The protection of our planet and its resources is a global concern, and activists worldwide have been and continue to work on saving the planet from environmental destruction – including our younger generations. An interesting site for kids and educators about kid environmental activists and activism that is worth exploring is Young Voices For the Planet, founded by author and illustrator Lynne Cherry who is well-known for her rain forest classic, The Great Kapok Tree.

Gathered here are noteworthy picture books (both stories and nonfiction) that are about environmental activists who have helped and are helping to save our world. These titles from around the globe are great to share with your budding environmentalists!

Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty & David Roberts
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog
“Sofia Valdez proves that community organizers of any age can have a positive impact. After a trash-heap eyesore causes an injury to her beloved abuelo, Sofia springs into action to bring big change to her neighborhood. The simple rhymes of the text follow Sofia on her journey from problem through ideas to action as she garners community support for an idyllic new park to replace the dangerous junk pile. When bureaucracy threatens to quash Sofia's nascent plan, she digs deep and reflects that ‘being brave means doing the thing you must do, / though your heart cracks with fear. / Though you're just in Grade Two.’ Sofia's courage yields big results and inspires those around her to lend a hand. Implied Latinx, Sofia and her abuelo have medium brown skin, and Sofia has straight brown hair (Abuelo is bald). Readers will recognize Iggy Peck, Rosie Revere, and Ada Twist from Beaty's previous installments in the Questioneers series making cameo appearances in several scenes. While the story connects back to the title and her aptitude for the presidency in only the second-to-last sentence of the book, Sofia's leadership and grit are themes throughout. Roberts' signature illustration style lends a sense of whimsy; detailed drawings will have readers scouring each page for interesting minutiae. Fun but earnest, this rhyming romp reminds readers that one young person can make a difference.” –Kirkus Reviews

Rocket Says Clean Up! by Nathan Bryon & Dapo
OverDrive
Library Catalog
“Rocket is back with an environmentally friendly message. Series predecessor Rocket Says Look Up! (2019) encouraged readers to fix their imaginations on the stars. This sequel helps them to focus more terrestrially, on ocean pollution. With cool blues and warm and sandy tans, Adeola's cheery illustrations offer a brightly hued contrast to the previous book. Rocket is a brown-skinned girl with cornrows billowing into two perfectly coiffed afro puffs. She, her mother, and her brother, Jamal, are visiting the children's grandparents' animal sanctuary, nestled on an undisclosed tropical island. As they build sand castles and surf the waves with their grandchildren, Grammy and Grampy offer lessons about interacting with wild animals and the looming threat of pollution on island shores. The fun is instantly usurped when a baby turtle washes ashore tangled in plastic. As Rocket learns just how bad the pollution problem is, she immediately vows to take action. Quick-witted Rocket sets out the very next day to educate beachgoers, and in no time, Rocket has a cleanup crew compiling a mass of trash. With creativity and community partnership, Rocket and her newfound friends find an artful purpose for the accumulated waste. Rocket's whole family presents black, and the beachgoers are diverse. Included in the backmatter are resources to support and empower young readers. Rocket's fans will enjoy this can-do kid's return.” –Kirkus Reviews

Small History of a Disagreement by Claudio Fuentes, Elisa Amado & Gabriela Lyon
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog
“This picture book utilizes a collective first-person perspective to relay the tale of a schoolwide debate when a new school building is proposed on the site of an endangered tree–‘a member of a millennial species, thousands of years old.’ After signs and protests draw attention to the monkey puzzle tree’s fate (‘I want to live’; ‘I’m 300 years old. Save me!’), the school’s history teacher suggests a debate and subsequent vote between two groups: ‘Millennials,’ who wish to preserve the tree, and ‘Developers,’ who laud the progress the building will bring. The vote results in a solution that suits everyone, a solution that feels well earned by the involved students… A detailed study of community involvement, debate, and voting.” –Publisher’s Weekly

In the Garden with Dr. Carver by Susan Grigsby & Nicole Tadgell
OverDrive
Hoopla
“Tadgell's watercolors add both playful side business and accurate botanical illustration to this admiring child's account of the famous scientist's stopover in a rural community. George Washington Carver often spent weekends visiting settlements around Tuskegee with his ‘movable school' to dispense information about reclaiming depleted farmland, recycling and good agricultural practices. Avidly absorbing his injunctions to look closely at the natural world and to understand its interrelationships before changing or destroying anything, the young narrator and other children move a rose bush to a sunnier spot, make nature drawings, sample ice cream and other foods made from peanuts and ‘strange wild weeds,’ then help dig and plant a garden outside their schoolhouse. Though fictionalized, the encounter presents Carver's work and ideas in a simple, engaging way that will stay with young readers until they're ready for Marilyn Nelson's soaring Carver: A Life in Poems (2001). The endpapers present lovely illustrations of flora and fauna, complete with common and Latin names, and an author's note provides additional background on Carver's career.” –Kirkus Reviews

