Raising awareness
Earth Day, celebrated every year on 22nd April, aims to raise awareness of environmental issues. Here are some fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts you may like to share with your class to highlight the environmental issues the world is facing and how we can all play our part to help.
10 things I can do to help my world by Melanie Walsh (Walker Books, 2009)
Suitable for: age 3 to 5
Containing simple text paired with vibrant illustrations, 10 things I can do to help my world is the perfect introduction to everyday actions we can take to protect our environment.
Eco Girl by Ken Wilson-Max (Otter-Barry Books, 2022)
Suitable for: age 4 to 7
In this beautifully illustrated picture book, Ken Wilson-Max explores the importance of trees and family. There are also some interesting tree facts at the end of the book, as a bonus.
Clean Up! by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola (Puffin, 2020)
Suitable for: age 4 to 7
A follow-up to the award-winning Look Up! (Puffin, 2019), this book will inspire children to take positive action to improve our environment and the world around them.
Greta and the Giants by Zoë Tucker and Zoe Persico (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2019)
Suitable for: age 4 to 7
This picture book is inspired by the life of Greta Thunberg and her ‘stand to save the world’.
The Last Tree by Emily Haworth-Booth (Pavilion Children’s Books, 2020)
Suitable for: age 5 to 8
A parable of how humanity takes the beauty of nature for granted and how it is down to children to show us the way.
What a Waste: Rubbish, Recycling and Protecting our Planet by Jess French (DK Children, 2019)
Suitable for: age 6 to 8
A non-fiction texts which describes some of the environmental challenges we are facing and what we can do to overcome these challenges.
Sona Sharma: Looking After Planet Earth by Chitra Soundar and Jen Khatun (Walker Books, 2021)
Suitable for: age 7 to 9
After learning about the climate crisis in school, Sona decides to take matters into her own hands to help.
Fourteen Wolves; A Rewilding Story by Catherine Barr and Jenni Desmond (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2021)
Suitable for: age 9 to 11
Based on the true story of the wolves returning to Yellowstone Park in the nineteen, Fourteen Wolves is a story of hope.
Leila and the Blue Fox by Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston (Orion Children’s Books, 2022)
A beautifully illustrated story of how global warming has affected the Arctic’s wildlife but how humans can still be forces for good.
Be The Change Poems to Help You Save the World by Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow and Roger Stevens (Macmillan Children’s Books, 2019)
Suitable for: age 8 to 11
A collection of upbeat poems exploring sustainability and ways we can have a positive effect on our environment.
Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli and Kadir Nelson (Simon & Schuster, 2017), Wangari Maathai: The Women Who Planted Millions of Trees by Franck Prevot and Aurelia Fronty (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2018) and Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A true Story from Africa by Jeanette Winter (Clarion Books, 2018).
All three of these texts tell the true story of Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai and her efforts to ensure over thirty millions trees were planted over a thirty year period.
Climate Rebels by Ben Lerwiill (Puffin, 2020)
Suitable for: age 9 to 11
This non-fiction text tells the story of a range of different climate activists and the work they have done, and continue to do, to support our planet.
