Recommended Reads from the Children's Collection @ the Education Library

When endlessly curious and tenacious Chang discovers a bear bile farm near her home in Vietnam, she decides to do everything she can to save wild animals--by becoming a conservationist! After teaching herself survival skills, documenting each rainforest plant and animal she sees in her field notebook, and disproving the critics who think she isn't old enough or strong enough, Chang is finally accepted as a rescue center volunteer. But her toughest challenge yet comes when she's tasked with returning Sorya--the sun bear she raised from infancy--back into the wild. Because despite being a different species, Sorya is Chang's best friend. And letting a friend go is never easy . . . even when it's the right thing to do.

A ten-year-old girl may be the only person who can save humanity from extinction in this exciting graphic novel adventure.

Cricket McKay and her best friend, Shilo, are enjoying the last few weeks of summer vacation when they discover that something is killing bats around Grandpa McKay's farm. Could the new wind turbines be the cause? The kids do some detective work and then jump into action coming up with a plan to save the bats.

Eleven-year-old Fern doesn't have the easiest life. Her stepfather is out of work, and she's responsible for putting dinner on the table. The woods near their home is her only refuge, but when a fracking company rolls into town, her special grove could be ripped away, and no one else seems to care. Her stepfather needs the money that a job with the frackers could bring, and her wealthy grandfather likes the business it brings to their town. Even her best friend doesn't understand what the land means to Fern.

Edver isn't happy about being shipped off to Cuba to visit the father he barely knows. He was NOT expecting to meet a sister he didn't know he had. Luza is a year older and excited to see her little brother, until she realizes what a spoiled American he is. Looking for something they might have in common, the siblings sneak onto the Internet, and make up a fake butterfly. Maybe now their cryptozoologist mother will visit. But their message is intercepted by a poacher, and suddenly much more than their family is at stake.

Warmer temperatures. Fires in the Amazon. Superstorms. These are just some of the effects of climate change that we are already experiencing. The good news is that we can all do something about it. A movement is already underway to combat not only the environmental effects of climate change but also to fight for climate justice and make a fair and livable future possible for everyone. And young people are not just part of that movement, they are leading the way. They are showing us that this moment of danger is also a moment of great opportunity--an opportunity to change everything.

Twelve-year-old Lanesha lives in a tight-knit community in New Orleans' Ninth Ward. She doesn't have a fancy house like her uptown family or lots of friends like the other kids on her street. But what she does have is Mama Ya-Ya, her fiercely loving caretaker, wise in the ways of the world and able to predict the future. So when Mama Ya-Ya's visions show a powerful hurricane--Katrina--fast approaching, it's up to Lanesha to call upon the hope and strength Mama Ya-Ya has given her to help them both survive the storm.

It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend. One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They're going to need to ask it a lot.

Meena and River have a lot in common: fathers forced to work away from home to make ends meet, grandmothers who mean the world to them, and faithful dogs. But Meena is an Indian immigrant girl living in New York City's Chinatown, while River is a Kentucky coal miner's son. As Meena's family studies for citizenship exams and River's town faces devastating mountaintop removal, this unlikely pair become pen pals, sharing thoughts and, as their camaraderie deepens, discovering common ground in their disparate experiences.

Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. Lately, though, even that access is threatened by severe water shortages and thieves who are stealing this precious commodity--an act that Minni accidentally witnesses one night. Meanwhile, in the high-rise building where she just started to work, she discovers that water streams out of every faucet and there's even a rooftop swimming pool. What Minni also discovers there is one of the water mafia bosses. Now she must decide whether to expose him and risk her job and maybe her life. How did something as simple as access to water get so complicated?

Ever since Jack's mom and dad got divorced, Jack has stepped into the role of Mom's co-scientist. One day while tending to the roadkill garden, Jack believes he spots a cougar in the wilderness beyond his backyard. A cougar in Tennessee? They're supposed to be extinct. So, when Jack has to choose an animal to research for his Earth Science class, he picks cougar. As pressure mounts on Jack to complete his project and to be Mom's business partner, the mystery of the cougar feels too big to solve. Jack knows what the decomposition of an animal--and a family--looks like, so can he figure out how to bring them back to life?

