Register for
EE Week 2014
Join a national network of educators and organizations dedicated to increasing the environmental knowledge of K-12 students.
Subscribe Now
Subscribe to our monthly EE Week newsletterEE Week Suggested Reading for Students
One of the best ways to participate in EE Week is to incorporate environmentally-themed reading into classroom lessons and activities. Check out the list below to find some good reads for your students. Also see our list of EE Week suggested reading for educators.
Jump To: Middle School | High School
Jump To: Middle School | High School
Elementary School
 |
All the Way to the Ocean Joel Harper ISBN # 978-0971425415 All the Way to the Ocean teaches children how they can participate in keeping our oceans clean. |
 |
Animal Poems of the Iguazú/Animalario del Iguazú
Francisco X. Alarcón ISBN # 978-0-89239-225-4 Award-winning Chicano poet Francisco X. Alarcón and celebrated artist Maya Christina Gonzalez address wildlife and habitat preservation with a bilingual environmental poetry collection about one of the wonders of the natural world-the Iguazú rainforest of South America. |
 |
The Armadillo from Amarillo Lynne Cherry ISBN# 978-0152003593 When an armadillo named Sasparillo wants to know where on earth he is, he leaves his home in San Antonio and travels north through the canyons and prairies of Texas. In Amarillo he meets an eagle and, with her help, finds the answer to his question-as well as lots of adventures. |
 |
Bag in the Wind Ted Kooser ISBN # 978-0763630010 Kooser's circular story follows a plastic bag as it travels a chain of happenstance from landfill, to tree, to stream and among various citizens of a nearby town, including a young girl, a homeless man and a shopkeeper. |
 |
The Berenstain Bears Don't Pollute (Anymore) Stan & Jan Berenstain ISBN # 978-0679823513 When careless citizens pose a threat to Bear Country's environment, Brother and Sister Bear form the Earthsavers Club. Their spirited ecological efforts deliver a timely message about the urgent need to mend our polluting and wasteful ways. |
 |
The Blues Go Birding Across America Carol L. Malnor and Sandy F. Fuller ISBN # 978-1584691242 An introduction to the world of birds and natural history for kindergarten through fourth graders. The Blues Go Birding Across America follows five bluebird siblings on a bird watching journey across America. The Blues humorously observe an albatross in Hawaii, ring-billed gulls in San Francisco Bay and a spoonbill in Okefenokee Swamp |
 |
The Blues go Birding at Wild America's Shores Carol L. Malnor and Sandy F. Fuller ISNB # 978-1584691310 In this second of the BLUES Go Birding series, five adorable cartoon bluebirds go on another bird watching adventure. This time they follow in the footsteps of the famed Roger Tory Peterson, and see birds on every coastline of America. |
 |
Brother Eagle Sister Sky Chief Seattle, Illustrated by Susan Jeffers ISBN # 978-0590466486 "How can you buy the sky? How can you own the rain and the wind?" So begin the moving words attributed to a great American Indian chief--Chief Seattle--over 100 years ago. They are words that eloquently capture the central belief of Native Americans: that this earth and every creature on it is sacred. It is this belief that inspired Susan Jeffers' extraordinary full-color paintings. |
 |
Butterfly House Eve Bunting ISBN # 978-0590848848 After a girl saves a black creature from a greedy jay, she decides to raise it. With the help of her grandfather, the girl makes a home for the creature until it turns into a butterfly and must be set free. |
 |
Conrad Saves Pinger Park Carvin Winans ISBN # 978-1-60349-024-5 Eight-year-old Conrad loves Pinger Park. He knows it's a special place where he and his friends play. It's where people who live in the city go to enjoy the outdoors. Then, one day the mayor of the city announces plans to have the park replaced with apartment buildings. Conrad knows he has to act fast. But what can he do to save Pinger Park? You can be sure that a creative and resourceful Conrad will find an answer. |
 |
The Carrot Seed Ruth Krauss ISBN # 978-0590450928 When a little boy plants a carrot seed, everyone tells him it won't grow. But when you are very young, there are some things that you just know, and the little boy knows that one day a carrot will come up. So he waters his seed, and pulls the weeds, and he waits ...
