Nature: Our Green World

A tree is more than just a plant, but a whole ecosystem hiding in plain sight—on street corners and in backyards everywhere. Discover how one tree provides shelter, food, and clean air to a host of animals and insects. Robins build their nest in the branches and bees gather nectar from flowers. The tree keeps its neighborhood clean, healthy, and safe. Leaves clean the air and roots keep the dirt from washing away. The tree's residents are safe through thunderstorms and changing seasons. This home is built to last!

Mia and her mama used to live in an apartment with just a few windows that was part of a big building with lots of other people. Now, they’ve moved to a house that has eleven windows, a yard, and a mango tree. Mia misses her old home, but the special mango tree captures her curiosity and sets her on a sweet voyage of discovery. As more and more mangos appear on the tree, bringing the neighborhood together, Mia sees how treasuring and sharing the good that comes into your life can lead to new connections and community.

This picture book helps the youngest readers see the majesty of trees—and how humans are like trees. Our spines are like trunks; our skin is like bark; and our hearts give us strength and support, like heartwood. Like trees, we are fueled by air and sun. And, like humans, trees are social. They “talk” to spread information; they share food and resources. They shelter and take care of one another.

Once there was a river flowing through a forest. The river didn't know it was capable of adventures until a big bear came along. But adventures aren't any fun by yourself, and so enters Froggy, Turtles, Beaver, Racoons, and Duck.

Sharp eyes are needed to see most of the well-camouflaged creatures in the Costa Rican rainforest presented in stunning, realistic illustrations. A simple, repeated sentence lets emerging readers know what (e.g., bird, snake) to look for in each double page spread. The animals are specifically identified on the final page.

As the seasons change, a large black bear prepares for hibernation. In his search for a den, he startles a bobcat, a grouse, and other smaller animals. Striking watercolors and brief text, drawn from the artist's observations of a bear behind his Vermont home, explain the balance found in nature and the cycles of life.

Endpages show swimming tadpoles; turn the page and the progression from tadpole to frog appears within brief frog facts. There are over 5,000 kinds of frogs that live all over the world. Turn the page and some of them are introduced in lively but short text and dramatic, colorful illustrations. Alliterative, onomatopoeic frog sounds are effectively incorporated into page designs of this informative and engaging book

A child is on a colorful journey through the seasons, filled with yellow flowers and blue coral in spring and summer and orange pumpkins and green pine forests in fall and winter. All the while, there is another colorful change on the horizon—the birth of a new sibling. With gentle, rhyming text and vivid artwork, this book is a celebration of family, nature, seasons, colors, and the wonder and magic of them all.

An introduction to the water cycle and water conservation for the youngest readers. Join a young girl as she explores her surroundings and sees that water is everywhere. But water doesn't always look the same, it doesn't always feel the same, and it shows up in lots of different shapes. Water can be a lake, it can be steam, it can be a tear, or it can even be a snowman.

This book lets the youngest readers go outdoors and explore nature. It is specially designed for the way babies and toddlers “read"—i.e., with their hands and mouth—and is rip-proof, non-toxic, and washable.

Caroline doesn't see much of the name of their new street, Meadowview, as she and her family move to their new suburban neighborhood. When she saves a single flower from the lawn mower, she starts to change not only her backyard but ultimately the entire neighborhood. Soft illustrations and understated text convey story and an important concept.

A dazzling celebration of the colorful variety in a flower garden and the cyclical excitement of gardening. A young child relatesthe yearly cycle and process of planning, planting and picking flowers in a garden. Mother and child plant bulbs in fall, order seeds from catalogs in winter, eagerly anticipate the first shoots of spring, select seedlings in summer and then "watch the rainbow grow."

Giant redwoods are usually found in the Northwest United States, so how does a boy on a New York subway get to the redwoods canopy? That's just what happens in this informative, illustrated journey from underground to atop the world's tallest trees. The redwoods can be found in national parks in northern California and southern Oregon.

How many types of green exist? There’s “anaconda green, electric-eel green, green-iguana-in-the-sun green” and more as presented in the fresh language and imaginative illustrations that show a seemingly simple color in a rich new way.

A young girl and an older woman, Honey, bond over Honey’s garden and her chickens. When Honey must move away, the narrator is devastated until new neighbors move in and the girl can show them how to maintain the garden. An author’s note reveals that her story is loosely based on a Talmudic story about the value of effort not simply the harvest.

The determined story of an Ojibwe grandmother (nokomis), Josephine Mandamin, and her great love for nibi (water). Nokomis walks to raise awareness of our need to protect nibi for future generations and for all life on the planet.

An exploration of color and the seasons in a lyrical, philosophical way that is rooted in a child's sensibilities. In a nonlinear, vignette fashion, seasons change as do feelings of frustration to wonder, capturing a child's imagination, mindfulness, and inquiry. 

