Children & Teen

The Best Children’s Books About Ecology

“What are the best Children’s books about Ecology ?” We looked at 182 of the top Kids Ecology books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 12 titles, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Kids Ecology ” book lists, are ranked below by how many lists they appear on. The remaining 150+ titles, as well as the lists we used are in alphabetical order at the bottom of the page.

Happy Scrolling!



Top 12 Best Children’s Books About Ecology



12 .) City Green written by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan

Lists It Appears On:

  • A Mighty Girl
  • Start With A Book

“An optimistic tale that manages to be both encouraging yet realistic about how to do some good in your very own backyard.” —Kirkus Celebrate the 25th anniversary of City Green—the environmentally and community-conscious classic that shows the wonderful things kids can do when they put their minds to it—with this new paperback edition. Right in the middle of Marcy’s city block is a vacant lot, littered and forlorn. Sometimes just looking at it makes Marcy feel sad. Then one spring, Marcy has a wonderful idea: Instead of a useless lot, why not a green and growing space for everyone to enjoy?



11 .) Compost Stew written by Mary McKenna Siddals

Lists It Appears On:

  • A Mighty Girl
  • Family Education

From apple cores to zinnia heads, readers will discover the best ingredients for a successful compost pile! Kids everywhere are knowledgeable about the environment and climate change. Not only is composting becoming more common in households and residential gardens, but many school gardens feature compost piles, too. But how do you start a compost pile? What’s safe to include? Perfect for an Earth Day focus or year-round reference, this inviting book provides all the answers for kids and families looking for simple, child-friendly ways to help the planet.



10 .) Olivia’s Birds: Saving the Gulf written by Olivia Bouler

Lists It Appears On:

  • A Mighty Girl
  • Family Education

Eleven-year-old Olivia Bouler has drawn and illustrated a brief guide to endangered birds in an effort use book sales to contribute to the clean-up expenses for the oil contamination of the Gulf of Mexico.



9 .) Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World written by Laurie Lawlor

Lists It Appears On:

  • A Mighty Girl
  • Start With A Book

Retells the story of Rachel Carson, a pioneering environmentalist who wrote and published “Silent Spring,” the revolutionary book pointing out the dangerous effects of chemicals on the living world.



8 .) Secrets of the Garden written by Kathleen Zoehfeld

Lists It Appears On:

  • NWF
  • Start With A Book

Perfect for spring planting season–an outstanding book about backyard science the whole family will appreciate. Alice’s family plants a vegetable garden each spring, and this budding naturalist reports all she sees about how the plants grow, what insects come to eat the plants, and what birds and animals come to eat the insects. It’s the food chain, right in her own backyard! While Alice’s narrative is simple and engaging, science concepts are presented in more depth in sidebars by a pair of very knowledgeable (and highly amusing) chickens! Noted science writer Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld knows how to layer information to make it accessible to a wide range of readers and useful for educators. And illustrator Priscilla Lamont’s funny, friendly paintings make this a garden everyone will want to explore. Kids will eat up this wonderful book of backyard science—and perhaps they’ll even be inspired to eat their vegetables! “A wonderfully informative and enjoyable journey through one family’s backyard garden, from spring planting to fall harvest.



7 .) The Earth Book written by Todd Parr

Lists It Appears On:

  • A Mighty Girl
  • Family Education

Simple text and illustrations show how children can help protect the Earth.



6 .) The Great Kapok Tree written by Lynne Cherry

Lists It Appears On:

  • Children Of the Earth
  • We Are teachers

The many different animals that live in a great kapok tree in the Brazilian rainforest try to convince a man with an ax of the importance of not cutting down their home.



5 .) The Little House written by Virginia Lee Burton

Lists It Appears On:

  • Read That Again
  • We Are teachers

A little house in the country sees life change around her as her small town grows into a large city.



4 .) The Lorax written by Dr. Seuss

Lists It Appears On:

  • Family Education
  • Read That Again

The Once-ler describes the results of the local pollution problem.



3 .) The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge written by Joanna Cole

Lists It Appears On:

  • A Mighty Girl
  • Family Education

Ms. Frizzle takes her kids on a whirlwind tour, from the Arctic to the equator so they can see telltale signs of climate change.