|
 |
Count Down to Fall Fran Hawk ISBN # 978-1-934359-94-5 |
 |
A Day in the Salt Marsh Kevin Kurtz ISBN # 978-0976882350 Fun-to-read, rhyming verse introduces readers to hourly changes in the marsh as the tide comes and goes. Watch the animals that have adapted to this ever-changing environment as they hunt for food or play in the sun, and learn how the marsh grass survives even though it is covered by salt water twice a day. An activity on adaptations is included in the “For Creative Minds” section. |
 |
Diary of a Worm Doreen Cronin ISBN # 978-0439677745 This is the diary . . . of a worm. Surprisingly, a worm not that different from you or me. Except he eats his homework. Oh, and his head looks a lot like his rear end. |
 |
The Dragon and the Unicorn Lynne Cherry ISBN # 978-0152241933 The Dragon and the Unicorn is an allegory about the Old Growth Forest of the Pacific Northwest. A princess learns about the important ecology of the ancient forest and teaches her father, the king. |
 |
Eco-tracking: On the Trail of Habitat Change Daniel Shaw ISBN # 9780826345318 This book tells true life success stories of young people involved in citizen science efforts and how others can join in tracking climate change, local wildlife, and other parts of the natural world. |
 |
The Empty Lot Dale H. Fife ISBN # 978-0871568595 Harry Hale owns a vacant lot that he hasn't visited for years. "What good is an empty lot?" he thinks, and he makes up his mind to sell it. But when Harry visits his lot to decide on a price, he's surprised to find that it's far from empty. In fact, his little patch of land is bursting with life. |
 |
Everybody Needs a Rock Byrd Baylor ISBN # 978-0689710513 Everybody needs a rock -- at least that's the way this particular rock hound feels about it in presenting her own highly individualistic rules for finding just the right rock for you. |
 |
Flashy, Fantastic Rain Forest Frogs Dorothy Patent ISBN # 978-0590127493 This book describes the physical characteristics, behavior, reproduction, and habitat of frogs that live in the rain forest. |
 |
Flute's Journey: The Life of a Wood Thrush Lynne Cherry ISBN # 978-0153143694 The story of a wood thrush's arduous first migration--across thousands of miles-from his nesting grounds in the Belt Woods of Maryland to his winter home in Costa Rica, and back again. |
 |
Melanie Richardson Dundy ISBN # 0-9674491-2-X This book uses animal characters and 2 ‘loggers' to introduce young children to the factors that are considered when managing a forest for all users... the needs of animals, recreational users and the forest sector must be balanced to ensure a healthy forest for the future. |
 |
The Gardener Sarah Stewart ISBN# 978-0374325176 Through her letters to her farm family, Lydia Grace tells how she brightens her uncle's dreary bakery and his disposition with a little dirt and a suitcase full of seeds. |
 |
The Giving Tree Shel Silverstein ISBN # 978-0060256661 'Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy.' So begins this tender story about the capacity for unconditional love and generosity, written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein.
|
 |
Going Home: The Mystery of Animal Migration Marianne Berkes ISBN # 978-1584691266 Facts and poems are intertwined through this picture book to engage readers in an introduction to animal migratory habits. Poems are written from the animals' perspective.
|
 |
The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest Lynne Cherry ISBN # 978-0152026141 This best-selling classic is an inspired look at what the Kapok tree means to the creatures that live in it-and what rain forests mean to the world's ecology. |
 |
A Handful of Dirt Raymond Bial ISBN # 978-0802786982 You'll never look at the ground you walk on in the same way after Raymond Bial, an award-winning photo essayist, takes you on this eye-opening, down-and-dirty tour of one of the earth's most precious resources. |
 |
A Harvest of Color: Growing A Vegetable Garden Melanie Eclare ISBN # 978-1929927319 A group of neighborhood children transform a bare patch of earth into a vegetable garden, learning simple but important lessons in the process. |
 |
Henry the Impatient Heron Donna Love ISBN # 978-1934359907 Henry the Heron couldn’t stand still! He was always moving, and it drove everyone crazy! But herons have to stand still to catch their food, so how would Henry ever be able to eat on his own? Donna Love takes readers along with Henry as he learns a valuable lesson from the King of Camouflage! |
 |
How Groundhog's Garden Grew Lynne Cherry ISBN # 978-0439560658 Little Groundhog loves to eat his neighbor's vegetables until he makes a friend who teaches him the joy of planting a garden of his own. As squirrel introduces Little Groundhog to the cycle of an entire gardening year, children will learn about gathering seeds in fall; storing them in winter; planting in spring; weeding and watering in summer; and eating a delicious, bountiful harvest at Thanksgiving time. |
 |
I am the Earth Steve Viglione The I Am The Earth book, music album and curriculum were created to help all of us celebrate Earth Day every day. Download a free e-book here. |
 |
I Can Name 50 Trees Today! Bonnie Worth ISBN # 978-0375822773 While stopping to admire some of the world's most amazing trees, the Cat and Co. teach beginning readers how to identify different species from the shape of their crowns, leaves, lobes, seeds, bark, and fruit. Kids will learn about many trees common to North America. |
 |
I Wish I Were a Butterfly James Howe ISBN # 978-0152004705 Perceiving himself ugly, a cricket longs to be a butterfly and seeks counsel from his friends at Swampswallow Pond. |
 |
In One Tidepool: Crabs, Snails and Salty Tails Anthony D. Fredericks ISBN# 978-1584690382 In this eye-catching story, a little girl peers into a tidepool and observes the animals living there. A page of field notes gives brief information about each of the animals, and several bibliographies list other books about the shore, by the author and by the publisher. |
 |
Into the A, B, Sea: An Ocean Alphabet Book Deborah Lee Rose ISBN # 978-0439096966 Picture book that reinforces the alphabet through the discovery of ocean animals. The author uses rhyming couplets to introduce one species for every letter of the alphabet.
|
 |
Just Us Two: Poems about Animal Dads Joyce Sidman ISBN # 978-0761315636 Eleven poems present life from the point of view of various animal fathers and their young, including Emperor penguins, Nile crocodiles, and giant water bugs. |
 |
Music, mishap, and humor guides children on an animated and live action adventure. Chipper learns park rules and the importance of respecting the environment from creatures big and small and Ranger Frank.
