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Here’s a list of our favorite and best books about the environment.
We focus on gardening, the environment, and all things nature.
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin
- In this charming story about celebrating differences, a Chinese-American girl wishes for a garden of bright flowers instead of one full of bumpy, ugly, vegetables.
- Growing up my mother's garden was full of Vietnamese vegetables, so I related to this a lot.
- This book springs forth with the bright and cheerful colors of blooming flowers and lumpy vegetables. Grace Lins playful illustrations pour forth with abundant treasures. Complete with a guide to the Chinese pronunciation of the vegetables and the recipe for ugly vegetable soup! Try it . . . you'll love it, too!
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
- This sweet exploration of the hidden world and many lives of a garden through the course of a year could not be more lovely, according to the Washington Post.
- Up in the garden, the world is full of green—leaves and sprouts, growing vegetables, ripening fruit. But down in the dirt there is a busy world of earthworms digging, snakes hunting, skunks burrowing, and all the other animals that make a garden their home.
- After reading head outside and have your kids do their own discovery in your yard or at the park.
Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals
- We read this book with our daughter when we started our first home compost.
- Not only is composting becoming more common in households and residential gardens, but many school gardens feature compost piles, too.
- Shares how you start a compost pile and what’s safe to include.
The Listening Walk by Paul Showers
- The Listening Walk will remind both adults and kids of the wonders all around them...if they slow down and listen.
- A little girl and her father take a quiet walk and identify the sounds around them. Soon the girl discovers an extraordinary world of sounds in her everyday environment.
- Our daughter often hears trucks, hammers (lots of construction where we live), leaves rustling. Take a listening walk with your kids and see how many sounds they can identify.
Bee & Me by Alison Jay
- After our daughter was stung by a bee, she became afraid of anything that buzzed. This story helped her realize bees are not harmful but super beneficial.
- This wordless picture book takes you on a journey where a girl befriends a bee.
- The illustrations capture a world of sadness without bees and their importance to our world
Seeds of Change: Wangari’s Gift to the World by Jen Cullerton Johnson
- We want our daughter to know shes capable of anything. Anything is possible if she works hard, perseveres, and has the determination to make things happen.
- This is a powerful story of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and environmentalist to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
- Her story will inspire young minds to think big, stay curious, and conquer the world.
Red Knit Cap Girl and the Reading Tree by Naoko Stoop
- This is an adorable book to read with kids. Take them on a transformation where they witness an ordinary tree turn into a magical oasis for reading and adventure.
- Teaches importance of reading and teamwork.
Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor
- Great book for teaching kids about love of science with a strong female lead.
- This lyrical, illustrated biography follows Carsons journey—from a girl exploring the woods, to a woman working to help support her family during the Great Depression, to a journalist and pioneering researcher, investigating and exposing the harmful effects of pesticide overuse.
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
- Simple story of the life cycle of a flower told through adventures of a seed. Colorful images will capture your kids attention.
- This mini-book includes a piece of detachable seed-embedded paper housed on the inside front cover. Plant the entire piece of paper and watch your own seeds grow into wildflowers.
Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner
- Let your imagination soar with this book. Deep in the pond is a hidden world with secrets to be uncovered.
- Stunning illustrations paired with an easy-to-follow storyline will surely captivate kids as they look at the beauty the ecosystem has to offer.
Touch the Earth by Julian Lennon
- Really fun interactive book takes kids aboard the White Feather Flier, a magical plane.
- Kids press buttons on the page to fly up, land, send clean water to people, dive into the ocean, and explore the planet to meet new people, and make the world a better place.
- An inspiring, lyrical story, Touch the Earth is filled with beautiful illustrations that bring the faraway world closer to young children.
See more recommended products from other categories here.
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