In honor of Earth Day on April 22, PW gathered a selection of books for young readers that invite them to learn more about the world around them and advocate for the environment.
Eleanor Spicer Rice, illus. by Fiona Lee. MIT, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3638-5. Ages 3–7.
Throughout this vocabulary-building tale, a child observes precipitation’s effects in the aftermath of a rainstorm.
The Big Green: A Story About the Great Green Wall of Africa
Ken Wilson-Max. Candlewick, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-4953-8. Ages 4–8.
On a “long, hot day/ at the edge of the desert,” two children and their community plant trees in an earnest picture book that highlights efforts to create an uninterrupted swath of greenery, planned to stretch across 11 African countries.
Buzz
Richard A. Jones and illus. by Sara Boccaccini Meadows. Abrams, Apr. 7 $22.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4197-8668-6. Ages 8–12.
This picture book catalogue highlights 15 different bugs, beetles, butterflies, and bees and showcases how they survive in the wild.
Creatures of the Coral Reef
Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Jason Cockcroft. Candlewick, Apr. 14 $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-5009-1. Ages 5–9.
Jenkins examines how coral reefs are struggling to survive due to rising water temperatures—impacting the entire ocean ecosystem—and what readers can do to help.
Earth: The Science of Soil (Wonder World #1)
Ben Lerwill, illus. by Xuan Le. Nosy Crow, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 979-8-88777-233-2. Ages 4–8.
Presenting soil as “the world’s skin,” lively prose pivots to the life being supported, including “400 billion billion” worms, “thousands and thousands of other creepy-crawlies,” and “stringy strands of fungi.”
Emma Mills, illus. by Sarah Nicole Kennedy. Holt, $22.99 hardcover (256p) ISBN 978-1-2508-1576-7; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-1-250-81577-4. Ages 8–12.
Attending detention after a teacher busts her friends’ unauthorized party, Violet is tasked with helping the Enviro-Club with their recycling duties in this lively series starter.
Ruth Spiro, illus. by Paola Escobar. HarperCollins, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-06-323776-6. Ages 4–8.
Zippy rhymes hail the bounty that emerges from a community garden in this animated picture book.
How To Hatch: A Gosling’s Guide to Breaking Free
Sara Holly Ackerman, illus. by Galia Bernstein. Knopf, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-81106-1. Ages 3–7.
In an exhilarating read that’s part nature documentary and part pep rally, Ackerman and Bernstein take readers along as a goose embryo curled up inside an egg begins the laborious process of hatching. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
G. Brian Karas. Random House Studio, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-90260-8. Ages 4–8.
On the cusp of winter migration, a hummingbird works through worries about its looming journey to “the warm south” in a candidly told first-person narrative. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Just One Oak: What a Single Tree Can Be
Maria Gianferrari, illus. by Diana Sudyka. Beach Lane, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-66596-104-2. Ages 4–8.
In a richly illustrated picture book that’s chock-full of ecological facts, Gianferrari and Sudyka venerate the astounding oak for its critical role as a keystone species. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Benjamin Zephaniah, illus. by Melissa Castrillón. Clarion, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-06-347229-7. Ages 4–8.
Zephaniah’s assonant lines urge arboreal protection as Castrillón’s sinuous renderings memorably tell a parallel story of eco-appreciation and protest.
Sarah Kurpiel. Rocky Pond, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-69768-9. Ages 4–8.
When a family’s beloved backyard tree must be felled, a bittersweet grieving process unfolds, which Kurpiel conveys with understanding in this sympathetic picture book of mourning and regrowth.
Sybil Rosen, illus. by Nancy Carpenter. Random House/Schwartz, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-70568-1. Ages 4–8.
When young Sadie learns of how much her favorite mother tree does for the environment, and that loggers plan to chop it down, she springs into action to save the tree from being destroyed.
Odd Bugs
Laura Gehl and illus. by Gareth Lucas. Abrams, $9.99 (22p) ISBN 978-1-4197-8305-0. Ages 2–4.
This collection showcases natures’ most unique insects and interesting facts to go along with each, to show appreciation for the broad expanse of life in the wild.
Our Cities Depend on Us
Victoria Tentler-Krylov. Abrams, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4197-5669-6. Ages 4–8.
Young readers can learn how cities across the globe have adapted to help fight climate change and protect the environment.
Marion Dane Bauer, illus. by Sophie Diao. Candlewick, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3403-9. Ages 4–8.
Insistent verse by Newbery Honor author Bauer urges care for Earth as confident artwork from Diao emphasizes the planet’s fragility in this bracing picture book wake-up call.
Carolyn Olson. Minnesota Historical Society, $18.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-68134-281-8. Ages 3–7.
Dynamic folk art and dialogue-filled text tell a story of summer garden success.
Frederick Joseph, illus. by Paul Kellam. Candlewick, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3345-2. Ages 5–8.
Gardening provides a youth the opportunity to cultivate hope in Joseph and Kellam’s sensitive story.
Sing Up the Earth!
Cheryl Hellner. Paraclete, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 979-8-89348-029-0. Ages 4–8.
Meadow and her father craft instruments out of clay, and when they play together, they draw out the animals in their community.
Sharon Rose, illus. by Erin Brown. Collective Book Studio, $19.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-68555-202-2. Ages 5 and up.
Assisting a neighbor with some weeding leads to a child’s helping fabled creatures in Rose and Brown’s fanciful gardening-focused picture book, which models community care.
Tiny Garden
Deborah Underwood and illus. by Jax Chow. Abrams, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4197-7491-1. Ages 4–8.
While all the neighbors have larger, fancier gardens, young Andrew focuses on growing a small garden where he can pay attention to each plant.
The Weedy Garden: A Happy Habitat for Wild Friends
Margaret Renkl, illus. by Billy Renkl. Greenwillow, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-343281-9. Ages 4–8.
A bumblebee, snake, squirrel, speckled toad, and more take up space in the “weedy garden” celebrated in this elegant picture book from sibling team the Renkls.
Wisdom of the Woods
Rachel Piercey, illus. by Freya Hartas. Abrams, $19.99 (96p) ISBN 978-1-4197-7695-3. Ages 4–6.
Piercey offers a collection of poems that follow a family of bears passing along knowledge about the beauty of nature from generation to generation.
Talia Aikens-Nuñez, illus. by Irena Freitas. Penguin/Paulsen, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-35442-1. Ages 3–5.
A day in the garden provides a child and dog ample time for play in a high-spirited picture book from Aikens-Nuñez and Freitas.
World Without Birds: How to Save Our Planet, One Bird at a Time
Nick Lund, illus. by Asia Orlando. Abrams, $16.99 (176p) ISBN 978-1-5235-1802-9. Ages up to 10.
In this companion to World Without Fish, nature writer Lund explains the rapid extinction of birdlife due to climate change and what readers can do to help stop it.
Woodlore
Kevin Parr, illus. by Anja Sušanj. Abrams, $24.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-4197-8670-9. Ages 7–10.
Readers are invited to watch how forests adapt to every season in this picture book about nature and time.