|
 |
Lily's Garden Deborah Kogan Ray ISBN # 9780761326533 Lily's Garden creates a calendar of the year seen through the lens of things planted, grown, and harvested and dramatized in Lily's letters and phone calls to her far-away grandparents. The procession of months and the change of seasons, the holidays, and ultimately the passage of an entire year in the garden are celebrated in this picture book. |
 |
A Log's Life Wendy Pfeffer ISBN # 978-1416934837 Through the simple yet dramatic story of a tree's life, death, and decomposition, A Log's Life illustrates the interdependence of living creatures. |
 |
The Lorax Dr. Seuss ISBN # 978-0394923376 Long before saving the earth became a global concern, Dr. Seuss, speaking through his character the Lorax, warned against mindless progress and the danger it posed to the earth's natural beauty. |
 |
The Magic School Bus - At the Waterworks Joanna Cole English Edition ISBN # 978-0590403603 Edición En Español ISBN # 978-0590464277 While other kids go to the zoo or even the circus, Ms. Frizzle's class boards a school bus for the waterworks. But it is soon apparent that this is no ordinary class trip! The school bus suddenly leaves the ground and Ms. Frizzle parks it on a cloud. Everyone shrinks to raindrop size and begins to rain into a stream below. The class is seeing the waterworks from the water's point of view! |
 |
The Magic School Bus - Wet All Over: A Book About The Water Cycle Joanna ColeEnglish Edition ISBN # 978-0590508339 Edición En Español ISBN # 978-0590859516 Ms. Frizzle's class is learning all about water. But instead of taking them to a water theme park, Ms. Frizzle takes them on a seriously wet and wild ride - through the water cycle!
|
 |
Mammalabilia Douglas Florian ISBN # 978-0439329347 A collection of humorous poems about mammals such as the tiger, gorilla, and rhebok. |
 |
Michael Bird-Boy Tomie dePaola ISBN # 978-0135797983 A young boy who loves the countryside determines to find the source of the black cloud that hovers above it. |
 |
Miss Rumphius Barbara Cooney ISBN # 978-0440844112 As a child Great-Aunt Alice Rumphius resolved that when she grew up she would go to faraway places, live by the sea in her old age, and do something to make the world more beautiful--and she does all those things, the last being the most difficult of all. |
 |
Mother Earth and Her Children Sibylle van Olfers ISBN # 978-1933308180 Deep below the ground, Mother Earth rouses her sleepy children. The little ones ready themselves for spring, then join a jubilant procession of bugs and beetles up into the summer meadows. |
 |
Mrs. Spitzer's Garden Edith Pattou, Mary Beth Owens ISBN # 978-0152058029 With her sure, loving, gardener's touch, Mrs. Spitzer nurtures the students in her classroom each year. |
 |
Ocean Babies Deborah Lee Rose ISBN # 978-0792266693 Picture book that introduces children to the various ways oceanic animals are born, swim and live. Readers are engaged through poetic text and watercolor illustrations.
|
 |
Ocean Life from A to Z Cynthia Stierle and Annie Crawley ISBN# 978-0794412227 An innovative book and DVD package that includes fun facts and tidbits about an ocean-dweller for each letter of the alphabet.
|
 |
Once There Was A Tree Natalia Romanova ISNB # 978-0140546774 An old stump attracts many living creatures, and when it is gone, a new tree attracts the same creatures, who need it for a variety of reasons. |
 |
One Nighttime Sea Deborah Lee Rose ISBN # 0439339065 The reader is taken on a journey, discovering the nighttime dwellers of the ocean. This counting book flows in an encouraging rhythmic text while teaching about sea life. |
 |
One Wolf Howls Scotti Cohn ISBN # 978-1934359921 Spend a year in the world of wolves in One Wolf Howls. This adventurous children’s book uses the months of the year and the numbers 1 through 12 to introduce children to the behavior of wolves in natural settings. |
 |
Our Big Home: An Earth Poem Linda Glaser ISBN # 978-0761316503 In this illustrated poem for children, the author presents a broad vision of home as the planet Earth. |
 |
Our Generous Garden Ann Nagro ISBN #978-0979373947 Elementary students create a school vegetable garden and along the way learn about healthy eating habits, nature, respect and responsibility, math and science, and that they can change their community. Based on a successful school garden project. Includes garden recipes and outdoor classroom activities. Now available in Spanish! ISBN # 978-0979373916 |
 |
Owl Moon Jane Yolen ISBN # 978-0590420440 A young girl and her father take a nighttime stroll near the farm where they live to look for owls. |
 |
Pee Wee and the Magical Compost Heap Larraine Roulston ISBN # 0-9697883-04 The first book of the Pee Wee Series, 'Pee Wee and the Magical Compost Heap' introduces children to backyard composting through the adventures of Pee Wee, the endearing little red wiggler worm, and all the insects in the compost heap. |
 |
Pee Wee Goes to the Fair Larraine Roulston ISBN # 978-0-9697883-4-8 'Pee Wee Goes to the Fair' is the latest adventure in the Pee Wee Series. This story takes all the compost critters to a Spring Environmental Science Fair where Scott and friends display their elaborately decorated worm bin. |
 |
Pee Wee's Family in a Nutshell Larraine Roulston ISBN # 0-9697883-2-0 'Pee Wee's Family in a Nutshell' is the 3rd in the Pee Wee Series. Vanessa the magical butterfly transports everyone to the classroom worm bin to find Pee Wee's family. This book notes the differences between vermicomposting and backyard composting. |
 |
Pee Wee's Great Adventure Larraine Roulston ISBN # 0-9697883-39 Second in the Pee Wee Series, 'Pee Wee's Great Adventure: A Guide to Vermicomposting,' has Pee Wee describing an amazing adventure from a classroom worm bin to a backyard composter. Instructions are included on how to care for worms and harvest their castings.