2 .) Miss Rumphius written by Barbara Cooney

Lists It Appears On:

  • A Mighty Girl
  • Start With A Book
  • We Are teachers

A beloved classic—written by a beloved Caldecott winner—is lovelier than ever! Barbara Cooney’s story of Alice Rumphius, who longed to travel the world, live in a house by the sea, and do something to make the world more beautiful, has a timeless quality that resonates with each new generation. The countless lupines that bloom along the coast of Maine are the legacy of the real Miss Rumphius, the Lupine Lady, who scattered lupine seeds everywhere she went. Miss Rumphius received the American Book Award in the year of publication. To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of two-time Caldecott winner Barbara Cooney’s best-loved book, the illustrations have been reoriginated, going back to the original art to ensure state-of-the-art reproduction of Cooney’s exquisite artwork



1 .) The Curious Garden written by Peter Brown

Lists It Appears On:

  • Family Education
  • Start With A Book
  • We Are teachers

One boy’s quest for a greener world… one garden at a time. While out exploring one day, a little boy named Liam discovers a struggling garden and decides to take care of it. As time passes, the garden spreads throughout the dark, gray city, transforming it into a lush, green world. This is an enchanting tale with environmental themes and breathtaking illustrations that become more vibrant as the garden blooms. Red-headed Liam can also be spotted on every page, adding a clever seek-and-find element to this captivating picture book.