Climate change challenges every part of our world and our lives, and learning about it can bring up some big emotions. Discover all the ways that nature is beautiful, powerful, delicate, fierce, mysterious, and awesome.

It's time to learn about the role of carbon and fossil fuels on planet Earth! As much as our news is packed with articles about the importance of fossil fuels to the world economy and the global warming caused by increased carbon emissions, few people understand what is happening.

The tiger is just one of thousands of animals -- including the ground iguana, the white-rumped vulture, and the partula snail -- currently in danger of becoming extinct, joining the dodo, the marsupial wolf, the great auk, and countless others we will never see again.

Anyone can get involved in gathering data for ongoing, actual scientific studies such as the Audubon Bird Count and FrogWatch USA. Just get out into a field, urban park, or your own backyard.

The second book in the ThinkCities series explores water as a precious, finite resource, tracing its journey from source, through the city, and back again.

In this book about climate change, we share the facts. But we also share hope. Learn about the causes of climate change and how it is affecting our world. Explore the human impact and what it means to have a carbon footprint. Read about innovative ideas for tackling climate breakdown. Be inspired by the positive stories from young people effecting change all around the globe. Get tips on the things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint, and discover many different ways to take action. Our planet needs us. And we need our planet.

Once upon a time a creek burbled up and tumbled across a prairie valley. It was filled with insects and brook trout that ate them, frogs that chirruped and birds watching for bugs and fish. This is a true story about a man named Mike who went looking for that creek long after it was buried under fields of corn. It is the story of how a creek can be brought back to life, and with it a whole world of nature.

Take 250 years of human ingenuity. Add abundant fossil fuels. The result: a population and lifestyle never before seen. The downsides weren't visible for centuries, but now they are. Suddenly everything needs rethinking -- suburbs, cars, fast food, cheap prices. It's a changed world. This book explains it. Because money is as important as molecules in the environment, science is joined with politics, history, and psychology to provide the briefing needed to comprehend the 21st century.

Inspired by the work of scientist James Lovelock, here is a book that takes a clear look at how and why Earth's climate is changing and the ways we can deal with it. It illuminates not only hard facts but also the opinions and potential solutions of scientists all over the world. But there are other voices too, those of people young and old -- lawyers, food producers, fashion designers, scientists, rock stars, architects, conservationists, kids, campaigners, and more -- who are trying to change the way they live on the planet.

A river winds through the landscape, eroding the rock for millions of years, shaping a cavity in the ground 277 miles long, as much as 18 miles wide, and more than a mile deep known as ...Grand Canyon. Home to an astonishing variety of plants and animals that live within its walls, Grand Canyon is much more than just a hole in the ground. Follow a father and daughter as they make their way through this wondrous place, discovering life both present and past.

This inspiring book presents the true stories of 12 people from across North America who have done great things for the environment. Heroes include a teenage girl who figured out how to remove an industrial pollutant from the Ohio River, a Mexican superstar wrestler who works to protect turtles and whales, and a teenage boy from Rhode Island who helped his community and his state develop effective e-waste recycling programs.

Every spring, birds small enough to fit in the palm of your hand fly two thousand miles north to lay their eggs. This is the story of one tiny hummingbird's amazing journey.

Discover the true story of how environmentalist Farmer Tantoh is transforming the landscape in his home country of Cameroon.

The rolling hills and lush climate of Kent, England are home to many creatures. These creatures are fluffy, sneaky, spikey, and ... small, like the bee. Though bees are small, their importance is BIG. Today there are over 250,000 species of bees but all of them are in danger. Because of disease, pesticide exposure, lack of foraging habitats, and poor nutrition, entire honey bee hives are dying.

On the Pacific Coast of North America, sea otters play, dive, and hunt for sea urchins, crabs, abalone, and fish in the lush kelp forests beneath the waves. But there was a time when people hunted the otters almost to extinction. Without sea otters to eat them, an army of hungry sea urchins grew and destroyed entire kelp forests. Fish and other animals that depended on the kelp were lost, too. But when people protected the sea otters with new laws, their numbers began to recover, and so did the kelp forests.

