There are many good books for children about recycling, conservation and other eco-friendly topics, some printed on recycled paper. Here are just a few:

 

 

Beadle, David. The Day the Trash Came Out to Play. Ezra's Earth Publishing. Illustrated. A boy throws a candy wrapper on the street of his beautiful town, unintentionally setting off mischievous litter, which overruns the town. 8-10 years. $16.95.

 

Burns, Loree Griffin. TRACKING TRASH - Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion. Two oceanographers study ocean currents by studying the path of Nikes and bathtub toys that were swept from cargo ships during storms. Their experiments lead to a discussion of how debris is polluting our oceans and causing harm to marine life. Illustrated. 56 pp. Houghton Mifflin Company. Ages 10-14. $18.

 

Cherry, Lynne. The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest. A Gulliver Green Book, Harcourt, Inc. “The many different animals that live in a great kapok tree in the Brazililan rain forest try to convince a man with an ax of the importance of not cutting down their home. Picture book. Age 4-8.  $16.00

 

Cherry, Lynne. A River Ran Wild. A Gulliver Green Book, Harcourt, Inc. “An environmental history of the Nashua River (New Hampshire and Massachusetts) from its discovery by Indians through the polluting years of the Industrial Revolution to the ambitious cleanup that revitalized it.” Picture book. Ages 6-10.  $14.95

 

David, Laurie and Cambria Gordon. The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. Irreverent and entertaining, this book is filled with fact about global warming and its disastrous consequences, loads of photos and illustrations, as well as suggestions for how kids can help combat global warming in their homes, schools, and communities. Illustrated. 112 pp. Orchard Books/Scholastic. Paperback, Ages 8 and up. $15.99

 

Earthworks Group. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Recycle. Earthworks Press. Children learn how to do their share to save the Earth's resources by following the "Three R's"- reducing, reusing, recycling- with easy-to-follow common-sense suggestions. Paperback, 144 pages. Ages 9 and up.

 

Gibbons, Gail. Recycle! A Handbook for Kids.  Little, Brown and Company. What can we do with all our trash? Find out how paper, glass, aluminum cans and plastic can be recycled into new products. Paperback.  Ages 4-8. . $7.99

 

Lyons, Dana. The Tree.  Illumination Arts Publishing Company, “Amidst the sound of encroaching bulldozers, an 800-year-old Douglas fir ponders its role in the natural world, as people rush to save it from destruction.” Ages 4-8. $16.95.

 

Seuss, Dr. The Lorax. Random House. The Once-ler tells the tale of greed and pollution destroying the colorful Truffula Trees. Classic Seuss with whimsical rhymes and curious creatures – but with a powerful message. Ages 4-8. $14.95

 

Thompson, Colin. The Paper Bag Prince. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. “A wise old man who visits the town dump every day moves into an abandoned train there and watches as nature gradually reclaims the polluted land.” Picture book. Ages 4-8.$15.00

 

Van Allsburg, Chris. Just a Dream. Houghton Mifflin. “A surrealistic masterpiece about the environment. Young Walter couldn't care less about the environment until a terrifying nightmare about the future--with landfills buying neighborhoods--drastically changes his perspective.” Dramatic illustrations by the author of The Polar Express and Jumanji. Ages 4-10

 

Ward, Helen and Wayne Anderson. Tin Forest. Puffin. “Living alone in the midst of environmental devastation, an old man refuses to resign himself to the junkyard views that surround him. The rich, detailed illustrations and lyrical text carry an important message of imagination and hope.”  Illustrated. Ages 6-10.