|
 |
A Place to Grow Stephanie Bloom ISBN # 978-1931969079 No matter where it lands or how desperately it hopes, the tiny seed can't find a place to grow. Will the tiny seed ever find its home, or will it keep searching and floating forever? |
 |
Pumpkins Mary Lyn Ray ISBN # 978-0152013585 This is a story about a field and a man who loved it enough to do something to save it from development. |
 |
The Salamander Room Anne Mazer ISBN # 978-0679861874 A boy finds a salamander in the woods and imagines the many things he can do to turn his room into a perfect salamander home. |
 |
Salmon Stream Carol Reed-Jones ISBN # 978-1584690146 The reader of Salmon Stream follows the life cycle of these remarkable fish -- hatching from eggs in a stream followed by a life in the wide ocean, and eventually making a hazardous journey home to their stream of origin.
|
 |
The Sea, the Storm, and the Mangrove Tangle Lynne Cherry ISBN # 978-0374364823 In this richly illustrated chronicle of the life of one mangrove tree, Lynne Cherry details the abundant wildlife that depends upon its unique and wonderful ecosystem, one that is beneficial to so many, but one that also faces many dangers. |
 |
Seashells by the Seashore Marianne Berkes ISBN # 978-1584690344 Sue strolls down the beach collecting seashells for her grandmother, accompanied by a lyrical counting rhyme explaining how the shells made their way onto the beach. A new shell is discovered on each page and a useful seashell identification chart concludes the story.
|
 |
Forest Service This illustrated book in both English and Spanish narrates the story of Smokey Bear. At the end there is a teacher's page with the book's correlation to national standards of learning, suggestions on activities and additional resources. The book can be ordered online. |
 |
Stellaluna Janell Cannon ISBN # 978-0590483797 After she falls headfirst into a bird's nest, a baby bat is raised like a bird until she is reunited with her mother. |
 |
Stickeen: John Muir and the Brave Little Dog John Muir, Donnell Rubay ISBN# 978-1883220785 Story about John Muir's misadventure on an Alaskan glacier with a little dog named Stickeen. The text is an adaptation from Muir's original account and its illustrations captivate the reader with Alaska's breathtaking landscape.
|
 |
Sunflower House Eve Bunting, Kathryn Hewitt ISBN # 978-0152019525 A young boy creates a summer playhouse by planting sunflowers and saves the seeds to make another house the next year. |
 |
To Every Thing There is a Season Leo & Diane Dillon ISBN # 978-0590478878 An award-winning team brings exquisitely to life the most famous verses from the Book of Ecclesiastes, each spread rendered in an historical style of a different world culture. |
 |
The Ugly Vegetables Grace Lin ISBN # 978-0881063363 A neighborhood comes together to share flowers and ugly vegetables soup, and the young gardener learns that regardless of appearances, everything has its own beauty and purpose. |
 |
The Very Busy Spider Eric Carle ISBN # 978-0399211669 Various farm animals try to divert a busy little spider from spinning her web, but she persists and produces a thing of both beauty and usefulness. This book's tactile element makes it especially well-suited for the visually-impaired.
|
 |
Turtle Summer - A Journal for my Daughter Mary Alice Monroe ISBN # 978-0977742370 Using original photographs, this scrapbook journal explains the nesting cycle of sea turtles and the natural life along the southeastern coast, including local shore birds, shells, and the sea turtle hospital. Fun facts are included at the end of the book. |
 |
Uno's Garden Graeme Base ISBN # 978-0810954731 This timely book focuses on the importance of striking a balance between development and conservation of nature, and includes imaginative, intricate pictures and brief text and math equations. |
 |
When Winter Comes Nancy Van Laan ISBN # 978-0439288743 What happens to fish, flowers, field mice, and other living things when ponds freeze and the air turns blustery? Walk with a curious child and his parents as winter's first snow falls and find out.... |
 |
Where Butterflies Grow Joanne Ryder ISBN # 978-0140558586 Scientifically accurate drawings show the metamorphosis of a Black Swallowtail butterfly from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. |
 |
Where Does the Garbage Go? Paul Showers ISBN # 978-0060210571 Follow that garbage truck...to the landfill to see how trash keeps piling up...to the incinerator to see how trash can be turned into energy ... to the recycling center to see how a soda bottle can be turned into a flowerpot. Filled with graphs, charts, and diagrams, Where Does the Garbage Go? explains how we deal with the problem of too much trash and provides ideas for easy ways to be a part of the solution. |
 |
Where the River Begins Thomas Locker ISBN # 978-0803700895 Two young boys and their grandfather go on a camping trip to find the source of the river that flows by their home. |
 |
Where Once There Was a Wood Denise Fleming ISBN # 978-0805037616 Inspired by events in her own backyard, award-winning author and illustrator Denise Fleming teaches children how to make a more "creature friendly" backyard and includes information about what types of food, trees and flowers attract different kinds of animals. Where Once There Was a Wood also includes an informative bibliography for budding environmentalists, and suggests various projects that families can do together. |
 |
Where Should Turtle Be? Susan Ring ISBN # 978-1934359891 Free from his egg, little turtle climbed out into a big, beautiful new world. Lost and alone, he wondered—where did he really belong? The bear told him to live in the woods; the frog said, “The swamp!” But turtle just didn’t feel at home. He needed help, but where could he turn? Author Susan Ring helps turtle in this story of self-exploration and nature. |
 |
Whistling Wings Laura Goering ISBN # 978-1934359129 One thousand miles is a long way to fly—too long for Marcel, so he hides in the rushes to stay behind while his parents and the flock continue south. But with the lake nearly frozen over, he soon realizes that he is not cut out for life on ice. Other animals offer advice about how to survive the winter, but their ways of living aren’t right for the swan. |
 |
The Wump World Bill Peet ISBN # 978-0590617239 The Pollutians invade the Wump World and turn the green meadows into a concrete jungle. |
For more green reading suggestions, visit the comprehensive Children's Environmental Literature Bibliography, courtesy of Wisconsin's Project Learning Tree, Project Wild, and Project Wet programs. Also see our list of green reading for educators.
