8 Children's Books about Water, Rivers, and Conservation

Please welcome author Michelle Staub with her list of books about water, rivers, and conservation.

We are giving away a signed copy of A Place for Rain (along with bookmarks and stickers). Please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom to enter.

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8 Children’s Books about Water, Rivers, and Conservation

A Place for Rain by Michelle Schaub, illustrated by Blanca Gómez

Rainwater can cause big problems, polluting rivers, ponds, and waterways. So, the classroom in this book plans and builds a rain garden, collecting excess water in barrels, creating paths for water flow with stones and bricks, and planting native flowers and grasses that help the water percolate and invite wildlife to flourish. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Hey, Water! by Antoinette Portis

“Hey, water! I know you! You’re all around.” Thus begins this engaging Sibert Honor Book. With simple text and a conversational tone, Hey, Water! explores the many forms and functions of water. Back matter provides additional information on various water forms, the water cycle, and ways to conserve water. [nonfiction picture book, ages 4 and up]

Drop: An Adventure through the Water Cycle by Emily Kate Moon

Meet Drop. She has seen a thing or two in her 4,500,000,000 years on Earth. Follow this adventure-loving raindrop on her explorations and get a close-up view of the water cycle. [nonfiction picture book, ages 4 and up]

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade

“Water is the first medicine,” an Ojibwe woman tells her granddaughter at the beginning of this story. The granddaughter takes those words to heart and becomes a water protector, spreading the message that we need to safeguard our planet’s water. An author’s note explains more about the efforts of Indigenous-led movements to protect waterways. [picture book, ages 3 and up]

Water Day by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Olivia Sua

In this Cuban village water days are busy days, grateful, laughing, and thirsty days. The water man arrives once every five days to fill a family’s water tank. As the family awaits the precious water to bathe, wash clothes, cook rice, and water their plants, readers learn how vital water is, and how scarce it is for many people around the world. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

They Call Me River by Maciek Albrecht

Follow a river. It begins as rain. Then it falls, plays, sparkles, grows, rushes, and eventually, drop by drop, returns to the sky to begin as rain again. This book is a beautiful, songlike tribute to rivers and the water cycle. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

If The Rivers Run Free by Andrea Debbink, illustrated by Nicole Wong

“When rivers run wild and rivers run free,” they nourish the Earth and its creatures. But as cities grew along rivers, the music of rivers was muffled, polluted with garbage. Fortunately, “thinkers and tinkers (and naturalists too)” worked on ways to restore river habitats so rivers could run wild and free once again. This story, told in rollicking rhyme, will inspire readers to appreciate and protect rivers. [picture book, ages 5 and up]

The Day the River Caught Fire: How the Cuyahoga River Exploded and Ignited the Earth Day Movement by Barry Wittenstein, illustrated by Jessie Hartland

We celebrate Earth Day each April 22nd. But do you know how Earth Day began? With a fire on a river! This book tells the true story of how the world’s most polluted river caught the attention of environmentalists and led to better efforts to protect the Earth. Today the Cuyahoga River is cleaned up, and the author invites readers to help protect the Earth’s resources on Earth Day and every day. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Signed Copy of A PLACE FOR RAIN Giveaway!

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Michelle Schaub is an award-winning children’s author and poet. She loves using poetry and rhyme to delight, inspire, and empower kids, especially when it comes to caring for the Earth and each other. Her most recent books are A Place for Rain and Leafy Landmarks: Travels with Trees. Michelle lives in Colorado with her husband, three children, and a golden retriever named Bear. When she’s not writing, you’ll find Michelle out hiking in nature. Find out more about Michelle at www.michelleschaub.com, follow her on X and IG: @Schaubwrites, and Facebook: Michelle B Schaub.

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My books:

Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court

ALSC Notable Children’s Book
Orbis Pictus Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
California Eureka Non-Fiction Award Honor Book
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
Junior Library Guild Gold Selection