In the far west of India, in Gir National Park, dwells one of the rarest big cats on Earth: the Asiatic lion. Join Rashila and her friends on a journey around the park as they visit the lions in their habitats, monitor the web of life that encompasses all of the animals, and work with local villagers to preserve harmony between the human and animal populations.

A conversational, humorous introduction to bird-watching featuring quirky full-color illustrations portray dozens of birds chatting about their distinctive characteristics, including color, shape, plumage, and beak and foot types.

Mexican American Mario Molina is a modern-day hero who helped solve the ozone crisis of the 1980s. Growing up in Mexico City, Mario was a curious boy who studied hidden worlds through a microscope. As a young man in California, he discovered that CFCs, used in millions of refrigerators and spray cans, were tearing a hole in the earth's protective ozone layer. Mario knew the world had to be warned--and quickly.

The history of the Meadowlands, from its pristine state, to its gradual transformation by European settlers, to the pollution caused by industrialization, and the changes brought by environmental organizations striving to protect it.

Against a backdrop of lichen-covered trees, the peppered moth lies hidden. Until the world begins to change... Along come people with their machines which stain the land with soot. In a beautiful landscape changed by humans how will one little moth survive? This retelling of the story of the peppered moth is the perfect introduction to natural selection and evolution for children.

Moth and Wasp, Soil and Ocean tells its story through the memories of a farm boy who, inspired by Pu Zhelong, became a scientist himself.

When millionaire Stephen Mather began his quest to create a national park service in 1915, he invited a group of influential men -- writers, tycoons, members of Congress, and even a movie star -- to go camping in the Sierras. Tie Sing was hired to cook. Tie Sing planned diligently. He understood the importance of this trip.

When you think of chocolate, you might think of a candy bar, a birthday cake, or a glass of chocolate milk. But where does chocolate come from? This book tells about the cocoa bean, which grows in the tropical rain forests and how the animals and other living things play an important part, even the monkeys.

An urgent call for climate justice from Teen Vogue, one of this generation's leading voices, using an intersectional lens - with critical feminist, indigenous, antiracist and internationalist perspectives. As the political classes watch our world burn, a new movement of young people is rising to meet the challenge of climate catastrophe. This book is a guide, a toolkit, a warning and a cause for hope.

From the shore, the ocean looks like clear, sparkling blue but look closely at a small scoop and you'll find the ocean looks more like soup! Our oceans are filled with plastics, from water bottles and take-out containers to the teeny tiny plastic particles you need a microscope to see. But who exactly cooked up this stinky soup? And, more importantly, what is the recipe for getting (and keeping) our oceans clean? This bouncing, rhyming story pulls no punches about how we ended up in this sticky mess but also offers hope and help for cleaning up this ocean soup.

Plastic bags are cheap and easy to use. But what happens when a bag breaks or is no longer needed? In Njau, Gambia, people simply dropped the bags and went on their way. One plastic bag became two. Then ten. Then a hundred.

An encouraging and comprehensive illustrated nonfiction guide introducing children to the important topic of climate change with clear facts and positive solutions.

Celebrates the forms of life that live above and under a pond, including turtles, red-winged blackbirds, blue herons, minnows, frogs, and catfish.

A combined history of the Puerto Rican parrot and the island of Puerto Rico, highlighting current efforts to save the Puerto Rican parrot by protecting and managing this endangered species

When she was young, Ana Pêgo didn't play in a backyard, but on a beach. As she grew older, Pêgo noticed a new species at the seaside: plastic. She decided to collect it, study it, and give it a Latin name--Plasticus maritimus--to warn people of its dangers to our planet. Pêgo tells us how plastics end up in our rivers, lakes, and oceans, shares plastic's chemical composition and physical properties, and offers a field guide to help readers identify and understand this new invasive species in all its forms. Finally, she offers a critical look at our current "solutions" to plastic contamination and calls for deep changes in our habits, motivating young and old alike to make a difference, together.

Ted and Betsy Lewin detail the annual rescue of baby puffins by the children of Heimaey, the largest island in the Westman Islands off the coast of Iceland. Includes additional information about puffins and the Westman Islands, glossary, and further reading

Rachel Carson was always curious about the world around her. As a girl she loved being outside, always exploring and wanting to know more about the universe. As an adult Rachel wrote books about what she loved-including Silent Spring, a book that changed the world.

