Whether you are celebrating Earth Day this week or next week or every week, there are books here that will enchant your students or your family, opening up possibilities for good discussions.
Earth: My First 4.54 Billion Years Told from the viewpoint of the anthropomorphic Earth itself, this book tells the life story of our home planet, introducing it to “alien visitors.” As Earth says, “You can call me Planet Awesome.” A gentle sense of humor and rich illustrations will engage Earth’s residents with lots of cool facts and engaging text. |
Earth Day Every Day Tyler and Trina are on a mission to save Earth. They apply what they’ve learned in school to earth-preserving projects such as recycling, saving energy, conserving water, and celebrating Earth Day. |
Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up In haiku verse, Sally M. Walker provokes young readers to think about our earth from a science viewpoint. “Fragile outer crust / shell around mantle and core– / Earth a hard-boiled egg. It’s always fun to challenge students to write in 17 syllables … Walker shines a bright flashlight on the path. William Grill’s colored pencil illustrations will be inspirational, too.
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Earthshake: Poems from the Ground Up A delightful collection of poems that introduce and integrate into lessons on earth science, geology, geography, and ecology. Often humorous, the poems are worthy of re-reading. The collage illustrations deepen the reader’s understanding of the poetry; they invite careful study. |
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth The author welcomes his young child to the world with paintings of the cosmos, the land and sea and incredulous features of this Earth. It’s a beautiful book to share with young children and to discuss with older children what the Earth means to them and why they appreciate it. |
Hundred Billion Trillion Stars This is a playful book, both in text and illustrations, that will satisfy young minds hungering for facts, math, and absorbable information about our planet, Earth. Fascinated by really big numbers? How many stars in the universe? How many trees on Earth? In his author’s note, Mr. Fishman says that these numbers are “sort-of-definitely-ALMOST true,” but pinpoint accuracy is not the point. The scope, the magnificence, the understanding of the grandeur of our Earth … that’s the story here. |
On the Day You Were Born Although this book is often given as a baby’s birth present, it is a good choice for Earth Day read-alouds and discussions, reveling in all of the Earth’s wonders alongside the humans who are its caretakers. There is a detailed glossary explaining such natural phenomena as gravity, tides, and migration, so it works well for the classroom. |
Our Big Home This picture book celebrates that all living things on Earth are interconnected and how the Earth supports our lives. The illustrations are gorgeous. There’s a strong sense of respect for life and joy in being alive. |
Thank You, Earth: a Love Letter to Our Planet Perhaps inspiring your students’ own thank you notes, the author shares her photographs and a poetic text that thank the Earth for its stunning beauty and life-giving resources. Wonderfully clear photographs are inspiring and large enough for sharing. A recommended primary and elementary school book that introduce concepts of science, nature, geography, biology, poetry, and community. |
Thanks for pulling this list together. Let’s hope we can get back to treating the planet with care and respect.