Looking for ways to make recycling more engaging for your students? Picture books can help! These recycling books for kids will encourage them to take care of our plant in their own special way.
I’m sharing all of these books on video as well! Check out the Books about Recycling for Kids on my Youtube channel.
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
Recycling Books for Kids
One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul
For years, plastic bags were a cheap and convenient option for carrying goods in Njau, Gambia. However, when these bags broke or were no longer needed, they were carelessly discarded, leading to an unsightly accumulation of plastic waste alongside roads. The stagnant water in the bags provided a breeding ground for mosquitoes and diseases, while the burning of bags left behind a foul smell. The bags also strangled gardens, killed livestock, and polluted the environment.
Isatou Ceesay decided to take action, and she began to collect the plastic bags and recycle them into something new. Her efforts not only helped to clean up the environment, but also provided income for women in her community who had been struggling to make ends meet.
Click here for the One Plastic Bag lesson plan.
Ada’s Violin by Susan Hood
Ada Ríos grew up in Cateura, a small town in Paraguay built on a landfill. She dreamed of playing the violin. However, she had little money for anything but the bare essentials It was never an option…until a music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived. He wanted to give the children of Cateura something special, so he made them instruments out of materials found in the trash. It was a crazy idea, but one that would leave Ada—and her town—forever changed. Now, the Recycled Orchestra plays venues around the world, spreading their message of hope and innovation.
Bag in the Wind by Ted Kooser
One cold morning in early spring, a bulldozer pushes a pile of garbage around a landfill and uncovers an empty plastic bag — a perfectly good bag, the color of the skin of a yellow onion, with two holes for handles — that someone has thrown away. Just then, a puff of wind lifts the rolling, flapping bag over a chain-link fence and into the lives of several townsfolk — a can-collecting girl, a homeless man, a store owner — not that all of them notice. The book itself is printed on paper containing 100% recycled post-consumer waste and includes an author’s note on recycling plastic bags.
Flipflopi by Linda Lodding
Juma is excited to go fishing with his grandfather, Babu Ali. But when they get to the beach, they find the sand covered in plastic pollution–flip-flops, plastic straws, toothbrushes, bottles, and shopping bags. One of the flip-flops floating in on a wave looks like a boat. That gives Juma and Babu Ali an idea.
This book is based on the true story of the Kenyan dhow boat Flipflopi. It demonstrates how innovation, art, and determination can transform plastic pollution into something useful. In 2017, 30,000 flip-flops and other plastic waste items, all collected from the Kenyan coast, were melted, shaped, and carved into the dhow named Flipflopi. Weighing in at 7 tons, this boat is a testament to what can happen when awareness is turned into action.
Galimoto by Karen Williams
Kondi is determined to make a galimoto—a toy vehicle made of wires. His brother laughs at the idea, but all day Kondi goes about gathering up the wire he needs. By nightfall, his wonderful galimoto is ready for the village children to play with in the light of the moon.
Hana’s Hundreds of Hijabs by Razeena Gutta
Hana has a humongous collection of hijabs and accessories – and her hijab is always styled superbly. But when her overflowing collection gets a little out of hand, Hana knows something needs to be done . . . and comes up with a clever plan for sharing her talents and possessions with her community!
The House Full of Stuff by Emily Rand
Mr. McDuff lives in a house full of stuff! He loves collecting things—bits and pieces that he thinks could be useful one day, but that his neighbors call junk! They all keep their houses neat and tidy, and hurry by without saying hello. Everyone except Mo, that is. Can Mo and Mr. McDuff convince the rest of the neighborhood that his stuff is useful, and that reusing and repairing is often better than throwing things away?
I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn
This is a lively, energetic story about adjusting when you need to and being creative when you have to. As the year passes, the young girl’s favorite dress goes through a series of creative changes, from dress to shirt to tank top to scarf and so on, until all that’s left of it is a good memory. With help from her mama, she finds that when disaster strikes her favorite things, she doesn’t need to make mountains out of molehills—she “makes molehills out of mountains” instead!
Kenya’s Art by Linda Trice
Kenya’s class is on spring vacation and their teacher asked them to write a report about how they spent their time. But vacation is almost over and Kenya hasn’t done anything worth noting. A late visit to a museum’s recycling exhibit and a walk through her neighborhood with her daddy inspire Kenya to use her old, broken toys and other items to make art with her family. Now she’s prepared to teach her whole class how to Recycle! Reuse! Make Art!
Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton by J.H. Shapiro
Tyree Guyton, an urban environmental artist, loved his childhood home–that’s where his grandpa Sam taught him to “paint the world.” So he wanted to wake people up… to make them see Detroit’s crumbling communities. Tyree transforms everyday junk into magic trash. Soon local kids and families joined Tyree in rebuilding their neighborhood, discovering the healing power of art along the way.
One Little Bag: An Amazing Journey by Henry Cole
From a tall tree growing in the forest–to the checkout counter at the grocery store–one little bag finds its way into the hands of a young boy on the eve of his first day of school. And so begins an incredible journey of one little bag that is used and reused and reused again.
In a three-generation family, the bag is transporter of objects and keeper of memories. And when Grandfather comes to the end of his life, the family finds a meaningful new way for the battered, but much-loved little bag to continue its journey in the circle of life.
To Change a Planet by Christina Soontornvat
With calm, truthfulness, and beauty, To Change a Planet demonstrates the importance of caring for our planet. It invites readers to find and follow the same characters through their daily lives and ultimately to a climate march on Washington, where their storylines converge.
Listen on the Podcast
Save this List of Recycling Books for Kids
Be sure to save this pin to your favorite read alouds board on Pinterest! You’ll be able to come back to these recycling books for kids when you are ready to read them aloud with your students.