All Around Us by Xelena Gonzalez & Adriana M. Garcia
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog
“A girl and her grandfather contemplate circles, both physical and metaphorical, in this thought-provoking tale of family, community, and interconnection, a debut for both author and artist. As they walk through a suburban neighborhood of shingled houses and chain-link fences, the grandfather suggests that a rainbow overhead is actually a full circle: ‘The rest of it is down below, in the earth, where water and light feed new life.’ Soon, the girl is noticing circles everywhere, including the roundness of their eyes and the way her grandfather ‘saves the stems, leaves, and seeds’ of the vegetables they grow to rebury. ‘What we take from the earth, we return,’ he tells her. On several pages, González’s text follows soaring arcs itself, and circular shapes dominate Garcia’s multilayered illustrations. Her tender portraits highlight the intimate bond between the narrator and her grandfather, while bright, zigzagging lines create a setting that hums with energy, underscoring a connection between people and planet. The family’s mestizo heritage is central to the story, including a tradition of burying a mother’s placenta when a child is born, which the author’s note discusses in more detail.” –Publisher’s Weekly

Por todo nuestro alrededor by Xelena Gonzalez & Adriana M. Garcia
OverDrive
Library Catalog
“This team's Pura Belpré Honor Book All Around Us (2017) gets a full Spanish translation, a natural choice that brings this work even closer to its true spirit. With melodic language, the meditative text immerses readers in a story about a young girl and her grandfather exploring their natural environment in search of the many circles that can be found within. Circles are used as a motif on all the pages, and even the typography is designed to curve throughout. Garcia's ethereal images will draw children in, with a color palette of celestial blues and earthy browns with hints of luminous yellows serving to emphasize the relationship between nature and people. The lovely illustrations and lyrical text combine to evoke peace, calm, and interconnectedness. This celebration of family, ties to the Earth, and the cycle of life is even more glorious in this translation. An intergenerational tale for all picture-book collections.” –Booklist

Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood by Tony Hillery & Jessie Hartland
OverDrive
Library Catalog
“Hillery, the founder of Harlem Grown, narrates how an urban farm grew from an abandoned lot across the street from Harlem’s PS 175: ‘Nevaeh called it the haunted garden. It was cluttered with wrecked couches, old TVs, broken bottles, and empty cans.’ When ‘Mr. Tony’ visits the school and sees ‘those kids and that haunted garden,’ he gets an idea. Working together, Mr. Tony and the kids clear the lot, bring in clean dirt, and plant. When plants wilt, he says, ‘We’ll plant something different’ and builds raised beds until, finally, ‘tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, blueberries, strawberries, collard greens, kale, basil, arugula’ grow, and the children share their harvest with their families. Hartland’s gouache illustrations wobble endearingly, colorfully capturing the children’s triumph, and the kinetic energy and colorful vibrancy of the city neighborhood. An author’s note about Harlem Grown and straightforward instructions for how to ‘start a garden anywhere’ conclude.” –Publisher’s Weekly

Butterflies Belong Here: A Story of One Idea, Thirty Kids, and a World of Butterflies by Deborah Hopkinson & Meilo So
OverDrive
Library Catalog
“Following an earlier, similarly structured collaboration by this team (Follow the Moon Home) about a child gaining self-assurance while working on an environmental project, Hopkinson and So introduce a brown-skinned girl whose confidence grows as she organizes her class to start a milkweed garden for migrating monarchs. ‘That’s me in the back,’ the girl says, holding up her class picture; ‘I was a little like a caterpillar then:/ quiet and almost invisible.’ A librarian gives her illustrated books about monarchs whose imagined pages interleave with the girl’s own story, and the butterflies’ migration path mirrors her own (‘I wondered if monarch butterflies belonged here. Sometimes I wondered if we did, too’). A research poster she makes about monarchs inspires her classmates, and—with input from experts, a budget, and presentations to the school and beyond—a school monarch way station takes shape. So’s delicate mixed-media drawings capture the girl’s classmates and portrays the protagonist as she journeys from lonely newcomer to poised leader. An author’s note and bibliography tell readers how to make their own gardens.” –Publisher’s Weekly