An Ojibwe girl confronts a grave situation by channeling age-old wisdom. The “black snake” of an oil pipeline was set to cross their land, endangering their water supply, and in her culture women must protect the water, men the fire. Inspired by the movement that brought Indigenous nations together to protest with the Standing Rock Sioux.

As a young boy in medieval Italy, Leonardo Fibonacci thought about numbers day and night. He was such a daydreamer that people called him a blockhead. He realized that many things in nature, from the number of petals on a flower to the spiral of a nautilus shell, seem to follow a certain pattern. 

 

Chavela loves chomping chicle — chewing gum and blowing bubbles. One day, while out with her abuelita, she finds a mysterious kind of gum she has never seen before. She pops it in her mouth and blows a giant bubble that lifts her up into the air and carries her on a magical journey. Candy-colored paintings illustrate this fantastical story with an ecological twist. An afterword provides information on natural chewing gum, the rainforest, and sustainable farming, as well as music to a traditional Latin American folksong.

Filled with colorful images and quirky facts, this book will help young readers discover all types of forests—from rain forests to boreal forests—and where they are found. They will also learn about the different animals that make their homes in the forest, explore how forests change through the seasons, and find out about forest conservation.

It's windy on the Danish island of Samsø. Meet the environmentally friendly people who now proudly call their home Energy Island. This inspiring true story proves that with a little hard work and a big idea, anyone can make a huge step toward energy conservation. 

White House gardens started with John Adams in 1800 and continue with Michelle Obama. History and recipes for healthy food are presented in this attractive volume.

As the weather warms farmers’ markets begin to open. Celebrate the start of the season through lively illustrations and short poems that allow communities from large cities to small towns to “… teem with farmers and their goods — /tasty transformations.”

This picture book retells the story of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg—the Swedish teenager who has led a global movement to raise awareness about the world’s climate crisis—using allegory to make this important topic accessible to young children.

In the pages of this book, you’ll find a workshop filled with everything you need, including a head, a thorax, an abdomen, and much more. Written by an entomologist and accompanied by delightfully detailed illustrations, this wonderfully original take on insect anatomy will spark curiosity and engage even those who didn't think they liked creepy, crawly things!

A rhyming text and detailed illustrations combine to reveal bees’ activity, culminating in a large gatefold to reveal a lush garden. Backmatter provides information about types of bees and their role in pollinationA rhyming text and detailed illustrations combine to reveal bees’ activity, culminating in a large gatefold to reveal a lush garden. Backmatter provides information about types of bees and their role in pollination.

Crisp, clear, full-color photographs are carefully placed with text to present an overview of life in an Amazon rainforest. The book provides a map of the South American rainforest, and concludes with doable actions to preserve it.

When her mischievous dog wanders off, a young girl sets off to look for Peppermint and along the way regales readers with stories and facts about the woods near her home, from encounters with spiny porcupines and protective mother coyotes all the way back to the mile-thick glaciers that shaped the landscape. Notes explain that some of the girls adventures are based on the author's experiences in the Adirondack Moutains of New York.

Get an introduction to the concept of wetlands (swamps have trees, and marshes do not) and learn the differences between between the fresh-and saltwater varieties of each. Find out about the amazing array of plants and animals found in these ecosystems and how these areas store freshwater, prevent flooding and erosion, and serve as a refuge for migratory animals. A map of swamps and marshes in North American and a fact sheet on wetlands are included.

Miss Rumphius leaves the world more beautiful with an unusual legacy. This gentle story can relate to not only the language arts, but to dreams, legacies, and the environment.

The garden at Michael’s new school is full of fresh sensations. Thirteen poems describe holding a handful of compost, eating a leaf, watching a bug, and more. Richly textured mixed-media illustrations in earthy tones follow a diverse class as they plan, plant, harvest, and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Notes and resources expand on the text. [School Library Journal]

How one person helped make one community into the bicycle capital of the world is told in animated illustrations and easy text. It began in the 1970s when Maartje Rutten and her friends strived to change one city. The impact of that movement is still evident in Amsterdam today where bicycles remain more prevalent than automobiles.

The snow has melted, the buttercups are blooming, and Sylvia celebrates winter's end by writing a poem. She ties her poem to a birch tree, hoping that it doesn't count as littering if it makes the world more beautiful. But when she returns, a new poem is waiting for her. Could the tree really be writing back? Sylvia decides to test her theory, and so begins a heartwarming poetic correspondence...as well as an unexpected new friendship.

Rachel Carson was a shy child, always drawn to nature. She grew up to become a professional biologist and enter a field with few women and write a book that changed the way people looked at the environment. Soft, cartoon-like illustrations and straightforward narrative present an overview of Carson's life; sources are included at the end.

Celebrate young climate change activists in this charming story about an empowered girl who shows up, listens up, and ultimately, speaks up to inspire her community to take action against climate change. After attending a climate march, a young activist is motivated to make an effort and do her part to help the planet... by organizing volunteers to work to make green changes in their community, from cleaning a lake, to planting trees, to making composting bins, to hosting a clothing swap and more! 