The incredible story of the world's largest visionary environment: the Rock Garden of Chandigarh, kept secret by outsider artist Nek Chand for fifteen years.

Celebrates the shape of a spiral in nature, from rushing rivers to flower buds and even the shape of an ear.

From composting and recycling, to landfills and dumps, to how creative people are finding new ways to reuse rubbish. It's fun to talk trash when it's jam-packed with infographics, thematic spreads, photos, sidebars, and stats.

Poems and factual information about some of the creatures that live on Planet Earth.

Wangari Maathai received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her efforts to lead women in a nonviolent struggle to bring peace and democracy to Africa through its reforestation. Her organization planted over thirty million trees in thirty years. This beautiful picture book tells the story of an amazing woman and an inspiring idea.

Catherine Flowers grew up in Lowndes County, Alabama, a place that's been called "Bloody Lowndes" because of its violent, racist history. Once the epicenter of the voting rights struggle, today it's Ground Zero for a new movement that is Flowers's life's work. It's a fight to ensure human dignity through a right most Americans take for granted: basic sanitation. Too many people, especially the rural poor, lack an affordable means of disposing cleanly of the waste from their toilets, and, as a consequence, live amid filth. Flowers calls this America's dirty secret.

Follow Jane from her childhood in London watching a robin on her windowsill, to her years in the African forests of Gombe, Tanzania, invited by brilliant scientist Louis Leakey to observe chimps, to her worldwide crusade to save these primates who are now in danger of extinction, and their habitat.

A spare, poetic picture book exploring the different phases of the water cycle in surprising and engaging ways

This is the story of a determined Ojibwe Grandmother (Nokomis) Josephine Mandamin and her great love for Nibi (Water). Nokomis walks to raise awareness of our need to protect Nibi for future generations, and for all life on the planet.

Water is essential for life on this planet, but not every community has the safe, clean water it needs. In When the World Runs Dry, award-winning science writer Nancy Castaldo takes readers from Flint, Michigan, and Newark, New Jersey, to Iran and Cape Town, South Africa, to explore the various ways in which water around the world is in danger, why we must act now, and why you're never too young to make a difference.

The story of a tree is a story of community, communication, and cooperation. Although trees may seem like silent, independent organisms, they form a network buzzing with life: they talk, share food, raise their young, and offer protection. Trees thrive on diversity, learn from their ancestors, and give back to their communities. Trees not only sustain life on our planet--they can also teach us important lessons about patience, survival, and teamwork.

No one knows for sure how many woolly monkeys are left in the wild. But they play a key role in their ecosystem, and without them the rain forest is in trouble. Join scientists on their quest to solve the mysteries surrounding the lives of woolly monkeys before it's too late.

This colorfully illustrated book is packed with information, ideas, and activities for everyday sustainability--like mending clothes, composting, and avoiding single-use plastics. Interspersed throughout are features on children around the globe who are making a difference, such as Greta Thunberg or Solli Raphael, reminding kids that ordinary people can spark extraordinary change.

As a boy, Jadav Payeng was distressed by the destruction deforestation and erosion was causing on his island home in India's Brahmaputra River. So he began planting trees.

This true story of Wangari Maathai, environmentalist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is a shining example of how one woman's passion, vision, and determination inspired great change.

If Polar Bears Disappeared uses accessible, charming art to explore what would happen if the sea ice melts, causing the extinction of polar bears, and how it would affect environments around the globe.

This educational book will teach young budding ecologists about how our actions affect planet Earth and the big impact we can make by the little things we do. Did you know that every single plastic toothbrush ever made still exists? Or that there is a floating mass of trash larger than the USA drifting around the Pacific Ocean? It is not all bad news though. While this is a knowledge book that explains where we are going wrong, What a Waste also shows what we are getting right! Discover plans to save our seas. How countries are implementing green projects worldwide, and how to turn waste into something useful. The tiniest everyday changes can make all the difference to ensure our beautiful planet stays lush and teeming with life.