Don't see one of your favorites listed? Suggest that it be added to this list.
Middle School
Jump To: Elementary School | High School
Jump To: Elementary School | High School
 |
The Big Book for Our Planet Jean Craighead George ISBN # 978-0525451198 Nearly thirty stories, poems, and non-fiction pieces by such notable authors as Natalie Babbitt, Marilyn Sachs, and Jane Yolen, illustrated by the likes of Steven Kellogg and Susan Jeffers, demonstrate some modern environmental issues, e.g. overpopulation, tampering with nature, litter, pollution, and waste disposal. |
|
 |
Bird Boy Elizabeth Starr Hill ISBN # 978-0374307233 Chang, a mute Chinese boy whose father uses cormorants to fish, is pleased when he is finally old enough to help with the Big Catch and the raising of a new bird. |
|
 |
The Case of the Missing Cutthroats: An Ecological Mystery Jean Craighead George ISBN # 978-0064406475 This mystery begins when Spinner, a New York City native who would rather pirouette than fly cast, catches the family prize--much to her boy cousins' dismay. The prize fish, a huge cutthroat trout, had been thought to be extinct in the river, and Spinner and her cousin set out to solve the mystery of how this one spectacular cuttroat survived until Spinner reeled him in. |
|
 |
Champions of the Ocean Fran Hodgkins ISBN # 978-1584691198 The Earth Heroes books feature the youth and careers of the world's greatest environmentalists. This second volume in the series features ocean explorers including Jacques Cousteau, William Beebe and Sylvia Earle. |
|
 |
Champions of Wild Animals Carol L. and Bruce Malnor ISBN # 978-1584691235 Chronicles the youth and careers of eight well known protectors of wildlife, William Hornaday, Ding Darling, Rachel Carson, Roger Tory Peterson, R.D. Lawrence, E.O. Wilson, Jane Goodall and Iain and Saba Douglas-Hamilton.
|
|
 |
Champions of the Wilderness Bruce and Carol L. Malnor ISBN # 978-1584691167 An inspirational tale that chronicles the life and accomplishments of eight champions of conservation, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Aldo Leopold, Richard St. Barbe Baker, Margaret Murie, David Suzuki and Wangari Maathai. |
|
 |
The Dynamic Great Lakes Barbara Spring ISBN # 978-1588517319 A critically acclaimed book about changes in the Great Lakes. |
|
 |
A Drop of Water: A Book Of Science And Wonder Walter Wick ISBN # 978-0590221979 The curious, protean nature of water has fascinated people for ages, and Walter Wick--the photographer of Scholastic's highly acclaimed I Spy series--is no exception. Like many old-fashioned science books, A Drop of Water ends with a list of simple experiments that may lure the young reader into the world of scientific investigation. This book, however, stands on its own as a beautiful, notable collection of photographs. |
|
 |
Duckey and the Ocean Protectors John Sexton and Katie Gutierrez ISBN # 978-0981454573 The ocean is in danger. Someone has stolen the massive diamond that gives King Neptune his power to protect the oceans. Now, he has to assemble a team of sea creatures to recover the diamond before the seas go dark forever and the planet slowly dies. The Ocean Protectors soon discover that the future of the earth and ALL living things hinges on more than just returning the diamond. The crew will have to test their own unique skills at every turn to reverse the damage being done to the seas. |
|
 |
The Earth is Painted Green: A Garden of Poems about Our Planet Barbara Brenner ISBN # 978-0590451345 This anthology of over 90 poems from around the world devotes itself entirely to celebrating the wondrous planet on which we all live. Environmental poems from both writers for children and adults are seamlessly blended together. |
|
 |
The Eco Boys - Turn the Tide Genia Stemper ISBN # 978-1-4523-2189-9 The Eco Boys Turn the Tide is the first in an adventure series. Trevor, Brett and Ryan are seventh graders who are shocked to realize that seals and dolphins are being poisoned off of the coast. When they find out that a grove that is home to thousands of butterflies is in danger, they form their club, The Eco Boys. Together, they learn about their natural world, as they forge an unbreakable bond. Download the ebook here. |
|
 |
Eco-tracking: On the Trail of Habitat Change Daniel Shaw ISBN # 9780826345318 This book tells true life success stories of young people involved in citizen science efforts and how others can join in tracking climate change, local wildlife, and other parts of the natural world. |
|
 |
The Fire Bug Connection: An Ecological Mystery Jean Craighead George ISBN # 978-0064404747 In this environmental whodunit, 12-year-old Maggie can't figure out why her exotic and beautiful new fire bugs are dying so suddenly. Is it climate change, acid rain, or murder? With the help a young computer whiz, Maggie tracks down each ecological clue. |
|
 |
Gaia Girls Enter the Earth Lee Welles ISBN # 978-1933609010 Elizabth Angier discovers that with power comes responsibility when Gaia, the living entity of the Earth, bestows her with Gaia Girl powers. Appropriate for upper elementary students. |
|
 |
Gaia Girls Way of Water Lee Welles ISBN # 978-1933609034 When she meets Gaia, the living entity of the Earth, Miho is given amazing powers to connect with the "minds in the water" and understand of all the world's oceans. Can Miho use her Gaia Girl powers to balance the traditions of the past with the demands of the present? Appropriate for upper elementary students. |
|
 |
Global Climate Change: Resources for Environmental Literacy Environmental Literacy Council and National Science Teachers Association ISBN #: 978-1933531182 This module is based on the premise that understanding what influences Earth's energy balance is necessary (though not sufficient) to make sound decisions about climate change. This resource is available for purchase at the National Science Teachers Association online bookstore. Aligns with three Earth Science National Learning Standards.
