Top Ten Climate change Books for children
by Sue Abbott, Energy Heroes Lead Teacher, UN Children and Climate Change certified
There are now so many childrens’ books about climate change- how do you choose one? With a view to recommending to parents and teachers of KS1 and KS2 pupils, I have chosen 5 fiction and 5 non-fiction books, based on online research as well as personal recommendations.
Rosa Scurfield from Microclimatebooks has personally recommended and reviewed 7 of these titles.
I have included a brief synopsis for fiction titles and a description of the book for non-fiction. At the end of the reviews there is an overview in the form of a table, showing titles, authors, Rosa Scurfield’s comment about each of the 7 books she has recommended and ratings out of 5 from Good Reads and Amazon. I hope it is helpful.
FICTION
1) 
A stunning picture book about one little girl and her orangutan friend, based on the Greenpeace film that became a viral sensation.
2)
Finn has always been different, and in the tiny fishing village of Stromhead he sticks out like a sore thumb. Always told to keep away from the water, he’s felt that something was missing until one day he dives in and finds that, swimming with the dolphins, he feels completely at home.
But his new friends are in danger of being injured by the rubbish that floats out into the water – and now a supermarket is going to release thousands of balloons that could drift out to sea and cause even more damage. Desperate to help the dolphins, Finn goes to the Lighthouse Crew, a group of kids who have always left Finn out. Will they be able to set aside their differences to save the dolphins? And what will Finn discover about his past along the way?
3)
Join Rocket as she sets sail on a brand new mission – to save a Caribbean island from plastic pollution!
When Rocket goes on holiday to visit her grandparents, she’s shocked by the pollution that’s spoiling their island home and putting the local sea life at risk.
4)
In this incredibly moving and powerful story about climate change by one of France’s greatest writers for children, the world is run by !ndustry and the only thing that matters is to buy, buy, buy. People live in crowded cities where cars are stacked vertically and shopping centres run miles into the sky. On the day Celeste starts school on the 110th floor of a tower block, she meets a lonely, young boy. The next day she doesn’t return.
5)
This book weaves a narrative poem through beautifully illustrated pages, paying homage to the Indigenous tribal nations that are working to protect earth’s natural resources. Using images and metaphors, the story focuses on the dangers of oil pipelines that threaten water sources, without ever explicitly mentioning them. Children will learn the value of community action, while adult readers will recognize the story of the Standing Rock Sioux’s fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
NON-FICTION
6)
This photography book captures plants, animals, landscapes, and weather in vivid colours and textures. From up close images of tiny insects and flower buds to panoramic vistas of towering forests and mountain ranges, the pages introduce children to the diversity of the planet in a simple but effective way.
7)
Malawi is an agricultural country that is highly vulnerable to droughts. This memoir recounts the country’s severe drought and famine about 20 years ago, when author William Kamkwamba was a teenager. His village had no resources for advanced irrigation or even electricity. So, Kamkwamba builds a wind turbine from scrap materials, bringing both light and water to his community—an inspiring story for future clean energy engineers.
8)
At a time when most countries are producing ever-increasing amounts of CO2, the rather ordinary citizens of Samso have accomplished something extraordinary – in just ten years they have reduced their carbon emissions by 140 per cent and become almost completely energy independent. A narrative tale and a science book in one, this inspiring true story proves that with a little hard work and a big idea, anyone can make a huge step towards energy conservation.
9)
There are eight billion of us humans.
All breathing, eating, fidgeting and thinking deep thoughts.
It’s an unimaginably large number. Or is it?
The mega human is the result of smooshing all the people in the world together into one spectacular giant (don’t try this at home). Even though the mega human is not the smartest of creatures, it is slowly beginning to understand the problems it has created for Planet Earth’s future . . . and how it might be able to fix them.
10)
Explore six renewable energy technologies that are used around the world! Accessible verse and lush illustrations introduce children to important information about how we can harness the planet’s natural resources including wind, water and sun.
Quick overview – Click the links for
Top ten climate change books overview-FICTION
Top ten climate change books overview-NON-FICTION
Energy Heroes and Primary Literacy
Energy Heroes is a charity working to help educate Primary school pupils about energy efficiency in the context of climate change. Rosa Scurfield will be guest speaker at the Energy Heroes next workshop, Primary Literacy for the Planet, on Thursday 4th May.
Click here for your free tickets!