The 150+ Additional Best Kids Books About Or Featuring Ecology



# Books Authors Lists
13 A Drop Around the World Barbara Shaw McKinney Children Of the Earth
14 A Grand Old Tree Mary Newell DePalma Read That Again
15 A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History Lynn Cherry We Are teachers
16 A Stick Is An Excellent Thing Marilyn Singer NWF
17 A Symphony of Whales A Mighty Girl
18 A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems Deborah Ruddell Start With A Book
19 Ancient Rhymes, A Dolphin Lullaby John Denver Children Of the Earth
20 Anywhere Farm A Mighty Girl
21 Beatrix Potter: A scientist’s eye Nature
22 Bee & Me A Mighty Girl
23 Belonging Jeannie Baker Read That Again
24 Beneath the Sun Melissa Stewart Start With A Book
25 Bloom BoomBloom Boom! April Pulley Sayre
The Childrens Book review
26 Butterfly Park Elly McKay We Are teachers
27 Can You See Me? Ted Lewin Start With A Book
28
Charlie and Lola: We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers
A Mighty Girl
29 Chavela and the Magic Bubble Monica Brown Start With A Book
30 Citizen Scientists: Be Part of the Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard Loree Griffin Burns NWF
31 Coral Reefs Jason Chin NWF
32 Cork & Fuzz: The Swimming Lesson Dori Chaconas NWF
33 Curious George Plants a Tree Margret and H.A. Rey Family Education
34 Dear Children of the Earth Children Of the Earth
35 E-I-E-I-O: How Old MacDonald Got His Farm Judy Sierra Start With A Book
36 Early child development: Body of knowledge Nature
37 Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up Sally Walker Start With A Book
38 Eddie’s Garden and How to Make Things Grow Sarah Garland Start With A Book
39 Eliza and the Dragonfly Susie Caldwell Rinehart Children Of the Earth
40 Emi and the Rhino Scientist A Mighty Girl
41 Everglades Jean Craighead George Start With A Book
42 Every Autumn Comes the Bear Jim Arnosky Start With A Book
43 Explore a Shark David George Gordon Sierra Club
44 Eyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Headlines Paul Fleischman Children Of the Earth
45 Eyewitness Plant David Burnie Start With A Book
46 Fabulous Frogs Martin Jenkins Start With A Book
47 Far from Shore: Chronicles of an Open Ocean Voyage Sophie Webb NWF
48 Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table Jacqueline Briggs Martin Start With A Book
49 Find the Constellations H.A. Rey. Sierra Club
50 First Garden and How It Grew Robbin Gourley Start With A Book
51 Fishing in the Air Sharon Creech and Chris Raschka We Are teachers
52 Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move JoAnn Early Macken Start With A Book
53 Fresh Picked Poetry: A Day at the Farmers’ Market Michelle Schaub Start With A Book
54 Friends: Snake and Lizard Joy Cowley NWF
55 Galápagos Girl / Galapagueña Marsha Diane Arnold Start With A Book
56 Get Outside: The Kids Guide to Fun in the Great Outdoors Jane Drake, Ann Love Start With A Book
57 Giant Squid Candace Fleming Sierra Club
58
Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: The Lives of Six Pioneering Naturalists
A Mighty Girl
59 Give a Hootenanny! Twangy Tunes About Lovin’ the Earth Heidi Howe Children Of the Earth
60 Goodbye Autumn, Hello WinterGoodbye Autumn, Hello Winter Kenard Pak
The Childrens Book review
61 Green Laura Vaccaro Seeger Start With A Book
62 Greetings Raven Howell
The Childrens Book review
63 Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon Jules Bass Children Of the Earth
64 Home for a Tiger, Home for a Bear Brenda Williams Children Of the Earth
65 Home In The Sky Jeannie Baker Read That Again
66 How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? The Story of Food Lucia Gaggiotti Start With A Book
67 How Does My Garden Grow? Gerda Muller Start With A Book
68 If You Were My Baby: A Wildlife Lullaby Fran Hodgkins Children Of the Earth
69 In One Tidepool: Crabs, Snails and Salty Tails Anthony D. Fredericks Children Of the Earth
70 In retrospect: The Lorax Nature
71 In the Small, Small Pond Denise Fleming Start With A Book
72 Inside Outside Lizi Boyd Start With A Book
73 Jack’s Garden Henry Cole Start With A Book
74 Jackson Jones and the Puddle of Thorns Mary Quattlebaum Start With A Book
75 Jo MacDonald Had a Garden Mary Quattlebaum Start With A Book
76 Just a Dream Chris Van Allsburg We Are teachers
77 Leaf Litter Critters Leslie Bulion Start With A Book
78 Least Things: Poems about Small Natures Jane Yolen Start With A Book
79 Letting Swift River Go Jane Yolen We Are teachers
80 Life in the Amazon Rainforest Ginjer Clarke Start With A Book
81
Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle
A Mighty Girl
82
Light Shining Through the Mist: A Photobiography of Dian Fossey
A Mighty Girl
83 Little Seeds A Mighty Girl
84 Luz Makes a Splash Claudia Davila Start With A Book
85
Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya
A Mighty Girl
86 Marshes and Swamps Gail Gibbons Start With A Book
87 Marty McGuire Digs Worms! A Mighty Girl
88 Me…Jane A Mighty Girl
89 Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story Thomas R. Yezerski Start With A Book
90 Michael Recycle Ellie Bethel Family Education
91 Midnight Creatures: A Pop-Up Shadow Search Helen Friel. Sierra Club
92 Miss Fox’s Class Goes Green A Mighty Girl
93 My Favorite Tree: Terrific Trees of North America Diane Iverson Children Of the Earth
94 Nature Log Kids: A Kid’s Journal to Record Their Birding Experiences DeAnna Brandt Start With A Book
95 Near One Cattail: Turtles, Logs and Leaping Frogs Anthony D. Fredericks Children Of the Earth
96 No Monkeys, No Chocolate Melissa Stewart, Allen Young Start With A Book
97 Old Turtle Douglas Wood Children Of the Earth
98 On Meadowview Street A Mighty Girl
99 On One Flower: Butterflies, Ticks and a Few More Icks Anthony D. Fredericks Children Of the Earth
100 One Love A Mighty Girl
101
One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia
A Mighty Girl
102 One Tree Green Start Family Education
103 Our School Garden! Rick Swann Start With A Book
