10 Picture books on sustainability for toddlers

Books about being environmentally friendly for even the youngest readers.

My kids LOVE books! So for my family books are wonderful teaching tools. Books can help to explain feelings and emotions and are also a great tool for embedding good values into their growing brains. Obviously one of my passions is sustainability so I am always on the lookout for books that have a message relating to treating our Earth with kindness.

It is not always easy to find a sustainability book for toddlers though. I have ordered many from the library that are in the junior section and have a lovely picture on the front but when I open them, they are very wordy with some pictures rather than a picture book. Rather they are intended for a child in primary school.

Even some of the picture books don’t cut it. Some books are too preachy without actually being interesting to read. I have found that the best books have characters for the reader to identify with and/or a nice story to follow along with. The best ones for teaching toddlers focus on actions that they themselves can take since children so young will struggle with bigger picture concepts.

You’re never too old to keep learning – check out these sustainability books for adults.

How to read sustainability books to toddlers

Ease them into it. Don’t get overexcited and read a stack of eco friendly books all in one go. It will be repetitive and boring. Introduce a new one each week or month.

Mix it up with other stories that are just for fun. Once you have a few environmentally focused books in your collection, only read one in each sitting along with some others of the child’s choosing

Relate the book to your family’s own experiences. When you’re reading the book, relate one of the themes to your families activities. It could be either something that you already do or an easy action you could take in the future. Similarly, when you’re suggesting a sustainable activity, relate it to the book. Something like “Hey let’s pick up rubbish like Emily does in the book.

Don’t expect your kids to become eco warriors overnight. There is a lot going on in their brains and this is just one thing for them to consider. And whilst reading books can be a fun way to teach eco conscious values, it will be seeing those around them exhibiting sustainable behaviours daily that will have the biggest influence.

The Top 10 Best Sustainability Books for Toddlers

1. Save The Planet

This is my childrens’ absolute favourite! It has everything you could want to engage a toddler. It has nice big flaps to lift. It has a diverse cast of children and families for your child to identify with. There is a simple quiz at the end with more flaps to lift. 

Save the Planet shows some really practical actions that children can take to be environmentally friendly. The children in the book get to make choices of how they will save the planet which has the dual purpose of empowering the characters as well as showing many ways that people can make sustainable choices. 

P.S. There are some other wonderful books in this series I also recommend (Feelings, Kindness, Families) which follow the same format and have overlapping characters for your children to become familiar with.

2. Change Starts With Us

This book is a nice quick read. With no more than ten words on each page, it shows many small changes we can make to help save our beautiful planet. I like that it includes some changes not often covered in other environmental toddler books like choosing nude food and eating less meat.

3. The Great Realisation

The Great Realisation was originally a poem released on YouTube at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic in April 2020. It reflects on how COVID19 changed our behaviours which in turn had a positive impact on the planet. Nomoco has added her beautiful artwork to turn this into a children’s book. You can view the original poem below.

4. Compost Stew

The author very cleverly writes this book to read like a recipe with beautiful rhyming and easily ticks off ingredients from every letter of the alphabet. It does well to show the many waste streams that can be composted rather than go to landfill and I’m sure a few parents will learn of a new ingredient for their compost stew too.

5. The Earth Book

The Earth Book is told from a child’s point of view and shows things children can do to be kind to our earth. I like that this book shows a clear WHY for kids, giving them motivation to take the same actions. Eg. I use both sides of the paper. Why? Because I love the trees and want the owls to have a place to live. Todd Parr’s colourful child like illustrations fit beautifully with the words. This book also comes with a bonus poster.

6. Greta Thunberg (Little People Big Dreams)

Kids books usually have a child as the hero but rarely is there a true story of a child doing amazing things. This children’s version of Greta Thunberg’s story was very interesting (for me as well as the kids) and truly inspiring. It details the changes she made in her own life, how she convinced her parents to adopt more sustainable practices, inspired student protests around the world and stood up to world leaders about tackling climate change.

7. Why Should I Recycle?

Why should I recycle? This is a question your child will likely ask you at some point and whilst you could come up with an explanation, this book explains it wonderfully. It mentions the materials that are easiest to recycle and the new things that can be made out of them. It then goes into other ways to deal with waste such as donating to second hand stores and composting. The central child learns all this from her teacher and then teaches her parents how not to waste waste. Also in this series are Why Should I Save Water? and Why Should I Save Energy?

8. We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers

If your child already enjoys Charlie and Lola books then they will love this one too. Big brother Charlie teaches Lola about recycling and then Lola gets the whole school involved. I like their simple reason for recycling is that “if we throw everything away then we will all be completely buried under a massive huge pile of garbage”.

9. What Does It Mean To Be Green?

This book is perfect for young kids. It starts off by being silly and getting them in a giggly mood. It tells them heaps of ways how they can be green; my personal favourite is choosing ice cream in a cone instead of a cup with a spoon. I think every child will be happy to be green if they can do it while eating ice cream!

10. Saving Seal – The Plastic Predicament

In this heartwarming tale, children will meet Seal, a lovable character who embarks on an eye-opening adventure. When Seal’s home is threatened by plastic pollution in the ocean, the little hero sets out on a mission to find a solution. With vibrant illustrations and a compelling storyline, “Saving Seal” teaches kids about the harmful effects of plastic and empowers them to make a positive change for the environment.

11. Somebody Crunched Colin

Meet Colin, a spirited chip packet who finds himself on a journey of self-discovery and resilience. When Colin’s world takes an unexpected turn after being crunched, he sets out on a quest to uncover the mystery behind the crunch and find his place in the world. Through encounters with a lively cast of characters, Colin learns valuable lessons about environmental impact and the importance of coming together to make a difference.

12. Heal The Earth

Through lush illustrations and lyrical prose, Julian Lennon paints a vivid picture of a world in need of care and restoration. Young readers are guided on a tour of the earth using their imaginations to explore coral reefs, rainforests and cities. Heal the Earth not only sparks conversations about sustainability but also kindles a sense of responsibility and empowerment within children. 

10 Picture books perfect for toddlers and preschoolers to teach sustainability

Have you read any of these already? Which is your favourite? Or have you read any other sustainability books that your toddler loves? I’d love to hear in the comments.

Image credit: Andy Kuzma from Pexels

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