8 Books About Climate Change and Hope
We didn't start the fire / No, we didn't light it, but we're going to fight it 🎶
The moment I held my kid for the first time, the runway of my future got a lot longer. Not because I plan to live indefinitely but because I now have someone whose future matters to me as much as my own. While I can see what I envision my future to look like, my kid’s is unknown. All I see is an open plain waiting for a path to be paved and seeds to be sown.
I wonder about the circumstances of her future. Will there be shade for her to plant and sow these seeds? Will there be water to nurture and grow them? The world is changing rapidly; in my lifetime, I’ve seen seasonal patterns markedly change. Already, she is unfamiliar with reliably long, cold winters; her winters are extreme—freezing one day, warm the next. All that prevented me from playing outside in the summer was the blazing hot sun. What prevents her are blazing hot wildfires.
Inevitably, anxiety for her future leaves me gasping for air. I feel an acute sense of despair–how much reducing, reusing, and recycling can one person do to truly make a difference? I've thought, “If it’s all going to hell anyway, may as well enjoy myself now.” Immediately this thought is followed by guilt. The emotional toll of worrying about the climate is real–there’s even a name for it: eco-anxiety.
I’m not alone. More than 70% of my generation consider climate change a top priority. And it’s a big concern for the next generation too. As it will be for the following generations. So I think a lot about the ways I want to talk about climate change with my kid. Even if I feel helpless most of the time, I know I need to tell a story of hope. Not to create a false sense of security but quite literally because there is no other option. We need to have hope–with hope we can be resilient. With hope, we can try, again and again and again. We can rest and reevaluate. And then, we can gather our energy and resources and try some more.
I have to tell a story of patience (my biggest weakness). That progress is slow and sometimes unwilling. But it’s there holding out a cup of water in a long marathon just when you need that respite most. Maybe when she’s older, we’ll laugh together about the olden days of rotary phones and cars that needed gasoline to go places.
So how do I plan on talking about climate change with my kid? I will tell her the story of ants… how these seemingly invisible, tiny, entirely squashable creatures are so strong, without whom entire ecosystems would collapse. Everyone has a role no matter how big or small.
I’ll tell her a story about mushrooms–yes, those things she hates to eat. How fungi are rooted deep into the earth, connected through a great network that supports itself and its ecosystem funneling energy and resources to where it's needed most–like breaking down hard-to-recycle plastics. Another example that we rely on each other and accomplish more when we work together.
If I tell her these stories, again and again, then maybe it becomes one of optimism and resilience. Maybe she’ll understand that even when it feels like there’s no way but down, you still try hard to lift yourself and others too. The younger generations are already shifting the story in that direction. They know that we can choose a different ending if we just keep trying and working together. So maybe it’s the story I start to tell and it’s a story she and her generation finish. I hope it’s one with a happy ending.
How are you talking about climate change with the kids in your life?
What is climate change?
Climate Change for Babies
Written by Chris Ferrie and Illustrated by Katherina Petrou
Recommended Ages: 2-5 years old
This little but mighty board book does a great job explaining climate change in a way very young kids will understand. The first half uses words that are very easy to understand, for the remainder, depending on the kid’s ages, I would veer off the text and explain in ways I know they would understand. I would keep this book handy as kids grow older because I can see it being useful for ages 4+ as well.
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The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge
Written by Joanna Cole and Illustrated by Bruce Degen
Recommended Ages: 6-10 years old
I have yet to meet someone who isn’t a fan of the Magic School Bus. As a millennial, there’s something special about sharing Ms. Frizzle with the next generation. (I am a huge Ms. Frizzle stan… the very first theater production I ever attended was The Magic School Bus live show). It goes without saying that if we want a fun, interesting understanding of a science topic, Ms. Frizzle is our best bet and when it comes to climate change, she doesn’t disappoint. As the class embarks on a trip to Earth’s atmosphere and other parts of the world, we learn about greenhouse gases and the impact climate change has. The book is interspersed with fun, educational notes explaining different aspects in an easy-to-understand way. If you have a Magic School Bus fan, this is a no-brainer.
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Why is climate change bad?
Does Earth Feel?
Written and Illustrated by Marc Majewski
Recommended Ages: 3+ years old
This beautiful, provocative book tugs at your heartstrings… and your empathy. The acrylic-painted illustrations are lush and verdant depicting gorgeous scenes of nature that will make you want to tug on your boots and go for a healing walk in the woods. Each spread has a question on one side and a vibrant illustration on the other. Beginning with questions that remind readers about their fondness for nature, it builds into more serious, pensive questions. Ones that will give kids pause and wonder about the types of feelings Earth has. It ends with one final question that puts all the power back into the reader’s hands. The combination of the simple questions and the breathtaking artwork elicits a strong emotional reaction.