104 Our Tree Named Steve Alan Zweibel We Are teachers
105
Out of School and Into Nature: The Anna Comstock Story
A Mighty Girl
106 Out on the Prairie Donna Bateman Start With A Book
107 Over and Under the Pond Kate Messner Start With A Book
108 Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme Marianne Berkes Children Of the Earth
109 Over in the Ocean, In a Coral Reef Marianne Berkes Children Of the Earth
110 Owl Moon Jane Yolen We Are teachers
111 Pass the Energy, Please! Barbara Shaw McKinney Children Of the Earth
112 Pedal Power: How One Community Became the Bicycle Capital of the World Allan Drummond Start With A Book
113 Picture a Tree Barbara Reid Start With A Book
114 Places of Power Michael DeMunn Children Of the Earth
115 Plant a Little Seed Bonnie Christensen Start With A Book
116 Planting a Rainbow Lois Ehlert Start With A Book
117 Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangara Maathai Claire Nivola Start With A Book
118 Plants Feed Me Lizzy Rockwell Start With A Book
119 Prairie Dog Song: The Key to Saving North America’s Grasslands Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore. Sierra Club
120 Rachel: The Story of Rachel Carson A Mighty Girl
121 Red Knit Cap Girl A Mighty Girl
122 Redwoods Jason Chin Start With A Book
123 River Song With the Banana Slug String Band Steve Van Zandt Children Of the Earth
124 Sea Turtle Scientist A Mighty Girl
125 Seed, Soil, Sun: Earth’s Recipe for Food Cris Peterson Start With A Book
126
Seeds of Change: Wangari’s Gift to the World
A Mighty Girl
127 Sing a Song of Seasons- A Nature Poem for Each Day of the YearSing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year Nosy Crow
The Childrens Book review
128 Sparrow Girl A Mighty Girl
129
Spring After Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement
A Mighty Girl
130 Squirrels Leap, Squirrels Sleep Sierra Club
131 Stars Mary Lyn Ray NWF
132 Story Worlds Nature Thomas Hegbrook Start With A Book
133 Summer Days and NightsSummer Days and Nights Wong Herbert Yee
The Childrens Book review
134 Sunshine On My Shoulders John Denver Children Of the Earth
135 Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature Joyce Sidman Start With A Book
136 Tales of wonder Nature
137 The Big Green Peggy Gifford Start With A Book
138 The Camping Trip That Changed America Barb Rosenstock NWF
139 The Dandelion Seed Joseph Anthony Children Of the Earth
140 The Dream of the Thylacine Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks We Are teachers
141 The Earth and I Frank Asch Family Education
142 The Elephant Scientist A Mighty Girl
143 The End of the Wild Nicole Helget Start With A Book
144 The Forever Forest: Kids Save a Tropical Treasure Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini Children Of the Earth
145 The Forever Garden Laurel Snyder Start With A Book
146 The Hidden Forest Jeannie Baker Read That Again
147 The Little Gardener Emily Hughes We Are teachers
148 The Little Plant Doctor: A Story About George Washington Carver Jean Marzollo Start With A Book
149 The Penderwicks at Point Mouette Jeanne Birdsall NWF
150 The Promise A Mighty Girl
151 The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone Timothy Basil Ering We Are teachers
152 The Story Of Rosy Dock Jeannie Baker Read That Again
153 The Tin Forest Helen Ward We Are teachers
154 The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk Sierra Club
155 The Tree in the Ancient Forest Carol Reed-Jones Children Of the Earth
156
The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed A City Forever
A Mighty Girl
157
The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps
A Mighty Girl
158 The Water Walker Joanne Robertson Start With A Book
159 The Wump World Bill Peet We Are teachers
160 The Year Comes Round: Haiku through the Seasons Sid Farrar Start With A Book
161 There Was a Tree Rachel Isadora Start With A Book
162 Turtle Bay Saviour Pirotta Read That Again
163 Under Water, Under Earth Sierra Club
164 Up We Grow! A Year in the Life of a Small, Local Farm Deborah Hodge Start With A Book
165
Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa
A Mighty Girl
166 Watch Me Grow! A Down-to-Earth Look at Growing Food in the City Deborah Hodge Start With A Book
167 We’re Sailing to Galapagos: A Week in the Pacific Laurie Krebs Start With A Book
168 What If There Were No Bees? Suzanne Slade Start With A Book
169 When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons Julie Fogliano Start With A Book
170 Where Once There Was a Wood Denise Fleming Start With A Book
171 Where The Forest Meets The Sea Jeannie Baker Read That Again
172 Where the River Begins Thomas Locker Start With A Book
173 Where the Wisdom Lies: Children Of the Earth
174 Who Was Rachel Carson? A Mighty Girl
175 Whole World Children Of the Earth
176 Why Do We Need Bees? Emily Bone Start With A Book
177 Wild Animals of the North Dieter Braun. Sierra Club
178 Wilderness: An Interactive Atlas of Animals Hannah Pang Start With A Book
179 Window Jeannie Baker Read That Again
180 Wolf Island Celia Godkin We Are teachers
181 Wonderful Nature, Wonderful You Karin Ireland Children Of the Earth
182 You’re Aboard Spaceship Earth Patricia Lauber Read That Again


10 Best Ecology Children’s Book Sources/Lists



Source Article
A Mighty Girl Top Children’s Books on the Environment
Children Of the Earth Great Books for Kids – Recommended Books that Help Children Learn …
Family Education Top 10 Earth Day Books for Children
Nature Where the wild tales are: how stories teach kids to nurture
NWF Summer Reading to Inspire Outdoor Time for Kids
Read That Again Children’s Book Reviews
Sierra Club 10 Nature-Themed Books to Give Kids of All Ages
Start With A Book Nature and the Environment: Fiction & nonfiction children’s books and …
The Childrens Book review Environment & Ecology : The Childrens Book Review
We Are teachers 17 of Our Favorite Picture Books About Nature
A.M. Anderson

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