Stand Up! Speak Up!: A Story Inspired by the Climate Change Revolution by Andrew Joyner
OverDrive
Library Catalog
“Everyday is Earth Day and young people around the world are using their voices to demand attention to climate change. In this seemingly simple introduction to activism, Joyner captures the enthusiasm, anxiety, and action of a young activist in digitally rendered illustrations with a limited color palette that has a retro feel. The young person, who is white with side ponytails, joins a large and diverse group of other marchers; but her work doesn't stop when the march is over. When she watches the news on television with her family, her worries prompt her to further action, which takes many forms, including speaking up at Town Hall and community organizing. Back matter includes profiles of 14 young people from around the world who have taken action to speak out on issues of environmental concern. Even the jacket is a potential tool for a marcher; instructions direct readers to remove the jacket and use the underside–where it reads ‘Marching for My Future’–as a sign. This title would be appropriate for young activists to prepare for their first demonstration but it also could serve older readers as a discussion on the full scope of activist work. This title provides a plethora of suggestions for the ‘what next?’ question that often comes after an energizing march with a call for policy work, community organizing, and much more. VERDICT Highly recommended, this book could change lives, and maybe the world.” –School Library Journal

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwaba, Bryan Mealer & Elizabeth Zunon
OverDrive
Library Catalog
“The true story of a Malawian teenager who leveraged need and library research into a windmill constructed from found materials. Forced by drought and famine to drop out of school, William dreams of ‘building things and taking them apart.’ Inspired by science books in an American-built library near his village, his dreams turn to creating ‘electric wind.’ Despite the doubts of others he begins–assembling discarded bicycle parts and other junk into a rickety tower, triumphantly powering an electric light and going on to dream of windmill-driven wells to water the land. Kamkwamba tells this version (another, for adult readers, was published with the same title in 2009) of his tale of inspiration meeting perspiration in terse, stately third person: ‘He closed his eyes and saw a windmill outside his home, pulling electricity from the breeze and bringing light to the dark valley.’ Zunon illustrates it handsomely, with contrasting cut-paper-collage details arranged on brown figures, and broad, sere landscapes painted in visibly textured oils. A plainspoken but inspiring tale of homespun ingenuity.” –Kirkus Reviews

Saving American Beach: The Biography of African American Environmentalist MaVynee Betsch by Heidi Tyline King & Ekua Holmes
OverDrive
“This lushly illustrated picture-book biography tells the story of MaVynee Betsch, an opera-singing African American environmentalist and activist. During the 1930s, in Jim Crow-era Jacksonville, Florida, where most beaches were for whites only, Betsch's grandfather bought some shoreline property and turned it into American Beach, a resort open to everyone. Both locals and celebrities enjoyed its sunshine, but when Betsch retired from her career as an international opera singer in 1977, she discovered that the property was being taken over by developers. Betsch was determined to save the natural setting and devoted her fortune and the rest of her life to environmental activism. As a result, American Beach was finally listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Holmes' vibrant, multilayered collages aptly evoke the ocean and shifting sands, and are especially effective in capturing Betsch's determined stance, her brilliant outfits, and her seven-foot-long tresses. Added visual details, such as the ropes stretched between the white and Black beaches, and Betsch marching with a picket sign, provide additional context. Betsch, who became known as the Beach Lady, died in 2005, and her ashes were scattered on American Beach. This story of a wealthy, sophisticated, talented, and larger-than-life activist deserves a wide audience.” –Booklist

The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the Rainforest by Heather Lang & Jana Christy
OverDrive
Library Catalog
“From a childhood steeped in botanical study to an adulthood spent discovering, studying, and advocating for the rainforest, scientific pioneer Meg Lowman has lived her life with leaves and trees. An originator of rainforest study, she earned several degrees (often the only woman in her classes), made countless discoveries (including identifying new species), found innovative ways to study the canopy (building canopy bridges), and worked to educate children and adults to protect the botanical world she loves. A nice addition to any rainforest or biography unit, this straightforward selection provides an inspiring portrayal and focuses on Lowman's inventiveness and dedication through engaging, poetic text augmented by original quotes…Well-chosen details about her experiences (learning to climb up to the canopy; finding ways to bring her own children and other students there), observations (watching animals and insects devour leaves at night; seeing the rainforest from a balloon), and struggles (shy, she had to find the courage to communicate her ideas regarding conservation and sustainability) are included, resulting in an exciting tale of exploration and adventure that will capture the attention of budding scientists and environmentalists alike. An intricate and satisfying portrait of a dedicated woman scientist, innovator, and activist.” –Kirkus Reviews