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Ice Bears at Ice Edge
Written by Robert Burleigh and Illustrated by Wendell Minor
Recommended Ages: 4-8 years old
This tale sheds light on the fragility of ice caps in a warming world. A mother polar bear and her cub are cast adrift when the ice cap they are standing upon splits away into the icy, rocky ocean. When the bear cub slips off, the mother bear desperately tries to save her cub. Fraught with fear and urgency, we observe a polar bear’s desperate struggle to survive. Exquisitely illustrated with delicate watercolor, the book transports you to the Arctic, and with observational text, it feels very much like an animated documentary (I did read it in Sir David Attenborough’s voice). This book is a bit distressing but I think it can yield a lot of great discussion on the realities of climate change.
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The Last Tree / El Último Árbol
Written by María Quintana Silva and Illustrated by Silvia Álvarez
Recommended Ages: 5-9 years old
A lighter read than the previous one I listed but just as thought-provoking. Goran, a young boy, watches as all the trees uproot and leave. They’ve had enough. Goran watches as the animals leave too, now that the trees—their home—have gone. Goran watches all this nervously wondering if his special tree has decided to leave too. When he finds that his tree is about to leave too, Goran tries his best to convince his tree to stay. The tree agrees to stay out the winter. With this brief respite, Goran springs into action to convince the tree to stay and never leave. What I loved the best about this story is the agency. The agency of the natural environment to say “no thanks” and the agency of Goran, a young boy, to do something about an increasingly bad situation. Another great story to help kids realize what’s at risk if we don’t protect our planet.
Buy now*: English | Spanish
What can we do about climate change?
One Earth
Written by Eileen Spinelli and Illustrated by Rogério Coelho
Recommended Ages: 3-7 years old
A rhyming, counting book that is teeming—nay—overflowing with life. Each vibrant page glows with deep, rich hues and vitality. We count up to 10 admiring nature as we go. Then we count down from 10, thinking through all the ways we can keep our Earth clean and healthy. Perfect for kids learning or love to count. The last sentence sent shivers down my spine at its haunting reminder.
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To Change A Planet
Written by Christina Soontornvat and Illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell
Recommended Ages: 4-8 years old
The book is a series of impressive gouache-painted artwork with large, sparse text overlaid on top. It’s a powerful reminder that every small action adds up—it’s how we ended up with the current climate challenges we face. Small actions to reverse climate change add up too. The book does a beautiful job of succinctly explaining climate change, its impact, and what we can do to stop climate change. Technically, this book would fit perfectly in the previous two categories but this book’s powerful message and tangible, real solutions made me feel this was the right category for this book. If you only want to get one book about climate change, it should be this one.
“But when one person, and one person, and one person become many, they can change the planet.”
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Stand Up! Speak Up!: A Story Inspired by the Climate Change Revolution
Written and Illustrated by Andrew Joyner
Recommended Ages: 6-10 years old
Black-and-white pencil drawings with pops of green are probably what you’ll first notice when you open this book. Next, are the sparse three-word sentences. And yet, paired together, is a visceral cycle of action, hope, and defeat. This is a story for anyone who has ever felt defeated by seemingly insurmountable challenges. A young girl partners up with other young people to participate in a march against climate change. The high of doing something and being part of a group effort slowly wears off when the young girl realizes that the world is still, literally and figuratively, on fire. The despair and hopelessness set in and you can feel the defeat etched into the girl’s face. But the girl contemplates and regathers her energy and continues the good fight. A beautiful story about hope and prevailing over the feelings of defeat. It’s the last two pages that are my favorite: brief profiles on girls and women globally who are standing up against climate change.
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Additional resources
LEARN: NASA has a simple kid-friendly guide to explaining climate change
LISTEN: This NPR LifeKit episode perfectly captures the stress we feel about climate change as parents and caregivers and how to broach the subject with our kids
WATCH: This great 10-min video from Vox and UCLA about the psychology of climate change
READ: Here are some excellent resources by other newsletter writers
- recently published a fantastic interview with about discussing climate change with children.
In
’s newsletter, I particularly loved this article which is a treasure trove of resources on how to broach this subject.- , writer of , shares her experience about not projecting our anxieties about climate change onto our children.
There’s only so much we can do individually. Here’s an article by
about how change can happen when there’s political will.Finally, One Earth: People of Color Protecting Our Planet by Anuradha Rao*, is great for learning about the activism happening around the world
Let’s talk about it…
What sort of conversations have you been having with your kids about this?
How do YOU feel about all this?
*Thank you for using (at no additional cost to you) the affiliate links in this post! :-)
Sri, I loved every moment of this. And because everything is connected, I just watched a short video before reading this where a person says while looking at a bird “nature is so wise and so generous. Generous because it gives us everything we need. And now I’m going to cry.” We must be generous back 🤍
Thank you for this! Our kids are so smart and wise, much wiser than I ever was about the environment at their age. I’m excited to see what this next generation does and to play a role with them.