Captivate your child's imagination and teach them all about how they can help the environment and its creatures with our hand-picked selection of Earth Day books. For more on Earth Day crafts and activities, visit our main holiday page.

Books to Read

Baby-Preschool

A Garden of Opposites
by Nancy Davis
Good for teaching words to very young children while culturing an appreciation for the environment.

Eentsy, Weentsy Spider : Fingerplays and Action Rhymes
by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Alan Tiegreen, contributed by Stephanie Calmenson
Tons of fingerplays and animal action rhymes for use with small children.

One Light, One Sun
by Raffi
Songs to read for the very young child, it emphasizes how we all share our world.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Pop-Up Book
by Eric Carle
The well known and loved hungry caterpillar teaches kids about caterpillars and butterlies in a new exciting way.  The classic tale, which is also great on its own, is brought to life through imaginative pop outs and moveable parts.

Swimmy
by Leo Lionni
About how when animals (and people) work together, big things can be accomplished.

Charlie and Lola, We are Extremely Very Good Recyclers
by Lauren Child and Bridget Hurst
Charlie teaches his younger sister Lola about recycling and she shares her excitement with her school.  Along with the help of her classmates, especially her friend Mortan and his messy brother, they recycle enough to earn a school tree.

The Great Paper Caper
by Oliver Jeffers
Children will be thrilled by the story and parents by the funny illustrations of this mysterious tale of the mising trees.  Once the animals find the culprit they teach him the necessity to recycle paper and plant trees.

Quiet in the Garden
by Aliki
Explore the wonders of a garden, and see the food chain in action with a boy and his rabbit.

A Child's Good Morning Book
by Margaret Wise Born and Karen Katz
Wake up with the world.  This poem is a cheerful way to start your day, saying good morning to all the beautiful things and creatures in the environment.

AGES 4-8

Agatha's Feather Bed : Not Just Another Wild Goose Story
by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Laura L. Seeley
Unlimited material for discussion captured in an enchanting story about "sources of things" -- I cannot say enough great things about this book!

Be Nice to Spiders
by Margaret Bloom Graham, Margaret Bloy Graham
Great book to spur discussion about how even the smallest creatures are important.

Children of the Earth: Remember
by Schim Schimmel
Out of love and concern for their planet, the animals and people of Mother Earth work together to protect the natural world.

Dear Children of the Earth: A Letter from Home
by Schim Schimmel
Mother Earth writes a letter telling people about herself and asking them to take care of her for themselves and for all living creatures. Beautiful book for all ages

The Giving Tree
by Shel Silverstein
"Once there was a tree ... and she loved a little boy." "Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk ... and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave."

The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest
by Lynne Cherry
Beautifully illustrated book about conserving the rainforest and the animal habitats in it.

The Hunt for Spring
by Susan O'Halloran, illustrated by Dick Smolinski
Gorgeous book about a little girl who uses a polar bear to "bring Spring to the world."

The Lorax
by Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel
Wonderful classic that teaches about our responsibility to our environment and what can happen if people don't stand up for what is right.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt
by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
Leads children on a delightful adventure through all sorts of natural terrain.

The Fantastic Unerdersea Life of Jaques Cousteau
by Dan Yaccarino
This simplicated biography will spark the curiousity of children either to explore the ocean or their own new frontier.  It ends on the important idea of keeping our oceans and world cleana nd free of pollution.

Soundprints books
Go to their web site and click 'Teaching Tools' for great FREE teaching guides for these series of books:
Smithsonian Oceanic Collection - Pre-school to Grade 2
Smithsonian's Backyard - Pre-school to Grade 2
Smithsonian Wild Heritage Collection - Kindergarten to Grade 3
The Nature Conservancy - Grade 1 to Grade 4
Smithsonian Odyssey - Grade 2 to Grade 5

AGES 9-12

Keepers of the Earth
Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children
by Michael J. Caduto, Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by John Kahionhes Fadden & Carol Wood
This is a book about living, learning and caring. It features a collection of North American Indian stories and related hands-on activities designed to inspire children - ages five through twelve - and help them to feel a part of their surroundings.

Global Warming Lesson Plans (Grade 7-12)
Teach kids how to do research and answer the global warming question themselves. (Go to the web site)

Shows to watch

PBS -- Kratt's Creatures

You can find thousands of books to learn about our world at your school and public libraries!!

More Crafts & Activities

• Tin Can Herb Pots
• Ladybug Rocks
• Planet Earth
• More Earth Day crafts
• Recycling crafts
• Earth Day activities and more
• Learn Earth Day history
• Earth Day clip art
• See our spring page
• See our Cinco de Mayo page
• See our Mother’s Day page
• Talk about Earth Day