We Are the Water Protectors by Carol Lindstrom & Michaela Goade
OverDrive
Library Catalog
“In this tribute to Native resilience, Indigenous author-and-illustrator team Lindstrom and Goade invite readers to stand up for environmental justice. ‘Water is the first medicine,’ a young, unnamed protagonist reflects as she wades into a river with her grandmother. ‘We come from water.’ Stunning illustrations, rich in symbolism from the creators' respective Ojibwe and Tlingit/Haida lineages, bring the dark-haired, brown-skinned child's narrative to life as she recounts an Anishinaabe prophecy: One day, a ‘black snake’ will terrorize her community and threaten water, animals, and land. ‘Now the black snake is here,’ the narrator proclaims, connecting the legend to the present-day threat of oil pipelines being built on Native lands. Though its image is fearsome, younger audiences aren't likely to be frightened due to Goade's vibrant, uplifting focus on collective power. Awash in brilliant colors and atmospheric studies of light, the girl emphasizes the importance of protecting ‘those who cannot fight for themselves’ and understanding that on Earth, ‘we are all related.’ Themes of ancestry, community responsibility, and shared inheritance run throughout. Where the brave protagonist is depicted alongside her community, the illustrations feature people of all ages, skin tones, and clothing styles. Lindstrom's powerful message includes non-Native and Native readers alike: ‘We are stewards of the Earth. We are water protectors.’ An inspiring call to action for all who care about our interconnected planet.” –Kirkus Reviews

One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul & Elizabeth Zunon
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog
“Distressed by the problem of plastic-bag disposal, a Gambian woman organizes her neighbors to turn trash into treasure.When Isatou Ceesay first discovered plastic bags in the Gambia in West Africa, in the 1980s, they seemed wonderfully useful and sturdy. But in her village, they soon became a nuisance, piling up in ugly dump areas where mosquitoes bred. Goats ate them and died. Her solution was to collect and clean used bags, cut them into strips and crochet the strips into useful plastic purses. These were sold at local markets and eventually internationally. Paul, who first went to the Gambia as a volunteer and has returned in other roles, tells this story in a straightforward fashion, deftly including words from the Wolof language and including details about Ceesay's village life. A map, author's note, glossary, timeline and excellent suggestions for further reading set this example of a woman who made a difference in a larger context. Fittingly, the collage illustrations make use of colorful papers and plastic bags.” –Kirkus Reviews

Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees by Franck Prévot & Aurélia Fronty
OverDrive
Library Catalog
“Wangari Maathai's biographical details, including, of course, her creation of Kenya's Green Belt Movement, are explicitly linked to feminist and human rights issues during her lifetime in this picture book. After an introduction to Wangari Maathai as a woman who ‘carried out her important work with important people’ -and an immediate, affirming reference to ‘village women’ as important people-the text moves into a present-tense description of the life and times of Wangari, ‘she who belongs to the leopard.’ Every double-page spread features striking, stylized artwork in lush colors, enhancing a thoughtful text. Predominant Kenyan attitudes toward women are boldly laid out: ‘Who is this woman who confronts them [Kenya's governing males] with a confident voice in a country where women are supposed to listen and lower their eyes in men's presence?’ Similarly, the United States is indicted for its treatment of blacks during Wangari's years of education there, and President Daniel arap Moi is exposed as both an anti-environmentalist and a man ‘who orders police to shoot at crowds of demonstrators.’ The effects of British colonialism and tribal differences are also economically folded in. The biography officially concludes with Maathai's Nobel Peace Prize and is followed by an abundance of further information. This slim but emphatic biography stands out among others about Wangari Maathai with its well-crafted treatment of political issues.” –Kirkus Reviews

111 Trees: How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl by Rina Singh & Marianne Ferrer
OverDrive
Library Catalog
“Haunted by the untimely deaths of his mother and daughter, an Indian man named Sundar grows up to become an activist dedicated to advancing gender equity and environmental justice in his home state of Rajasthan. After he gets married, Sundar works in a marble quarry owned by men who unapologetically wreak ecological havoc on the land. Disgusted by these practices, Sundar quits his job and runs for the position of head of his village, a title known as the sarpanch, and wins. His joy is short-lived: A year after his victory, his oldest daughter dies. As he mourns, he notices how little female children are valued in his village. He then hatches a plan to honor his daughter's memory, change attitudes about gender, and combat the deforestation that has been devastating the local land. Every time a girl is born in the village, Sundar decides that the people will plant 111 trees in her honor. Sundar's idea fundamentally affects his hometown in deeply positive ways. Including endnotes about Rajasthan, gender equity, and eco-feminism, this earnest, inspiring book forthrightly discusses everything from environmental exploitation to female feticide in language suitable for young readers. Although many readers will give a side-eye when Sundar tells the villagers that in developed countries ‘girls and boys are treated equally,’ overall, this is an uplifting story about the power of personal action. An inspiring picture book about eco-feminism in action in the global south.” –Kirkus Reviews