|
|
 |
How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch ISBN # 978-1584691037 Two leading environmental authors, Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch, have come together to produce a new book for middle school-age children that explains climate science. How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate presents clear science and outstanding photos of the evidence gathered by leading scientists all over the world. View sample pages from the book and the corresponding lesson plan from the book's Teachers' Guide. |
|
 |
Into the Deep Forest with Henry David Thoreau Jim Murphy ISBN # 978-0395605226 Using Thoreau's words as much as possible, Jim Murphy invites young readers to experience the thrill and adventure of struggling against rapids, pushing through dense forest undergrowth, and finally reaching the mountaintop. The highly illustrated format brings the wilderness to life, introducing young children to an important American and his writing. |
|
 |
Island of the Aunts Eva Ibbotson ISBN# 978-0142300497 It isn't easy taking care of an entire island and its needy, sometimes magical inhabitants and visitors, so the Aunts decide to kidnap three children to help them with such tasks as cleaning mermaids who were caught in an oil slick and coaxing a boobrie to lay its enormous eggs. |
|
 |
John Muir: My Life with Nature Joseph Cornell ISBN # 978-1584690092 An immigrant from Scotland, Muir today is remembered as the father of America's national parks. Born in 1838, Muir is considered by many to be the most influential conservationist of modern times. His love of nature continues to inspire people everywhere to take up the cause of preservation. |
|
 |
Judy Moody Saves the World Megan McDonald ISBN # 0-7636-2087-4 When Judy Moody's class studies the environment, Judy is startled to learn about the destruction of the rainforest, the endangered species (not) in her own backyard, and her own family's crummy recycling habits. Can she come up with a plan to save the world? |
|
 |
Just a Dream Chris Van Allsburg ISBN # 0395533082 Young Walter is a careless boy who tosses rubbish on the grass, thinks recycling is a waste of time, and mocks his neighbor, Rose, for her delight in the tree she has just received her her birthday. But his dreams warn him of Earth's troubled future if he does not learn to care for the environment. |
|
 |
Keepers of the Earth Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac ISBN # 978-1555913854 Beginning with Native American stories, this resource provides readers with an abundance of hands-on activities that will inspire children to understand and appreciate Native American cultures and the Earth. |
|
 |
Mission: Planet Earth Sally Ride and Tam O'Shaughnessy ISBN# 978-1596433106 and 978-1596433793 Mission: Planet Earth introduces young people to the change taking place in Earth's climate. |
|
 |
One Day in the Alpine Tundra Jean Craighead George ISBN # 978-1555913854
A one day account of life in the Alpine Tundra. The text introduces the animals and plants who call that place home and also describes the area's climate and geological features. |
|
 |
One Day in the Prairie Jean Craighead George ISBN # 978-0439099172 The animals on a prairie wildlife refuge sense an approaching tornado and seek protection before it touches down and destroys everything in its path. |
|
 |
One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest Jean Craighead George ISBN # 978-0590379465 The future of the Rain Forest of the Macaw depends on a scientist and a young Indian boy as they search for a nameless butterfly during one day in the rain forest. |
|
 |
One Day in the Woods Jean Craighead George ISBN # 978-0590379441 Rebecca discovers many things about plant and animal life when she spends the day in Teatown Woods in the Hudson Highlands of New York looking for the ovenbird. |
|
 |
Operation Redwood S. Terrell French ISBN # 978-0810983540 "Sibley Carter is a moron and a world-class jerk!" When Julian Carter-Li intercepts an angry e-mail message meant for his uncle, it sets him on the course to stop an environmental crime! His uncle's company plans to cut down some of the oldest and last California redwood trees, and its up to Julian, and a ragtag group of friends, to figure out a way to stop them. |
|
 |
Paddle to the Sea Holling C. Holling ISBN # 978-0395292037 A young Indian boy carves a little canoe with a figure inside and names him Paddle-to-the-Sea. Paddle's journey, in text and pictures, through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean provides a geographic and historical picture of the region. |
|
 |
Reef Rescue India Evans ISB # 978-1893272132 Ride along with 13-year-old eco-warrior Julie Leeds and her futuristic car Jett as they race to the Florida Keys to help save the endangered coral reefs. |
|
 |
A River Ran Wild Lynne Cherry ISBN # 978-0153021930 This book provides an overview of environmental history and a history of technology. It was written to aid in the teaching of values and philosophy (i.e. Are humans part of nature? Are they apart of the food chain, or separate and independent from nature?) |
|
 |
Sally Ride Science Classroom Sets: Earth's Precious Resources and Climate Change The Earth's Precious Resources Classroom Set describes Earth's precious resources and the challenges we face in protecting them. Clean water, clean air, and clean sources of energy are vital to all of us on the planet. The books in the Climate Change Classroom Set blend the latest science and environmental concerns with current ideas and solutions for facing our climate challenge and creating a healthier planet. |
|
 |
The Secret Language of Snow Terry Tempest Williams ISBN # 978-0394965741
This book examines over a dozen different types of snow and snowy conditions through the vocabulary of the Inuit people of Alaska. It discusses the physical properties and formation of snow and how it affects the plants, animals, and people of the Arctic. |
