Earth Day is a chance to celebrate our beautiful home and demonstrate support for environmental protection. Our April book list features Canadian books that invite young readers to explore and deepen their relationship to the natural world.
Springtime in Kitkatla
Written by Kim Spencer
Illustrated by Karlene Harvey
Orca Book Publishers, 2026
IL: Ages 3-5 RL: Grades p-k
Wałaas and her dzi’i (grandmother) travel by fishing boat to their family’s reserve of Kitkatla for spring break, to stay with her aunty. In Kitkatla, it always feels like home, and as the days pass, Wałaas wanders the shore, enjoys traditional foods and listens to the adults speak Sm’algya̱x. She doesn’t want to leave, but she knows she will always come back.
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Taking Turns with Turtles: A Rescue Story
Written by Shari Becker
Illustrated by Brittany Lane
Groundwood Books, 2026
IL: Ages 3-6 RL: Grades p-1
One chilly morning in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a child and their parents wake up early to search the beach for cold-stunned turtles. When they find one, they keep it warm and safe until another rescuer can bring it to a rehabilitation center. There, a volunteer cleans the turtle before it goes to a biologist who glues its cracked shell back together. The turtle then moves to a tank room to recover. Finally, a volunteer pilot flies the turtle south to a warmer beach. At last, a parent and child place the turtle in the ocean and watch it swim away as a crowd of cheering volunteers look on.
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The Quiet Hunt: A Poem for Young Foragers
Written by Jean E. Pendziwol
Illustrated by Risa Hugo
Groundwood Books, 2026
IL: Ages 3-6 RL: Grades p-1
In the forests and fields, beside rivers and creeks, under the earth and hidden in trees, food is waiting to be found … if you know where to look! This lyrical story-poem from award-winning author Jean E. Pendziwol is a celebration of foraging that inspires an appreciation of found food, encourages our connection with nature and sparks our awareness of responsible environmental stewardship.
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Ruth Masters: An Environmental Activist
Written by Haley Healey
Illustrated by Kimiko Fraser
Heritage House, 2026
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades p-3
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades p-3
This picture book biography covers Ruth Masters, an avid mountaineer and backcountry guide in the wilderness of Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island. For years, Ruth fought against the harmful practices of logging, damming, mining, and trophy hunting. She was always on the frontlines of protests, raising her voice against those who wanted to exploit the environment for profit. Even when people got angry at her, Ruth never gave up her cause. This inspiring picture book celebrates Ruth’s passion for the environment and encourages young readers to find their inner activist!
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A Salmon Story: Protecting the Future
Written by Willie Poll
Illustrated by Chantelle Trainor-Matties
Owlkids Books, 2026
IL: Ages 5-8 RL: Grades 1-3
A lyrical informational picture book about how harmful fish farming practices impact wild salmon and their ecosystems. As the young salmon journey from their gravel nests to the open ocean, readers learn about the life cycle of wild salmon, the effects of unsustainable fish farming, and the role of salmon as a keystone species.
Boldly illustrated with gorgeous Northwest Coast formline art, rhythmic poetry combines with supportive nonfiction content to illuminate the struggles faced by wild salmon populations.
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The Tree’s Talk
Written by Jennifer Scott
Illustrated by Carla Joseph
Medicine Wheel Publishing, 2026
IL: Ages 6-9 RL: Grades 1-4
The Trees Talk is a lyrical poem that teaches children about the wisdom of the trees. When our loved ones pass on to the next world, author Jennifer Scott encourages us to sit with the trees. They carry messages from our ancestors for each of us, if we just take the time to listen.
Sweeping and lush paintings by Carla Joseph move readers through a journey to learn about the relationship between our ancestors and the nature around us.
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The Search for GluscapWritten by Brandon Mitchell
Illustrated by Veronika Barinova & Kielamel Sibal
HighWater Press, 2026
IL: Ages 6-8 RL: Grades 1-3
The guardian of the river, a giant serpent, has been poisoned. The human lumber mills from long ago have eaten up the forest and choked the river with logs, poisoning the water. Now the serpent attacks anything and everything, unable to tell friend from foe. The only one who can help is Gluscap, the protector of all living things. But Gluscap has been missing for a long, long time. Can Mali and Puug find him before it’s too late? Will the serpent stay sick forever? Will the salmon ever return?
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A Promise to Protect
Written by Nikki Bergstresser
Heritage House, 2025
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 3-7
While Sidney grieves the loss of her beloved aunt, she discovers that the old-growth forest along her Pacific Northwest coastal town is at risk of being destroyed. Losing Aunt Jess has created a hole in the heart of her family, and Sidney doesn’t want to imagine the possibility of also losing the place that meant so much to both of them. Yet, she feels as though her parents are ready to give up on the forest without a fight, and the only member of her family that cares as much as Sidney is her youngest brother, Riley.
Just when things start to seem hopeless, a class project provides Sidney, her best friend, and an unexpected ally with the chance to bring awareness to the importance of Cedar Grove’s old-growth forest.
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The Sustainable School: A Journey Through Time and Energy
Written by Erica Fyvie
Illustrated by Scot Ritchie
Kids Can Press, 2025
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 3-7
When construction at Birch Elementary uncovers a time capsule buried by the school's sixth-grade class in 1900 - the year the school was built! - Mr. Marons's current sixth-grade class is fascinated to discover letters from the students among the artifacts inside. Each of the letters describes the marvels of innovation in the new building in one of four categories - electricity, plumbing, building or transportation. These letters inspire an intriguing science assignment for the students: Come up with a prediction, related to one of the categories, for how the school will become more energy efficient by 2100!