Spring After Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement by Stephanie Roth Sisson
OverDrive
Library Catalog
“‘It was dawn when the chorus began.’ As a child, Rachel Carson awoke to a symphony of birds, and she listened, watched, and wrote as other animals joined in. Innovative, appealing illustrations show Rachel in comic-book panels, vignettes, and full- and double-page spreads as she explores, observes, and deeply appreciates nature. A profusion of dialogue balloons reproduces the vocalizations of the animals around her. As a student, Rachel intends to write but instead focuses on the microscopic world in a drop of water, which in turn leads to underwater scientific study and, later, well-received books about the sea. However, it's when she realizes that the symphony she loves has grown quiet–effectively represented by both the absence of sound bubbles and negative-space outlines of creatures now disappeared–that she makes her greatest contribution by revealing the destruction caused by pesticides in her book Silent Spring, which contributed to the formation of the EPA and the environmental movement. Resilience and dedication are strong underlying themes here; relevant details, such as her mother's background in music, are seamlessly incorporated; and while the focus understandably stays on her work–her overwhelming success as an activist and scientist in a field dominated by men goes unmentioned–there is certainly room for outside discussion. Carson and her family are white; people of color appear in scenes depicting her impact.The perfect choice to inspire young readers and listeners, with just the right amount of detail to inspire, entrance, and encourage further investigation.” –Kirkus Reviews

If You Want to Visit a Sea Garden by Kay Weisman & Roy Henry Vickers
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog
“Imagine taking an early morning walk to a sea garden–the intertidal habitats cultivated by First Nations peoples to increase biodiversity and provide sustainable seafood harvesting. ‘If you want to visit a sea garden… / …you'll have to get up really early.’ Using gentle, second-person narration, Weisman describes what readers would find if they were lucky enough to visit one of these reefs, which have existed for thousands of years along the Pacific Northwest coast. The sights and sounds of the shore are rendered in poetic detail throughout the text, from the ‘symphony of clams…exhaling’ to the barnacle-encrusted rocks. Most compelling are the descriptions of the human community that has gathered around them: ‘generations of First Peoples who…have come here to build and care for the sea garden, harvest and clean clams, and share knowledge and stories.’ The sea gardens' significance to First Nations peoples is at the heart of this story, shining a light on Native brilliance and their continued existence. Deft use of shapes, silhouettes, and color in the bold, graphic images emphasizes what a ‘special place’ these reefs truly are. Families who value #ownvoices stories will be glad to learn that the manuscript was vetted by Kwaxsistalla Wathl'thla Clan Chief Adam Dick and illustrated by renowned Indigenous artist Vickers, whose heritage includes T'simshian, Haida, Heiltsuk, and English ancestors. A lyrical story for nature-loving readers, told with reverence for the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest.” –Kirkus Reviews

Our House is on Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet by Jeanette Winter
OverDrive
Library Catalog
“The origin story of the teenage climate change superhero. Once, as she puts it, ‘the invisible girl in the back who doesn't say anything,’ Thunberg has, over just the last two years, become a major young presence in the environmental movement, inspiring ‘Friday school strikes’ worldwide and challenging governing bodies to get off the stick: ‘I want you to panic,’ she told the World Economic Forum in Davos. ‘I want you to act as if the house was on fire. Because it is.’ Skipping Thunberg's personal history aside from characterizing her as one who ‘could think about one thing for a long, long time’ (an ability Thunberg associates with her Asperger's diagnosis, unnamed here), Winter pithily retraces the course of her transformation. She begins with a teacher's lecture on climate change and a period of intense reading and video watching and then goes on to show how Thunberg's lonely Friday picket outside Stockholm's Parliament building gains local, then international, support. The illustrations, equally spare, often place the white teenager front and center before culminating in a double-page spread filled with children of diverse hues and styles of dress holding up signs reading ‘Don't Burn MY Future’ and like urgent messages, followed by a direct question in big, cut-out letters: ‘WHAT WILL YOU DO?’ As one sign puts it, ‘There Is No Planet B’ for any of us. A compact but cogent tribute to a single voice for change that now leads a rising chorus.” –Kirkus Reviews