|
 |
There Once Was a Sky Full of Stars Bob Crelin ISBN # 978-1931559379 The first of it's kind, a beautifully-illustrated, lyrical bedtime story which helps children discover the magic of the night sky, and explains why many of them can't see the stars from home anymore. |
|
 |
There's A Hair in My Dirt: A Worm's Story Gary Larson ISBN # 978-0060932749 Gary Larson, of The Far Side fame, offers the tale of an earthworm who is sick and tired of being a worm. The final straw is a hair in his dirt dinner! The ecological tale that ensues, incorporating environmental lessons and a less-than-intelligent maiden, shows that nature is something to be preserved, enjoyed, understood, and respected. |
|
 |
There's an Owl in the Shower Jean Craighead George ISBN # 978-0060248918 Because protecting spotted owls has cost Borden's father his job as a logger in the old growth forest of northern California, Borden intends to kill any spotted owl he sees, until he and his father find themselves taking care of a young owlet. |
|
 |
Urban Roosts: Where Birds Nest in the City Barbara Bash ISBN # 978-0316083065 This book describes the birds that make their homes in the heart of the city and examines how they have adjusted to the urban environment. |
|
 |
Who Really Killed Cock Robin? An Ecological Mystery Jean Craighead George ISBN # 978-0064404051 Eighth-grader Tony Isidoro follows a trail of environmental clues to try and figure out what ecological imbalances might have caused the death of the town's best-known robin. |
|
 |
The Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame ISBN # 978-0721407579 This book chronicles the escapades of four animal friends who live along a river in the English countryside--Toad, Mole, Rat, and Badger. Originally written as stories to amuse the author's only son, Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows became a children's classic. |
|
 |
The Yearling Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings ISBN # 978-0020449317
A young boy living in the Florida backwoods is forced to decide the fate of a fawn he has lovingly raised as a pet. |
For more green reading suggestions, visit the comprehensive Children's Environmental Literature Bibliography, courtesy of Wisconsin's Project Learning Tree, Project Wild, and Project Wet programs. Also see our list of green reading for educators.
Don't see one of your favorites listed? Suggest that it be added to this list.
High School
Jump To: Elementary School | Middle School
Jump To: Elementary School | Middle School
 |
Anthill: A Novel E.O. Wilson ISBN # 978-0393071191 Split into three parallel worlds—ants, humans, and the biosphere—the story follows young Raff Cody, who escapes the humid summers in Clayville, Ala., by exploring the remote Nokobee wilderness with his cousin, Junior. |
|
 |
The Atlas of Water Maggie Black and Janet Kind ISBN # 978-0520259348 Completely revised and updated since its first edition, The Atlas of Water is a compelling visual guide to the state of this life-sustaining resource. Using vivid graphics, maps, and charts, it explores the complex human interaction with water over time and across the world. |
|
 |
Cadillac Desert Marc Reisner ISBN # 978-0140178241 A study of the economics, politics, and ecology of water that covers more than a century of desert reclamation in the American West. |
|
|
|
Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness Edward Abbey ISBN # 978-0345326492 Edward Abbey's account of two summers spent in southeastern Utah's canyonlands tells of his stint as a park ranger at Arches National Monument, of his love for the natural beauty that surrounded him, and of his distaste for the modernizing improvements designed to increase visitation to the park. |
|
 |
The Edge of the Sea Rachel Carson ISBN # 978-0395924969 A book to be read for pleasure as well as a practical identification guide, The Edge of the Sea introduces a world of teeming life where the sea meets the land. |
|
|
|
Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: The Lives of Six Pioneering Naturalists Jeannine Atkins ISBN # 978-1584690115
Six girls, from the 17th to the 20th century, didn't run from spiders or snakes but crouched down to take a closer look. They became pioneering naturalists, passionate scientists, and energetic writers or artists. |
|
 |
Global Climate Change: Resources for Environmental Literacy Environmental Literacy Council and National Science Teachers Association ISBN #: 978-1933531182 This module is based on the premise that understanding what influences Earth's energy balance is necessary (though not sufficient) to make sound decisions about climate change. This resource is available for purchase at the National Science Teachers Association online bookstore. Aligns with three Earth Science National Learning Standards. |
|
 |
Grayson Lynne Cox ISBN # 0156034670 In this memoir, the author details a surprising encounter with a baby gray whale that had been separated from its mother off the coast of California. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark: Pioneering Naturalists Paul Russell Cartright ISBN # 978-0803263345 The Lewis & Clark Expedition was a scientific accomplishment with legacies that remain with us today. This book highlights the scientific details of the journey. |
|
 |
National Geographic Atlas ofthe Ocean: The Deep Frontier Sylvia A. Earle ISBN # 0792264266 This one-of-a-kind atlas immerses us in the infinite wonders of the world offshore through more than 150 cutting-edge maps, photographs and satellite images. |
|
 |
The Norton Book of Nature Writing Robert Finch (Ed.) ISBN # 978-0393027990 This anthology contains 124 pieces by classic and contemporary nature writers. |
|
 |
The Oxford Dictionary of Environment and Conservation Chris Park ISBN # 978-0198609964 In addition to its wide-ranging, concise definitions, the Dictionary includes thirty highlighted entries on topics such as Antarctica, Chernobyl, the Kyoto Protocol, and ozone depletion. |
