I remember the Earth Day celebrations of my past as a kid in the 90’s and it was all like “yay let’s plant a tree!” “let’s pick up litter and recycle.” It just felt like a ~nice thing to do~ rather than something important or urgent like how I feel now.
Whether that was just a child’s perception without having understanding about the gravity of the challenges our planet faces or what I’m not sure.
My approach with Riley, on Earth Day and just in general in her education of the world, has been two things:
- help her to appreciate and enjoy nature — we are outside all the time just enjoying life but I also like to try to take the time to notice the details and be in awe in different ways. Learning about cool things in nature. I want her to love the Earth/nature so much that she’ll naturally want to take care of it. I mean, I think a lot of times that’s where it starts, right? Caring for something so much that you’ll want to take care of it and preserve it.
- being honest about the challenges we face and proactive in how we can help in small/big ways — I don’t want to scare her but at the same time I want her to know the things that are happening to our planet and how we can help it on a small scale and also how we need to unite to make change happen. Kids are smart and curious and it is their future — they deserve to learn about the issues we face and what solutions are there — big and small. So many great books to help aid in that.
Naturally, like anything I’m trying to instill in Riley or have conversations out, we turn to books a lot.
So on Earth Day 2024 I wanted to share some books I think are great Earth Day reads for kids that reflect those two things above that Riley and I both enjoyed.
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Good Earth Day Books For Kids
Zonia’s Rain Forest
At A Glance: deforestation, the importance of preserving rain forests (and nature) and the ecosystem there, taking action, indigenous people
We bought this one from our local bookshop after it was recommended to us by our bookseller friend as a new release and this one really made a mark on Riley — both that humans would be destroy things so badly and there is a whole section of endangered animals in the back (so much so that I had to get books out so she could learn about endangered animals and things we could do to help).
It follows a young girl who is enjoying a day in her backyard — the Amazon Rain Forest. We see the lush landscape and see some of the creatures that inhabit it on this beautiful, playful day. And then things take a turn when she sees something terrible she’s never seen before (deforestation) and runs home to tell her mom.
She resolves to do something about it and that’s where the story ends. It’s abrupt and offers no solutions in the story but I honestly liked it better that way because it was a good spring board to learn more.
Riley and I had some great conversations and did our own exploration of the more “solutions” side. It definitely was an eye-opening, awareness book that invites further exploration.
Dear Earth…From Your Friends In Room 5
At A Glance: environmental awareness, connection to the earth, kid friendly conservation ideas
This book is so warm and cute as an Earth Day pick if you are looking for that type of approach.
It’s about a classroom, who during their school year, become pen pals with Earth exchanging ideas about what they can do to help protect and their updates to Earth about what they’ve done.
The connection between the Earth and the students is sweet and I think it gives small actions that younger kids can understand and put into place. Riley and I both felt warm at the idea of being Earth Heroes every day (not just on Earth Day) and made our own list.
It’s hopeful and not scary — a perfect introduction to taking care of our planet and sharing gently some of the issues we face.
We Are Better Together
At A Glance: collaborative approach to climate change, hopeful & inspiring
This book is a perfect read for Earth Day since Earth Day has that “come together” spirit like this book infuses. It’s a hopeful book showing the need for cooperation and community in the climate change effort and how it’s an issue that affects ALL of us on this beautiful planet.
A perfect primer — simple enough to not overwhelm but meaningful enough to jump start a conversation. The illustrations really lend to that warm feeling and remind us all that we are all connected and need each other to make change.
The Planet We Call Home
At A Glance: appreciation of Earth and its beauties/wonders, gentle intro to environmental awareness
This is such a lovely and lyrical ode to our beautiful planet — all written in the vein of “This Is The House That Jack Built.”
This was a newer book that I snagged from the library and this is such a nice gentle Earth Day read if you are looking for a book that really meditates on the beauty and wonder of Earth and introducing environmental awareness and that they too can have an important role in preserving our wonderful planet.
The Big Beach Cleanup
At A Glance: pollution, community effort in preserving our planet
A lovely book about a little girl who is so excited to enter into the sandcastle competition but finds out it is cancelled due to the beach being covered in trash. She decides to take action and organize a cleanup for the beach and also learns about the negative impacts of all the pollution on a larger scale beyond just it cancelling the event.
A great “even the smallest amongst us can make difference” message along with collaboration and teamwork being at the helm. Some great pages in the back of the book to go even further with what the story presents.
Nell Plants A Tree
At A Glance: appreciation of trees/nature, tree planting, family & how we are connected through time
Looking for a book that isn’t overtly about Earth Day but more so just a great nature connected read? This one might be a great pick — the story really moved me in addition to it being just beautiful lyrically and illustration-wise.
It’s about a little girl who plants a seed and, through her careful love and nurturing, creates something special for her grandchildren decades later.
It’s honestly so beautiful it makes me want to cry — the warm connection of family, the metaphor of roots, exploration of legacy, the beauty of what nature does in watching this tree grow from seed.
What picture books do you think make great Earth Day reads? Have you read any of our favorites?
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