Children’s Books on Recycling + Study Unit Resources

Children’s books on recycling is a wonderful way to celebrate the Earth!

Earth Day is every day in our house! From the day my children were born, I have always talked to them about the three Rs… Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! And even though we do work hard on recycling in our house, we never stop learning about it!

In addition to offering recommendations of children’s books on recycling, I’ve teamed up with some fellow bloggers to offer you homeschool and in-class resources to teach kids about recycling! You can find these children’s books on recycling at your local library or purchase through the affiliate links provided for your convenience.

Children’s Books on Recycling

Yes, I’m the person at the grocery store with my legion of cloth paper bags. Some of them are even superhero ones! I’m the one who carries a water bottle with me and carries items that can be recycled home with me rather than throw it away.

And I’m hoping my kids will be the same way as well. Let’s get reading!

Don’t Throw That Away!: A Lift-the-Flap Book about Recycling and Reusing: Follow an eco-conscious super hero as he teaches kids how to recycle and reuse common household items! The six large flaps throughout show that oridinary trash is really a treasure. From turning old clothes into fun costumes or an old box into a brand new car, kids will learn that saving the environment is super cool!

Why Should I Recycle?: What if everybody threw away old bottles and newspapers, littering the world with glass and plastic and tin cans that should be recycled and made into new products? Mr. Jones is a teacher who sets a good example for kids by separating his trash for recycling. When he takes them on a class trip to a recycling plant they learn the value of recycling.

Charlie and Lola: We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers: 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. They turn out to be extremely very good recyclers indeed.

The Berenstain Bears Go Green: The Berenstain Bears live in a wonderful place filled with green grass, blue skies, and lots of furry friends. But on a fishing trip at the creek, the Bear family discovers that the town dump is overflowing. It’s spilling garbage into the water! Can the Berenstain Bears find a pollution solution before their beloved county is filled with garbage?

The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle: A Story About Recycling: Told from the point of view of a free-spirited plastic bottle, kids can share in the daily experiences and inner thoughts of the bottle through his personal journal. The diary entries will be fun and humorous yet point out the ecological significance behind each product and the resources used to make it. Readers will never look at a plastic bottle the same way again!

The EARTH Book: With his signature blend of playfulness and sensitiviy, Todd Parr explores the important, timely subject of environmental protection and conservation in this eco-friendly picture book. Featuing a circular die-cut Earth on the cover, and printed entirely with recycled materials and nontoxic soy inks, this book includes lots of easy, smart ideas on how we can all work together to make the Earth feel good – from planting a tree and using both sides of the paper, to saving energy and reusing old things in new ways.

How to Help the Earth-by the Lorax: The star of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss makes his Step into Reading debut in this rhymed reader that offers kids easy suggestions for going green! After explaining how the trash in a wastbasket ultimately ends up in a landfill or incinerator, the Lorax suggests realistic ways children can reduce waste, such as by carrying a lunch box, donating old clothes and toys, sharing magazines with friends, recycling cans and bottles, and using rechargeable batteries. He also explains how they can save energy around the home by turning off lights, taking shorter showers, donning sweaters to stay warm, and much, much more. All in all, this is a great introduction to helping the Earth and helping kids step into reading!

I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: Meet Max the Little Monster. He is a cute, furry green monster who is an environmental nightmare. Among other things, he leaves on all the lights, keeps his computer plugged in, blasts the TV, hoards his old toys and uses so much toilet paper it clogs the toilet until finally, his excessive ways cause a power outage. With no TV to watch, computer to play on, video games to play with, Max finds there is a whole big world outside that he can make a difference in the environment.

Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth: Kids everywhere are knowledgeable about the environment and climate change. Not only is composting becoming more common in households and residential gardens, but many school gardens feature compost piles, too. But how do you start a compost pile? What’s safe to include? Perfect for an Earth Day focus or year-round reference, this inviting book provides all the answers for kids and families looking for simple, child-friendly ways to help the planet.

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia: 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. Isatou Ceesay knew things needed to change. She found a way to recycle the bags and transform her community. This inspirational true story shows how one person’s actions really can make a difference in our world.

10 Things I Can Do to Help My World: Do you remember to turn off the tap while you brush your teeth? How about using both sides of the paper when writing and drawing? Or planting seeds and nurturing the new plants as they grow? Bold, child-friendly illustrations and die-cut pages will draw even the youngest listeners to this gentle reminder of the easy, everyday ways we can be kinder to the earth.

Like these children’s books on recycling? Find even more engaging book lists for kids with more than 100 book-themed reading lists!

Recycling Study Unit Resources

In addition to offering recommendations of children’s books on recycling, I’ve teamed up with some fellow bloggers to offer you homeschool and in-class resources to teach kids about recycling! These unit resources may contain affiliate links.

Photo Credit

• Earth Day Theme Preschool Classroom Lesson Plans
• Montessori Earth Day Activities Pack
• Earth Day Literacy
• Earth Day Math

For further recycling study unit resources and ideas, consider the following

• How To Make An Everest and Skye Paw Patrol Pinata from Crafty Mama in ME
• Recycling tips for camping trips from FrogMom
• Recycled Toy Robot Project from Brain Power Boy
• How Paper is Recycled from Schooling a Monkey
• Cutting Tray and Recycling Sorting from Parenting Chaos
• Free Recycling Printables and Montessori-Inspired Recycling Activities from Living Montessori Now
• Colorful Spring Windsock Made with Recycled Materials from Play Dough & Popsicles
• How To Make A Flower Craft From Recycled Materials from Raising Little Superheroes
• Tin Can Pencil Holder from Tales of Education at Home
• Ways to Use Recycled Materials Around the House from Natural Beach Living
• Getting kids excited about recycling from Something 2 Offer
• Simple & Fun Recycled Magazine Crafts for the Family From The Natural Homeschool
• Sort Your Recycling Worksheets from Living Life and Learning

Find more Unit Study Resources on Mommy Evolution!