Examine each double page spread in this oversized book. See the realistically pictured animals and where they live. Make up or find a story about them. If you’re curious, you can look in the back for the names of the real animals. Handsome scenes from different natural environments make this a book to examine again and again.

Trees shelter and surround us. Their leaves offer shade from the hot summer sun. In autumn, they dazzle us with color. In winter, they stand tall against a cold and snowy background. Trees may look solitary, but each one is teeming with life. This book is a child's guide to the wide variety of trees that surround us. The book includes information on how to identify trees, an explanation of photosynthesis, and a special section on how to make a tree identification book of your own.

The story opens with 18-year-old French naturalist John James Audubon roaming Pennsylvania countryside in search of birds. He observes them as they grow through the summer, leave for the winter, and return the following year. Audubon was the first person in North America to band a bird and became the greatest painter of birds of all time.

Have you wondered why frogs croak on the edge of streams? It all started long ago with two disobedient frog brothers who decided to obey their long-suffering mother only after her death. Humor and grimness combine for a memorable Korean pourquoi tale. 

What goes on inside a tree? Can trees communicate with each other? Why are rainforests called the lungs of the Earth? What is tree bathing? All these questions and many more are covered in this practical guide to everything there is to know about forests and how important they are to us. In addition to the scientific side of forests, this book delves into the stories people tell about forests, from fairies and the tales of the Brothers Grimm, to fearsome beasts and the real-life historical figures who have explored the most dense and mysterious woodlands.

This rhyming read-aloud celebrates how we’re all connected under the sun. As readers are introduced to people and places all over the world and throughout history, the refrain, “The sun shines everywhere,” reminds us that the sun is something that we all need and that we all share.

Ernest Everett Just was not like other scientists of his time. His keen observations of sea creatures revealed new insights about egg cells and the origins of life. He persisted in his research despite the discrimination and limitations imposed on him as an African American. 

Growing fruits and vegetables doesn't take a lot of space; they can even grow in crowded cities! From beekeeping to chickens, small areas can support food which leads to sharing, eating, and caring for others and the environment. Once the concept of urban agriculture is introduced, who knows what may blossom?!

When you find something strange and wonderful, do you put it in your pocket? Meet nine scientists—including Charles Darwin, George Washington Carver, and Jane Goodall—who explored the great outdoors as kids and collected "treasures": seedpods, fossils, worms, and more. Observing, sorting, and classifying their finds taught these kids scientific skills—and sometimes led to groundbreaking discoveries.

This book is a good introduction to the effects people can have on the environment. The simple text introduces the plants and animals that once thrived in a wooded area before their habitat was changed to build a housing development. The book features Fleming's distinctive lush collage illustrations.

There’s a lot more to gardens than meets the eye! In this collection of poems filled with fun facts, young nature enthusiasts and budding gardeners are called on to help solve a mystery by the compost bin, join a Wild West-style standoff between some good bugs and a few bad ones, interview the sun to find out what happens when it drinks a glass of water, and learn the fancy names of plants to spice up dinner conversation.

Scientists are working to save the endangered California Condor. In rich narrative, the author provides information on the condor as well as the history and efforts of scientists to bring them back from the brink. Accompanying photographs add drama and personality for both feathered and human subjects.

Take a poetic tour through the duff and get the dirt on the tiny, fascinating critters that live there. For all the kids who can't resist turning over a rock, the author presents 19 lively ecological poems in a variety of verse forms about the "brown food web" and the creatures that live there — from bacteria and rove beetles to mushrooms and millipedes, and all of the other busy recyclers in between.

With a heat wave and a drought threatening the city's water supply, Luz and her friends dive into the fight to save the swimming pond and Friendship Park. This graphic novel includes a guide on how to make a water-wise garden.

Trees are one of the most popular subjects in the Peterson Field Guide series—and this one is made for the beginning naturalist. Nearly 250 different trees are grouped into six categories by leaf type and arrangement, making it easier for the beginner to identify unknown species.

A lively introduction to voting, democracy, and activism for kids. Should an ancient monkey puzzle tree be cut down to make room for exciting new classrooms? In this spirited picture book, students must work together to come to an agreement—but it’s not as easy as it seems! The message of this book, which focuses on a student body’s divided opinion about an issue vital to its future, is that disagreements can lead to fruitful discussion, better understanding and great ideas.

An observologist makes scientific expeditions, albeit very small ones, every day. This book puts more than 100 small creatures and features of the natural world under the microscope, piquing our curiosity with only the most interesting facts. Subjects range from slugs, ants, and seeds to fungi, flies, bees, and bird poop.

A friendly water droplet character guides children through topics ranging from melting and freezing to the ways in which water literally shapes the Earth. Tales by storytellers from around the world are sprinkled through the book, highlighting the variety of ways in which global cultures value water. The engaging format includes gatefolds and booklets with hands-on activity ideas for learning about and protecting water.