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

More Great Books on Environmental Responsibility

Arthur Turns Green by Marc Brown

The very popular Arthur series tackles becoming more Green, and, as always, does a great job teaching small lessons about big things.  My husband and I got great tips from this book even though we thought we were doing all the right things at home! [picture book, ages 4 and up]

The Glaciers are Melting by Donna Love, illustrated by Shennen Bersani

This topic never fails to stress me out. This book has a storyline that builds and repeats as animal by animal that lives on the glaciers gets introduced and expresses his concern. The end is very moving and motivating: “There are too few of us, so there is nothing we can do.” So Peter Pika asked, “Then who?” Who indeed?! Read the book to become one of the converts. [picture book, ages 2 and up]

A Place for Fish by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Higgins Bond

This is a really nice series that introduces the chain of events that leads to why and how our natural environment gets polluted. Along the way, there are great sidebars with information about fish including the Masked Angelfish, Hammerhead Shark, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, North Atlantic Swordfish, Lined Seahorse, Yellow Tang, Smalltooth Sawfish, Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, and Atlantic Salmon. [nonfiction picture book, ages 5 and up]

Great Books on Environmental Responsibility Recommended by Readers

Thank you to Gerry for:

Where Do Recyclable Materials Go? by Jenny Campbell, illustrated by Sabbithry Persad

Operation: Reuse It! by Jenny Campbell, illustrated by Sabbithry Persad

Thank you to reader Owen for The Lorax by Dr. Seuss.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

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My books:

 Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World

• ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal!
• Junior Library Guild Gold selection
• Massachusetts Book Award Long List
• dPICTUS 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023
• Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
• 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
• Green Earth Book Award Long List
• Nautilus Silver Winner, Nonfiction Children’s Picture Book
• Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids

 Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me