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Air Heist
Written by Cheryl Isbister
Medicine Wheel Publishing, 2026
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-7
Twelve year old siblings, Sage and Crew have lived at Greenhouse Academy, a prestigious private school for students with extraordinary abilities, for as long as they can remember. Their parents’ identities have always been a mystery. When the siblings and their friends find out that within six months the air in Alberta will not be safe to breathe, they are determined to find out why and how to stop it. As Sage and Crew delve deeper into the mystery they realize that the answers to both the pollution and their lineages may be found within the walls of the academy.
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Building Homes for All: Technology for a Fair and Green Planet
Written by Elaine Kachala
Illustrated by Catherine Chan
Orca Book Publishers, 2026
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-7
People everywhere are struggling to find and pay for homes. When we do build new housing, the construction unleashes tons of greenhouse gases. We need more affordable houses built faster without polluting the Earth. What if you could 3D print eco-friendly houses in months, weeks, or even days? What if you could quickly manufacture modular, mass timber buildings that actually slow climate change? All of these things are possible. Technology offers hope and solutions, but it takes teamwork to challenge old ideas and change traditional ways of doing things.
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Gone Forever? Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear
Written by Erin Silver
Illustrated Xulin Wang
Orca Book Publishers, 2026
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-7
The world is full of remarkable places. There’s Antartica, the Amazon rainforest, the Galápagos Islands and many more. There is so much to explore, but some of those places might not exist long enough for us to see and experience with our own eyes. The planet is changing and the consequences are devastating. Beautiful and ecologically important sites are burning, sinking, flooding, melting or are otherwise being destroyed because of human-caused global warming.
But there is hope. Many environmental scientists say that if we do something now, we can reduce our impact on the planet.
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One Goal: How Soccer Can Help Save the Planet
Written by Heather Camlot
Illustrated by Drew Shannon
Groundwood Books, 2026
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-7
Publishing in advance of the 2026 World Cup, One Goal is a timely look at how soccer players, organizations, clubs and fans are taking action to do better for the planet. From “drag and drop” stadiums, to seats made from recycled fish nets, to plant-based game-day food, soccer has an opportunity to lead by example and convince the global community that, by working together, we can create a better future. Includes a game plan of how readers can help, too.
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Green Cities: Green Infrastructure Helps Urban Centers Thrive
Written by Sheila Boudreau
Illustrated by Katy Dockrill
Owlkids Books, 2026
IL: Ages 10-14 RL: Grades 6-9
All around the world, cities are turning to green infrastructure as a way to address the causes and effects of climate change, and make cities healthier, more comfortable, and more enjoyable places to live.
In four engaging chapters, readers will learn about why people live in urban centers, what a “green city” is, examples of green architecture from cities around the world, and which roles readers can play in greening their cities now and in the future.
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Minnow
Written by Willie Poll
Illustrated by Emily Pearson
Medecine Wheel Publishing, 2026
IL: Ages 10-18 RL: Grades 5-12
An exciting new graphic novel! Ever since Minnow’s Gran went missing a year ago, strange things have been happening: a wild orca keeps following her along the beach, her senses are more powerful, and she might be turning into a fish! Minnow finds peace at the local aquarium, where she meets Celia, an aspiring marine biologist. Together, they untangle the mystery of her newfound powers and discover a connection to her grandmother’s past. When they learn that the new pipeline project in the area could have a devastating impact on the Resident orcas, Minnow uses her new powers and new friendships to make waves of change and discovers that even the smallest fish can make a difference.
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Fathom Fall
Written by Matteo L. Cerilli
Bloomsbury, 2026
IL: Ages 12-18 RL: Grades 7-12
An action-packed young YA novel about a boy who finds out the monsters from his favorite video game are real.
On Fathom Fall's leaderboard, player Wyatt “DoctorDoctor” Docherty ranks at number three. In real life, he's seen only as the privileged kid of head engineers at Hydrexo, the company that supplies 75% of North America's water. He has easy access while others must line up to pay exorbitant prices at public water taps, and he feels totally useless. To prove he's more than a spoiled Water Baby, Wyatt wants to win the upcoming Fathom Fall competition and finally make a name for himself.
On Fathom Fall's leaderboard, player Wyatt “DoctorDoctor” Docherty ranks at number three. In real life, he's seen only as the privileged kid of head engineers at Hydrexo, the company that supplies 75% of North America's water. He has easy access while others must line up to pay exorbitant prices at public water taps, and he feels totally useless. To prove he's more than a spoiled Water Baby, Wyatt wants to win the upcoming Fathom Fall competition and finally make a name for himself.
Set in a near-future, water-scarce Toronto, Fathom Fall is a high-octane speculative thrill ride that questions the ethics of new technology and how it defines our very reality.
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Lying, Stealing, and Other Ways to Save the Planet
Written & illustrated by Curtis Campbell
Annick Press, 2026
IL: Ages 14-18 RL: Grades 9-12
A hilarious YA novel about coming of age in the shadow of climate change, overcoming cynicism, and the power of collaboration.
Ever since the best story of his career became the worst humiliation of his life, teen reporter John O’Neil has gone rogue. He has turned his nose for news toward blackmailing those responsible, namely Lance McPhee, diabolical heir to the local country club. When John learns that the club plans to expand into a bird conservation area founded by his late grandfather, he begrudgingly joins forces with the school birdwatching club to expose the scandal.