Choosing Great Earth Day Books: Best 2nd - 5th Grade Books
Earth Day Books to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd!
To celebrate Earth Day with your kids, you need great books about living things on planet Earth which give fun facts in a kid-friendly way.
We are still worried about plastic bags, water bottles, and endangered species, but we've moved past that to global warming and climate change. But the core idea remains the same: care of the earth. So, grab your favorite elementary school books about the environment. Or read on for some new suggestions!
When you're evaluating possible books, remember that a great nonfiction book includes:
- a true story
- appropriate grade Level
- amazing read aloud potential
- fun facts
- back matter that explains more so the teacher can help the students understand
- authors notes, when appropriate
- look for bold illustrations and simple text
- humor, when appropriate
In short, a wonderful Earth Day book would include a simple explanation of the the natural world. The author should do a great job telling a great story for young readers. Earth Day activities should include a good book.
Recommended 2nd-3rd grade level book talks for your Earth Day Unit
At Mims House, we have reading levels for all our books. Drawing from the 2nd - 3rd grade books, here are some recommended titles:
Abayomi, the Brazilian Puma is the true story of an orphaned puma cub. When his mother is caught in a trap and dies, the cub must survive. This story talks about cutting edge corridor science, or how we make sure habitats are connected to one another.
Rosie, the Ribeter follows a female bullfrog as she attempts to become the world champion triple-jumper. This takes place at the annual Calaveras County Frog Jubilee!
Field Notebooks, one of my personal favorites, reproduced pages from American scientist's notebooks that they used in field research. It walks kids through observation skills and writing skills tied to scientific endeavors.
Need Earth Day 4th-5th Grade Reading Level Books?
Pollen is about the science of pollination, a crucial part of the plant life on Earth. Sometimes, science takes a long time to figure things out.
Nefertiti, the Spidernaut is about an astronaut spider! While on the International Space Station, she circled the Earth thousands of times, traveling 42 million miles. She was truly a spider for Earth Day!
Wisdom, the Midway Albatross features the oldest known wild bird in the world. At over 75 years old, she is still laying eggs and hatching chicks! She's probably the oldest mother on Earth, a great Earth Day feat.
Erosion talks about a dark time on Earth, when dust storms covered the United States. Just when we needed a superhero, Hugh Bennett, soil scientist, came along.
Whatever reading level you need, there are great books to help kids make it Earth Day every day!
