Other Picture Books and Illustrated Collections on the Environment

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Allen, Judy, ed. Anthology for the Earth. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 1997. 96 pp. A British writer collected a wide variety of poems and excerpts from authors of different cultures and eras, on the beauties of the earth and damage done to it. Selections are accompanied by art and calligraphy from 31 different illustrators. Includes Aldo Leopold's "Thinking Like a Mountain." Allen has also written a series of picture books on endangered animals.

Durell, Ann, Jean Craighead George, Katherine Paterson, eds.  The Big Book for our Planet.  New York:  Dutton, 1993.  Stories, nonfiction essays, and poems on the environment by award-winning children's authors and illustrators.  Includes fantasy and realism. Profits from the book go to six environmental organizations.

Huck, Charlotte, ed. Secret Places. Illus. Lindsay Barrett George. New York: Greenwillow, 1993. Many of the poems by different authors show enjoyment of secluded natural settings, or a fantasy of seeing the stars in a bedroom with no roof. Bright gouache paintings illustrate the different moods in the poems.

Jeffers, Susan. Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message from Chief Seattle. New York: Dial, 1991. Controversial adaptation of Chief Seattle message. The book is critiqued by the Native American organization Oyate at http://www.oyate.org/books-to-avoid/bro_eagle.html.

Luenn, Nancy. Mother Earth. Illus. Neil Walsman. New York: Macmillan, 1992. Describes whole earth as a body; what she gives us and we give her.      

Pearce, Fred. The Big Green Book. Illus. Ian Winton. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1991. A nonfiction picture book describing the earth as a planet, the human footprint, trash, deforestation, the greenhouse effect, water, air pollution, and ways to help.

Simon, Seymour. Earth Words:  A Dictionary of the Environment.  Illus.  Mark Kaplan.  New York:  HarperCollins, 1995.  A colorfully illustrated explanation of environmental terms for children, from acid rain to wetland.

Singer, Marilyn. Footprints on the Roof: Poems about the Earth. Illus. Meilo So. New York: Knopf, 2002. Poetic tributes to beautiful and messy qualities of nature encompass an astronaut's view of earth, childhood experiences, and small details of the natural world found in both wild and urban settings. The illustrations are black-and-white India ink drawings on rice paper.

Singer, Marilyn. Turtle in July. Illus. Jerry Pinkney. New York: Macmillan/Aladdin, 1989. Free verse poems about animals.

Yolen, Jane. Bird Watch: A Book of Poetry. Illus. Ted Lewin. New York: Philomel, 1999. Seventeen poems on different species of birds.

Yolen, Jane. Color Me a Ryme: Nature Poems for Young People. Illus. Jason Stemple. Boyds Mill Press, 2000. Poems in a variety of forms on different colors in nature, with photographs of natural objects, quotations on the colors, and encouragement for writing your own poetry.

Yolen, Jane. Sea Watch: A Book of Poetry. Illus. Ted Lewin. New York: Philomel, 1996. Fourteen lyric poems illustrated with watercolors. Includes notes on sea creatures and background.

Compiled by Dr. Tina L. Hanlon
Ferrum College

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This page created June 2002
Last update: 06/28/02