Our Climate is Changing, Why Aren’t We?
Supporting elementary students with developing knowledge and agency around climate change can be done through the use of children’s literature. Below is a small collection of books with corresponding resources for engaging your students in learning about climate change.
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Children’s Books
Click on a book from the list below to jump to information and resources for that specific book, or jump to additional resources.
This is Climate Change
by
“This Is Climate Change cuts straight to the facts, using infographics on every page to make the reality about our warming planet plain to see. How much do humans contribute to global warming? What do ever-more-frequent storms and floods mean for our homes, forests, coastlines, and crops? And what is happening to our oceans (beyond rising sea levels)? Corroborated by over 100 scientists, This Is Climate Change captures the scope of the present crisis without glossing over the nuance or what we don’t know. This is an urgent examination of the state of our precious, precarious planet—in pictures.”
Mario and the Hole in the Sky: How a Chemist Saved Our Planet
by Elizabeth Rusch (Author), Teresa Martinez (Illustrator)
“Mexican American Mario Molina is a modern-day hero who helped solve the ozone crisis of the 1980s. Growing up in Mexico City, Mario was a curious boy who studied hidden worlds through a microscope. As a young man in California, he discovered that CFCs, used in millions of refrigerators and spray cans, were tearing a hole in the earth’s protective ozone layer. Mario knew the world had to be warned–and quickly. Today Mario is a Nobel laureate and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His inspiring story gives hope in the fight against global warming.”
Additional Resources
View the Read Aloud Guide for Mario and the Hole in the Sky
The Tantrum That Saved the World
by Elizabeth Rusch (Author), Teresa Martinez (Illustrator)
“Mexican American Mario Molina is a modern-day hero who helped solve the ozone crisis of the 1980s. Growing up in Mexico City, Mario was a curious boy who studied hidden worlds through a microscope. As a young man in California, he discovered that CFCs, used in millions of refrigerators and spray cans, were tearing a hole in the earth’s protective ozone layer. Mario knew the world had to be warned–and quickly. Today Mario is a Nobel laureate and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His inspiring story gives hope in the fight against global warming.”
Additional Resources
View the group Jamboard answering the question “How does The Tantrum That Saved The World support students’ social and emotional learning?”
Our World Out of Balance: Understanding Climate Change and What We Can Do
by
“Filled with engaging big ideas that will inspire children to think about their role in keeping our world healthy, Our World Out of Balance details how humans have thrown the planet off-balance and ways we can work together to be part of the solution and create a healthier world.”
Additional Resources
View the Activity Guide Padlet with activities that can be used to deepen student learning around the climate change issues presented in the book.
The Whale Child
by Keith Egawa, Chenoa Egawa, and Jessica Hernandez
“Written and illustrated by Indigenous authors Keith Egawa and Chenoa Egawa, The Whale Child introduces children ages 7 to 12 to existing environmental issues with a message of hope, education, sharing, and action. Ideal for middle-grade readers who are beginning to read chapter books on their own, this book also includes resources for students and teachers to facilitate learning about Pacific Northwest Indigenous cultures and the environment.”
Additional Resources
View the Book Guide (ELA Integration), The Whale Child Podcast, and Preview Video
Old Enough to Save the Planet
by Loll Kirby and Adelina Lirius
“The world is facing a climate crisis like we’ve never seen before. And kids around the world are stepping up to raise awareness and try to save the planet. As people saw in the youth climate strike in September 2019, kids will not stay silent about this subject—they’re going to make a change. Meet 12 young activists from around the world who are speaking out and taking action against climate change. Learn about the work they do and the challenges they face, and discover how the future of our planet starts with each and every one of us.”
If Polar Bears Disappeared
by Lily Williams
“The freezing ecosystem in the far north of the globe is home to many different kinds of animals. They can be strong like a walrus, tough like a lemming, resilient like an arctic fox, but no arctic animal is as iconic as the polar bear.
Unfortunately, the endangered polar bear is threatened with extinction due to rapid climate change that is causing the ice where it hunts/lives to melt at an alarming rate. If Polar Bears Disappeared uses accessible, charming art to explore what would happen if the sea ice melts, causing the extinction of polar bears, and how it would affect environments around the globe.”
Additional Resources
View the Reading Guide, Investigation Guide, and Cause and Effect Jamboard
Resources for Talking to Students About Climate Change
This collection of books was used in a ClimeTime partnership event between ESD 101, ESD 105, ESD 123, and ESD 171 to support teachers in educating students across Eastern Washington about climate change.
Questions about the resources listed above?
Please email Cari Haug at the NCESD