Picture Books to Celebrate Earth Day
Calling all picture book readers with a passion for plants and an appreciation for the great outdoors! Earth Day is approaching, and you don’t need a green thumb to make a special home for these books. Celebrate the beauty of this planet and all the creatures who inhabit it while learning how we can nurture and protect it for generations to come. After all, we’re all just spinning through space on this big blue marble together, so let’s show love and care for it and each other this Earth Day (and every day)!
Join a loving community as they work to create a better world. Whether planting a garden or visiting a sick friend, picking up litter or playing music at the senior center, kind actions—no matter how big or small—can spread like a ripple, impacting the lives of others for the better.
Jennifer Chambliss Bertman’s inspiring text and Holly Hatam’s joyful illustrations celebrate how anyone, young or old, can make a difference. It all starts with a good deed.
A breathtaking exploration of the connections between life and land central to the past, present, and future of our planet, Little Land invites young readers to think about ways in which they engage with the environment in their own lives.
At bedtime, a child asks his mother what it is that she wishes for. She has many wishes—to respect nature and the earth, to give shelter to those in need, to lend a helping hand. No matter her wish, one thing is clear: there are lots of ways to show and encourage kindness.
This uplifting book is a loving reminder that our wishes, when put into action, can help improve our world.
On an island at the edge of a wide, wild sea, a girl and her grandmother gather gifts from the earth. Salmon from the stream, herring eggs from the ocean, and in the forest, a world of berries.Salmonberry, Cloudberry, Blueberry, Nagoonberry.
Huckleberry, Snowberry, Strawberry, Crowberry.Through the seasons, they sing to the land as the land sings to them. Brimming with joy and gratitude, in every step of their journey, they forge a deeper kinship with both the earth and the generations that came before, joining in the song that connects us all. Michaela Goade’s luminous rendering of water and forest, berries and jams glows with her love of the land and offers an invitation to readers to deepen their own relationship with the earth.
Have you ever paused to savor the power and beauty of brown and black? Brown is strong as a tree and sweet as honey in tea; black is the hopeful promise of a seed and the grace of a bird in flight… and the quiet space where dreams begin.
In this groundbreaking picture book, poetic text and lush imagery celebrates two essential colors that capture all the richness and depth life, love, and the natural world have to offer.
With his signature blend of playfulness and sensitiviy, Todd Parr explores the important, timely subject of environmental protection and conservation in this eco-friendly picture book. Featuing a circular die-cut Earth on the cover, and printed entirely with recycled materials and nontoxic soy inks, this book includes lots of easy, smart ideas on how we can all work together to make the Earth feel good – from planting a tree and using both sides of the paper, to saving energy and reusing old things in new ways.
Best of all, the book includes an interior gatefold with a poster with tips/reminders on how kids can “go green” everyday. Equally whimsical and heartfelt, this sweet homage to our beautiful planet is sure to inspire readers of all ages to do their part in keeping the Earth happy and healthy.
with itty-bitty hard work hustle.
Crouch down low—hush. You’ll see
how bugs build a community!
Ready with their magnifying glass, camera, and scrapbook, two young sisters head into nature to discover all the bugs they can. And these critters are hard at work! From carpenter ants chewing up old trees (like builders clearing a construction site) to butterflies spreading pollen (like gardeners planting seeds) to crickets making beautiful sounds (like musicians playing instruments), bugs belong to a busy world just like people.
With amazingly detailed photographic illustrations of realistic creatures and environments—created with coffee grounds, flower petals, foam footballs, and more—and a bouncy, rhyming text, Hustle Bustle Bugs will have young readers looking more closely at the grass, leaves, and trees around them—and appreciating the community they share!
Written in simple and concise language perfect for a read aloud, award-winning author Sarah L. Thomson invites readers to see through the eyes of a wombat as a fire rages through Australian outback. Nearly 3 billion animals were affected by the Australian wildfires of 2019-2020, and wombats played a crucial part in allowing their homes to transform as safe havens for other animals whose homes were destroyed in the fires. Paired with stunning and richly layered art by Charles Santoso, Wombat Underground teaches us that the time of greatest danger is also the time to open our door to those in the greatest need.
This gloriously illustrated gift book for all ages is an ode to the kindred spirits of children and animals. With socio-emotional themes woven throughout, Wild Beings celebrates our universal and unbreakable bonds with Mother Nature, igniting a passion for playing and exploring the outdoors. As with her stunning debut picture book Sail, Dorien Brouwers leads us on a transformative journey through the wilderness to find our voice.
It’s me, Earth! I hope you like living on me, but we need to talk.
I need your help to solve a BIG problem…You’re covering me with plastic!
But don’t worry, I know you’ve got my back—after all, you do live on it.
Love, Your Earth Friend Forever
Told in the form of a letter from Earth to the reader, this humorous picture book takes an in-depth look at how the actions of humans, particularly their use of plastic, is impacting the planet and how they can make simple changes in their everyday life to help protect the place they call home. Additional back matter includes a letter from the reader to Earth, information on what plastic is and how it’s made, and scientific solutions that are currently in the works.
