Do you celebrate Earth Day in just one day or for a whole week/unit? I can never decide! Part of my indecisiveness is because of all these amazing Earth Day mentor texts I have come across over the years and can never pick just one or two to share with my students in a day, so naturally, we end up making a whole unit out of Earth Day and read many of these great books throughout the week.
Have you read any of these before or have other favorites? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
Fiction: Follow along with Liam (and try to spot him on each page!) as he goes on a mission to transform each struggling garden into a lush, vibrant, blooming one.
The Leaf Detective by Heather Lang
Nonfiction: A biography of the first scientist, Meg Lowman, to explore and investigate the rainforest tree canopies and all the challenges she faced throughout being a female scientist. Read about her perseverance to sustain a future for the rainforest and her career as a scientist.
This is also a great mentor text to feature during Women’s History Month!
Up in the Leaves: The True Story of the Central Park Treehouses by Shira Boss
Nonfiction: A true story about a boy named Bob Redman who got tired of the noise and business of New York City, so decided to build his own treehouses, starting from very simple to becoming more and more elaborate, in the famous Central Park.
A Green Place to Be: The Creation of Central Park by Ashley Benham Yazdani
Nonfiction: Learn how New York City’s Central Park came to be and about the men who helped make this green sanctuary a reality in 1858.
Seeds and Trees by Brandon Walden
Fiction: A powerful story that not only focuses on Earth’s gifts of trees and seeds but the key lessons for every child about spreading love and positivity and the longing effects words can have on our feelings and emotions.
Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood by Tony Hillery
Nonfiction: An incredible story about a man an students from an underfunded school took vacant land and turned it into a beautiful garden full of fruits and vegetables to support the community and promote healthy eating.
The Boy Who Grew a Forest by Sophia Gholz
Nonfiction: An award winning, true story about Jadav Payeng who was a boy determined to make a difference and sustain the life of native plants and animals on his island home in India.
The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins
Nonfiction: The biography of Katherine Olivia Sessions, the woman who, more than 100 years ago, turned San Diego, California, into the green oasis that it is today.
Heal the Earth by Julian Lennon
Fiction: A magical plane that transports its readers to different parts of the Earth to teach them how to help save the environment, help others in need, and love our planet.
Doesn’t this book sound inspiring? Subscribe below to grab a freebie that goes along with it!
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You will get so much out of this little group! Talk with like-minded teachers who are ready to use or already using authentic texts to learn together.
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