“Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God.”-George Washington Carver
Friday, April 22 is Earth Day, a day to “celebrate clean air, land, and water.” It is also a day to learn about environmental issues and the many actions—small or great—we take to ensure that our planet is protected, livable, and enjoyable for years to come. Such actions may include recycling and reusing, cleaning up plastic, using fewer chemicals and pesticides in the home and garden, and conserving water. You can find more ideas here. And to appreciate nature, take a “walk in the woods” or engage in another outside activity on Earth Day, or any day. To learn more about agricultural scientist George Washington Carver, check out the middle-grade books by Tonya Bolden and Marilyn Nelson, George Washington Carver (Abrams BYR, 2008) and Carver: A Life in Poems (Front Street, 2001) respectively. The books listed below include fiction and nonfiction picture, chapter, and middle-grade titles. Our stories matter.
1. Mermaid Kenzie: Protector of the Deeps
Charlotte Watson Sherman | Geneva Bowers |Astra Young Readers | 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
2. Miguel’s Community Garden (Where in the Garden?, Bk. 2)
JaNay Brown-Wood | Samara Hardy | Peachtree Publishing Company | 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
3. Coyote’s Soundbite: A Poem for Our Planet
John Agard | Piet Grobler | Lantana Publishing | 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
4. Bee Love (Can Be Hard)
Alan Page | Kamie Page | David Geister | Page Education Foundation | 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
5. Planting Peace: The Story of Wangari Maathai
Gwendolyn Hooks | Margaux Carpentier | Crocodile Books | 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
6. Michelle’s Garden: How the First Lady Planted Seeds of Change
Sharee Miller | Little, Brown BYR | 2021 |PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
7. Jayden’s Impossible Garden
Mélina Mangal | Ken Daley | Free Spirit | 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
8. Rocket Says Clean Up!
Nathan Bryon | Dapo Adeola | Random House BYR | 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
9. Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood
Tony Hillery | Jessie Hartland | S & S/Paula Wiseman | 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
10. I Am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon
Baptiste Paul | Miranda Paul | Elizabeth Zunon | Millbrook Press | 2019 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
11. The Thing About Bees: A Love Letter
Shabazz Larkin | Readers to Eaters | 2019 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
12. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
William Kamkwamba | Bryan Mealer | Elizabeth Zunon | Dial BYR | 2012 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
13. Sadiq and the Community Garden
Siman Nuurali | Christos Skaltsas | 2022| Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
14. Ana & Andrew: Planting Peanuts
Christine Platt | Anuki López | Calico Kid | 2021 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
15. Bradford Street Buddies: Springtime Blossoms
Jerdine Nolen | Michelle Henninger | Clarion Books | 2017 | ChpBk | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
16. Junior Scientists: Experiment with Solar Energy
Christine Taylor-Butler | Cherry Lake Publishing | 2010 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
17. Saving Earth: Climate Change and the Fight for Our Future
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich | Tim Foley | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) | April 5, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
18. Hope: Project Go Green (Bk. 4)
Alyssa Milano | Debbie Rigaud | Eric S. Keyes | Scholastic Inc. | 2021 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
19. Planet Earth (A True Book)
Christine Taylor-Butler | Children’s Press | 2014 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
20. Hydrology (A True Book: Earth Science)
Christine Taylor-Butler | Children’s Press | 2012 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
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