|
|
|
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek Annie Dillard ISBN # 978-0553137064
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is the story of a dramatic year in Virginia's Blue Ridge valley. Annie Dillard sets out to see astonishing incidents of "mystery, death, beauty, violence." |
|
|
|
Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature Linda Lear ISBN # 978-0805034271 A definitive portrait of the woman who redefined the way humans look at their place in nature. |
|
|
|
Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert Terry Tempest Williams ISBN # 978-0375420771 This book explores naturalist Terry Tempest Williams's lifelong love of, and commitment to, the desert. It combines her best writing on the terrain she knows so well with a collection of new essays of great originality and influence. |
|
|
|
A River Runs Through It Norman MacLean ISBN # 978-0939643417 Based on Norman Maclean's childhood experiences, A River Runs Through It contains vivid descriptions of life along Montana's Big Blackfoot River and the intersection of fly fishing with the troubling affections of the heart. |
|
|
|
The River Why David James Duncan ISBN # 978-0553340969 Leaving behind a madcap, fishing-obsessed family, Gus embarks on an extraordinary voyage of self-discovery along his beloved Oregon rivers. What he unexpectedly finds is man's wanton destruction of nature and a burning desire to commit himself to its preservation. |
|
|
|
A Sand County Almanac Aldo Leopold ISBN # 978-0195007770 Here we follow Leopold throughout the year, from January to December, as he walks about the rural Wisconsin landscape, watching a woodcock dance skyward in golden afternoon light, or spying a rough-legged hawk dropping like a feathered bomb on its prey. |
|
 |
Silent Spring Rachel Carson ISBN # 0618249060 Written in 1962, Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring' played a key role in documenting the detrimental effect of pesticides on the environment. |
|
|
|
Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions David Quammen ISBN # 978-0684827124 In this book, we follow Quammen's keen intellect through the ideas, theories, and experiments of prominent naturalists of the last two centuries. We trail after him as he travels the world, tracking the subject of island biogeography, which encompasses nothing less than the study of the origin and extinction of all species. |
|
|
|
Through the Eyes of a Young Naturalist William A. Sipple ISBN # 978-0967302805 |
|
 |
Unlocking the Secrets of America's Wetlands Judith F. Taggart ISBN # 978-1880686089 This is an introductory guide to wetlands suitable for adults or high-school students. It helps the reader understand what wetlands are, wetland ecology, and why these valuable ecosystems are important for clean water, wildlife habitat, fisheries, and more. A number of federal agencies, national organizations, and programs are listed, along with contact information. |
|
 |
Voyage of the Turtle: In Pursuit of the Earth's Last Dinosaur Carl Safina ISBN # 978-0805083187 This book is Safina's personal journal of the migration of the leatherback, loggerhead and green turtles. More than a chronicle of attempts to save the species, Turtle captures the physical magnitude of these ancient creatures and the repetitive calm of their endless travels. |
|
|
|
Walden; Or, Life in the Woods Henry David Thoreau ISBN # 978-0486284958 Thoreau's classic account depicts the solitary life, describing his attempts to simplify his life and sort out his priorities by living alone in a cabin beside Walden Pond for nearly two years. A key text of the environmental movement, Walden vividly portrays Thoreau's reverence for nature, and his understanding of the idea that nature is made up of crucially interrelated parts. |
|
 |
The Water Atlas Robin Clarke & Jannet King ISBN # 978-1565849075 Until now, no single publication has given shape and meaning to statistics about water use, re-use, and control. With a range of maps of startling clarity and richness of detail, The Water Atlas brings together the latest findings to show water distribution worldwide, the real cost of use in water-rich countries, and the dangers of a future where privatization and profit dictate availability. The atlas covers a wide range of topics and is a unique resource for general readers as well as health professionals, advocates, and students. |
|
 |
Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource Marq de Villiers ISBN # 978-0618127443 “The author, whose Boer childhood was spent on the edge of the Thirstland in South Africa, has had a lifelong fascination with water...His latest, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Nonfiction in Canada, depicts the current extent of world water scarcity and national and international water policies and briefly provides guidelines for dealing with the coming world water crisis.” – Library Journal |
|
 |
The Water Seekers Remi A. Nadeau ISBN # 978-0962710452 "The Water Seekers" is more than an authoritative study of our most important national resource. It is a drama-packed book about people and events that have highlighted the Southwest's battle for survival. -- San Bernardino Daily Sun |
|
 |
Written in Water: Messages of Hope for Earth's Most Precious Resource Irena Salina ISBN # 978-1426205729 This National Geographic collection of 25 essays by leading conservationists include warning and success stories with an overall theme that water conservation is not about scarcity but rather the careful use and fair distribution of water. |
For more reading suggestions, visit the comprehensive Children's Environmental Literature Bibliography, courtesy of Wisconsin's Project Learning Tree, Project Wild, and Project Wet programs. Also see our list of suggested reading for educators.
Don't see one of your favorites listed? Suggest that it be added to this list.