10 kids books about sustainability

8 Min Read
10 kids books about sustainability

Are you looking to upgrade your home library or child care centre with books focusing on sustainability and how to take action against climate change? Our friends at Queen Books in Toronto have put together a comprehensive list of 10 books for kids that approach the climate catastrophe in an age-appropriate way, helping you talk about how to take action together.

 
The Earth Book

The Earth Book

Todd Parr
Ages: 3 - 6

Printed with entirely recycled materials and nontoxic soy inks, The Earth Book contains easy, smart ideas on how we can all work together to make the Earth feel good. Best of all, the book includes a poster with tips and reminders on how kids can 'go green' every day.

Taking on the Plastics Crisis

Taking on the Plastics Crisis

Hannah Testa
Ages: 12+

Part of the Pocket Change Collective series, youth activist Hannah Testa, founder of Hannah4Change, chronicles both her personal and political mission to save the Earth's oceans by limited single-use plastic products.

On Our Nature Walk

On Our Nature Walk: Our First Talk About Our Impact on the Environment

Jillian Roberts, Jane Heinrichs
Ages: 6 - 8

Authored by child psychologist Dr. Jillian Roberts, this nonfiction book is an inquiry-based book to help children shape their understanding of the natural world and how they participate in protecting it. Sidebars offer further reading for older children, or anyone with bigger questions.

I Have the Right to Save My Planet

I Have the Right to Save My Planet

Alain Serres, Aurelia Fronty, Shelley Tanaka
Ages: 4 - 7

Told from the perspective of a child, this colorful and vibrant book explores what it means to be a child who dreams of a beautiful future for their planet. From the duo who created I Have the Right to Be a Child, this book is about a child's right to advocate for the environment they live in.

The Water Walker

The Water Walker

Joanne Robertson
Ages: 6 - 9

The story of a determined Ojibwe Grandmother (Nokomis) and her great love for Nibi (water). Nokomis walks to raise awareness of our need to protect Nibi for future generations, and for all life on the planet.

How to Change Everything: The Young Human's Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other

How to Change Everything: The Young Human's Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other

Naomi Klein, Rebecca Stefoff
Ages: 10+

How to Change Everything provides readers with clear information about how our planet is changing, but also with inspiration, ideas, and tools for action. Because young people can help build a better future, decide what happens next, and can help change everything.

Trash Talk: Moving Towards a Zero-Waste World

Trash Talk: Moving Toward a Zero-Waste World

Michelle Mulder
Ages: 9 - 12

Humans have always generated garbage. Our landfills are overflowing, but with some creative thinking, stuff we once threw away can become a collection of valuable resources just waiting to be harvested.

10 Things I Can Do to Help My World

10 Things I Can Do to Help My World

Melanie Walsh
Ages: 3 - 7

Do you remember to turn off the tap while you brush your teeth, or use both sides of the paper when drawing? Bold, child-friendly illustrations and die-cut pages will draw even the youngest listeners to this gentle reminder of the easy, everyday ways we can be kinder to the earth.

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia

Miranda Paul, Elizabeth Zunon
Ages: 5 - 9

The inspiring true story of how one African woman began a movement to recycle the plastic bags that were polluting her community. Isatou Ceesay found a way to recycle the bags and transform her community; this inspirational story shows how one person's actions really can make a difference in our world.

 

 

What books does your little one love to read, or which ones do you plan on sharing with them? Let us know in the comments, or on Instagram and Pinterest.