Book Recommendations

Below are recommended books from Wellesley Free Library.  Feel free to email us your suggestions to us as well.

Picture Books:

The Life of a Little Cardboard Box, by Igloo Books and Gisela Bohorquez.Have you ever wondered what happens to a cardboard box when you no longer need it?lovely bedtime story helps children understand how and why we should recycle our cardboard. 

Greta’s Story: The Schoolgirl Who Went On Strike To Save The Planet, by Valentina Camerini.Greta’s protest began the Fridays for Future – or School Strike 4 Climate – movement, which millions have now joined around the world. Greta has spoken at COP24, the UN summit on climate change, and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. This is her story, but also that of many other girls and boys around the world willing to fight against the indifference of the powerful for a better future 

Charlie and Lola: We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers, by Lauren Child.After Charlie convinces Lola to recycle her old toys instead of throwing them away, Lola discovers a recycling competition. If she can recycle one hundred plastic, metal, and paper items, she can get her very own real live tree to plant. But she only has two weeks, so Lola decides to ask her classmates to help. 

City of Water, by Andrea Curtis.Living in cities where water flows effortlessly from our taps and fountains, it’s easy to take it for granted. City of Water shines a light on the water system that is vital for our health and well-being. The narrative traces the journey of water from the forests, mountains, lakes, rivers and wetlands that form the watershed, through pipes and treatment facilities, into our taps, fire hydrants and toilets, then out through storm and sewer systems toward wastewater treatment plants and back into the watershed.

What Does It Mean to Be Green, by Rana DiOrio. In this empowering book, a young boy and girl discover amazing facts (like how our food travels an average of 1,500 miles to be on our plate!) and explore all the different ways they-and we-can help protect the Earth's most precious resources to save the planet and live "green" lifestyles. 

Planting Peace: The Story of Wangari Maathai, by Gwendolyn Hooks.Wangari began the Green Belt Movement in Kenya in the 1960s, which focused on planting trees, environmental conservation, and women’s rights. She inspired thousands across Africa to plant 30 million trees in 30 years and was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize 

Old Enough to Save the Planet, by Loll Kirby.Meet 12 young activists from around the world who are speaking out and taking action against climate change. Learn about the work they do and the challenges they face, and discover how the future of our planet starts with each and every one of us. 

We are Water Protectors, by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade.by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption 

The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss.Dr. Seuss’s beloved story teaches kids to treat the planet with kindness and stand up and speak up for others. The book teaches us that just one small seed, or one small child, can make a difference.

Thank You, Earth: A Love Letter to our Planet, by April Pulley Sayre.book introduces concepts of science, nature, and language arts through stunning photographs and a poetic text structured as a simple thank-you note 

Just a Dream, by Chris Van Allsburg. Walter does not appreciate the beauty of nature, or understand his role in keeping the planet healthy . . . until a fantastic journey shows him the tragic fate that could befall Earth if humans like him are not more careful. 
Chapter Books:
Line Tender, by Kate Allen. Lucy must grab the line that connects her depressed father, a stubborn fisherman, and a curious old widower to her mother's unfinished research on the Great White's return to Cape Cod. If Lucy can find a way to help this unlikely quartet follow the sharks her mother loved, she'll finally be able to look beyond what she's lost and toward what's left to be discovered. 

Stella Diaz Never Gives Up, By Angela Dominguez. Stella gets a big surprise when her mom plans a trip to visit their family in Mexico. Stella wants to save the ocean, but she knows she can't do it alone. It's going to take a lot of work and help from old and new friends to make a difference, but Stella Díaz never gives up! 

The Last Bear, by Hannah Gold. There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to a faraway Arctic outpost. But one night, April catches a glimpse of something distinctly bear shaped loping across the horizon. A polar bear who shouldn’t be there—who is hungry, lonely and a long way from home.

Scat, by Carl Hiaasen. Go deep into the Everglades witheccentric eco-avenger, a ticked-off panther, and two kids on a mission to find their missing teacher. Florida—where the animals are wild and the people are wilder!

Rescue at Lake Wild, by Terry Lynn Johnson.this funny and moving animals-in-peril, a twelve-year-old girl and her two best friends determineto rescue two orphaned beaver kits—and soon find themselves trying to solve a local environmental crisis.

Music for Tigers, by Michelle Kadarusma. a novel about a young violinist who discovers her mother’s family secretly harbor a sanctuary for extinct Tasmanian tigers in the remote Australian rainforest.

Me and Marvin Gardens, by Amy Sarig King. Obe’s family's farmland has been taken over by developers. While hanging out at the nearby creek, in the last wild patch left, picking up trash and looking for animal track, he sees a creature that looks kind of like a large dog. And as he watches it, he realizes it eats plastic. Only plastic. No one has seen a creature like this before. The animal--Marvin Gardens--becomes Obe's best friend and biggest secret. 

One Small Hop, by Madelyn Rosenberg. When Ahab and his friends find a bullfrog in their town -- a real, live bullfrog, possibly the last bullfrog in North America -- they decide to find another real, live bullfrog on the black market, convince their parents to let them bike to Canada, introduce the two frogs and save all of frogkind.

Fuzzy Mud, by Louis Sachar. An imaginative and suspenseful story of the great lengths we’ll go to for friendship and family, the mishaps and breakthroughs that are made in the name of science, and the wonders of mud ​

General sustainabilty related books geared toward elementary aged readers:

• City of Ember, DePrau
• What can you do with an old red shoe?, Alter
• If the World were a Village, Smith
• Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai, Napoli
• The Water Hole, Base
• Planting the trees of Kenya, Nivola
• All the World, Scanlon
• What’s so bad about gasoline?, Rockwell
• First Light, Stead
• The Curious Garden, Brown
• Flush, Hiaasen
• The Lorax, Seuss
• If America Were A Village, Smith
• The Great Paper Caper, Jeffers
• Here comes the Garbage Barge!, Winter
• The Magic School Bus, Climate Change, Cole
• Meadowlands, Yezerski
• The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, Kamkwamba
• Plant A Little Seed, Christiansen
• Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed The Wind And Changed Their World
• Charlie and Lola: We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers- Lauren Child
• Compost Stew- Mary Siddals
• Curious Garden- Peter Brown
• Curious George Plants a Tree- H.A. Rey
• Earth Book- Todd Parr
• Giving Thanks- Jonathan London
• Global Warming- Seymour Simon
• Great Kapok Tree- Lynne Cherry
• Growing Vegetable Soup- Lois Ehlert
• I Can Save the Earth!- Alison Inches
• Junkyard- Mike Austin
• Just a Dream- Chris Van Allsburg
• Recycle!- Gail Gibbons
• The Earth and I- Frank Asch
• The Listening Walk- Paul Showers
• The Tree Lady- H. Joseph Hopkins