Read a New Book Month
Kate Goss
November 29 2021
You may have noticed that we at 128 Collective love a good read. From our weekly Reading Groups to active Slack channels we’re always sharing our discoveries, so when we found that December is officially Read a New Book Month it felt like our kind of celebration.
We wanted to pass on this joy to you, so we’ve found some climate-themed books to read and share. Perhaps your family embraces the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod, you are looking for holiday gift sets, it’s time for a new book for a family read-aloud, or you simply want to curl up and enjoy a new adventure. Whatever your motivation, this month is for you.
This list focuses on children and youth. Stay tuned for our list of favorite climate-reads for adults from 2021.
Climate Generation has compiled a reading list to support youth climate change education. We’ve picked out a few highlights to share.
- Ivy and Bean: What’s the Big Idea
- Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall
- Ivy and Bean Summary and Discussion Guide
- 2011, Chronicle Books, 132 pages
- ISBN-10: 9781452102368
- Appropriate audience: 1-5th grade
After a presentation from the fifth graders, the second grade class is challenged by their teacher to find their own global warming solutions. Ivy and Bean struggle to find one, working through a number of ideas from inventing their own clean energy from rice to making humans less powerful so that animals could take over. Their final solution is simple and powerful and a testament to the importance of youth-driven solutions.
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition)
- William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind Summary and Discussion Guide
- 2016, Puffin Books, 304 pages
- ISBN-10: 9780147510426
- Appropriate audience: 1-12th grade, adults
- For other ages
- Picture Book Edition
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope (Adult Version- NYT Bestseller)
- Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed the Earth
- Buried Sunlight Summary and Discussion Guide
- 2014, The Blue Sky Press, 48 pages
- ISBN-10: 9780545577854
- Appropriate audience: 3-8th grade
This book uses basic language and beautiful illustrations to explain the basics of climate change and the repercussions of burning fossil fuels.
- Same Sun Here
- Silas House and Neela Vaswani
- Same Sun Here Summary and Discussion Guide
- 2013, Candlewick, 304 pages
- ISBN-10: 0763664510
- Appropriate audience: 4-12th grade
This story details the correspondence and developing friendship between an Indian immigrant girl in New York City and a Kentucky coal miner’s son. The title refers to the fact that no matter where we live on this planet, we all share the same source of energy that sustains life—the sun. Alongside all the things that make us different from each other, there are challenges that are common to us all.
- We Rise: The Earth Guardians Guide to Building a Movement That Restores the Planet
- Xiuhtezcatl Martinez
- We Rise: The Earth Guardians Guide to Building a Movement that Restores the Planet Summary and Discussion Guide
- 2017, Rodale Books, 272 pages
- ISBN-10: 1635650674
- Appropriate audience: 6-12th grade, adults
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is a 16-year-old climate activist, hip-hop artist, and powerful new voice on the front lines of a global youth-led movement. In his book, Xiuhtezcatl tells stories of his background, his work in activism, and offers advice about joining the climate change movement. This guide offers advice, conversations with various thought leaders, and will be an inspiration to all who read it.
Harper Collins compiled an incredible selection of 19 Children's Books to Inspire Courage and Activism. With books across the ages, this entire list is worth a detailed look.
Standing up for what you believe in can be difficult, especially when you don’t know if anyone will stand beside you, but it’s important that kids have the confidence to do so. As the future of our world, help them find their voice in 2020 and beyond with these 19 books guaranteed to inspire courage, activism, and standing up for what’s right!
- Sometimes People March
- Tessa Allen
With a spare, inspiring text and gorgeous watercolor illustrations, this is a timeless and important book for activists of all ages. This hardcover picture book is perfect for sharing and for gifting.
Social Justice Books has another extraordinary compilation with selections focused on Environment and Climate Justice for Elementary, Middle School, High School and Adult readers. Here are two, for flavor.
- Young Water Protectors: A Story About Standing Rock
- Aslan Tudor, Kelly Tudor, and Jason Eaglespeaker
- We Rise: The Earth Guardians Guide to Building a Movement that Restores the Planet Summary and Discussion Guide
- 2017, Rodale Books, 272 pages
- ISBN-10: 1635650674
- Appropriate audience: 6-12th grade, adults
Aslan and Kelly Tudor’s Young Water Protectors: A Story About Standing Rock is a non-fiction photo-essay published by EagleSpeaker Publishing.
Told from the point of view of a child, Young Water Protectors is a rare kind of story of a unique period of activism with Native people from so many nations standing together to fight a company exploiting people and hurting earth’s resources.
- A Bigger Picture
- Vanessa Nakate
- We Rise: The Earth Guardians Guide to Building a Movement that Restores the Planet Summary and Discussion Guide
- 2017, Rodale Books, 272 pages
- ISBN-10: 1635650674
- Appropriate audience: 6-12th grade, adults
Leading climate justice activist Vanessa Nakate brings her fierce, fearless spirit, new perspective, and superstar bona fides to the biggest issue of our time. In A Bigger Picture, her first book, she shares her story as a young Ugandan woman who sees that her community bears disproportionate consequences to the climate crisis.
From a shy little girl in Kampala to a leader on the world stage, A Bigger Picture is part rousing manifesto and part poignant memoir, and it presents a new vision for the climate movement based on resilience, sustainability, and genuine equity.
Happy Read a New Book Month!
