Favourite books about the environment for younger children

Tiny Crab loves looking after his beach and keeping it safe and clean. When he invites a friend to visit, they leave the beach in an absolute mess. With rubbish all over his beloved beach, can Tiny Crab find his voice to speak up?

Pete the badger likes to keep everything neat and tidy, but his over-zealous cleaning begins to have a damaging impact on the forest. This entertaining picture book, with its rich illustrations, carries an important environmental message.

A cute but rather badly behaved little orangutan has appeared in a little girl’s bedroom. Rang-Tan explains that there are humans in her forest, destroying trees. A helpful picture book for introducing this issue to children. 

When Pete the Badger and his woodland friends clear the forest of bugs, they are surprised to discover what a disastrous impact it has on the ecosystem. A superb picture book with witty, rhyming text and exquisitelydetailed illustrations. 

Rhyming text and warm illustrations create an uplifting tale that celebrates the joys and pleasures of growing not just food and flowers, but also friendships and communities.

The great beauty and diversity of the coral reef is explored in this stunningly beautiful picture book, which is a true work of art. The rhyming non-fiction text scans well and the information about coral reef conservation is pitched at the right level.

This is a book to pore and ponder over, from reading the story to picking out the different creatures in each picture, to reading the funny and fascinating animal names.

Rocket loves visiting her Grammy and Grampy in the Caribbean, especially splashing in the waves with her cool surfing Grammy – but when Rocket finds a baby turtle washed up on the shore, tangled in plastic, she decides something must be done. It’s time to clean up!

This charming, funny, sweet picture book combines concerns about arctic erosion, animal conservation and immigration in a lovely story about polar bears. It’s sure to be a favourite with little ones, who will love Sheibani’s illustration.

Clem loves going to the beach and tries hard to keep the coastline clean, but soon realises she needs the help and enthusiasm of her classmates, too. An uplifting and inspiring picture book that demonstrates that lots of small actions can have a big impact. The uplifting story is accompanied by beautiful illustrations, which bring the seascape to life.

The Last Wolf ranks alongside Mini Grey’s other picture book masterpieces, with all her trademark rich, characterful illustration, quirky humour and perfect pacing. The story has an environmental message but is in no way preachy or boring.

This fabulous lift-the-flap book subtly encourages everyone to plant lots of bee-friendly flowers and is a fun-filled introduction to conservation for young children.

This story, inspired by the life of Greta Thunberg, is for very young children. Suitably for the age group, it’s a tale of hope, positivity and friendship, but there are also ideas at the end for how to get more involved in campaigning.

Written by an animal behaviourist and environmental campaigner, this gentle tale subtly educates children about the damage a simple plastic bag can do to wild animals. Lively illustrations accompany the rhythmic, repetitive text, which is perfect to read aloud.

Nell goes on a journey to the polluted Big City to reveal a machine that can clean the city’s air. A beautiful picture book that demonstrates the power of the people against ​“the man”, and will fill every child with big dreams to make the world a better place. 

Sofia Valdez isn’t just a do-gooder: she’s a do-better, visiting people in her community who can’t get out much, or just stopping for a chat. Andrea Beaty’s brilliant rhyming text tells Sofia’s story flawlessly, and David Roberts’ characters and imagery are stunning.

Pedro and his friends are at the eco cabin, discovering lots of eco-friendly activities. Fact-filled and friendly, this is a useful book for sharing with young school children.

Six Earth Goddesses call a meeting to discuss what is to be done about humans inflicting catastrophic environmental damage to the planet. Coyote, disguised as his wife, joins the meeting – and feels compelled to speak out.

From lavender to sunflowers and daffodils to orchids, discover a bouquet of short poems celebrating different flower species.

When Colin shoots a sparrowhawk, he knows that he’s done something wrong and takes the hawk to the vet. Soon, Colin finds a passion for wildlife he never knew he had. Anyone reading Flying Free will want to rescue their own hawk…

A simple, warm hearted and humorous book with charming illustrations. The correspondence could spark ideas for letter writing in the classroom setting.