100 Poetry Books for Earth Day

100 Poetry Books for Earth Day

Poets have written about nature and the natural world for centuries. It’s a favorite topic of writers of poetry for children, too. The following poetry books for young people focus even further on the earth and Earth Day themes such as respect for the land, extinction of species, conservation of resources—all with beautiful imagery and lyrical language.

1. ________. 2019. Origami and Poetry Inspired by Nature. Ill. by Clover Robin. Somerville, MA: Nosy Crow. 
   
2. ________. 2018. Sing a Song of Seasons. Ill. by Frann Preston-Gannon. Somerville, MA: Candlewick/Nosy Crow. 
3. Agard, John. 2021. Coyote’s Soundbite: A Poem for the Planet. Ill. by Piet Grobler. Oxford: Lantana.
4. Ak’abal, Humberto. 2021. Aquí era el paraíso / Here Was Paradise. Ill. by Amelia Lau Carling. Toronto: Groundwood Books.
5. Argueta, Jorge. 2006. Talking with Mother Earth; Poems; Hablando con Madre Tierra. Toronto: Groundwood. 
6. Bagert, Brod. 2019. Weather or Climate? Poems & Plays About Weather & Climate. New Orleans, LA: Living Road Press, LLC. 
7. Begay, Shonto. 1995. Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa. New York: Scholastic.
8. Blackaby, Susan. 2010. Nest, Nook & Cranny. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge. 
9. Brenner, Barbara. Ed.1994. The Earth is Painted Green: A Garden of Poems about Our Planet. New York: Scholastic.
10. Bruchac, Joseph. 1995. The Earth under Sky Bear's Feet: Native American Poems of the Land. New York: Philomel Books.
11. Bruchac, Joseph. 1996. Between Earth and Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace.
12. Bulion, Leslie. 2011. At the Sea Floor Café: Odd Ocean Critter Poems. Ill. by Leslie Evans. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.
13. Bulion, Leslie. 2018. Leaf Litter Critters. Ill. by Robert Meganck. Atlanta: Peachtree. 
14. Bulion, Leslie. 2020. Amphibian Acrobats. Ill. by Robert Meganck. Atlanta: Peachtree. 
15. Bulion, Leslie. 2020. Superlative Birds. Ill. by Robert Meganck. Atlanta: Peachtree.
16. Coelho, Joseph. 2019. A Year of Nature Poems. Ill. by Kelly Louise Judd. Wide Eyed Editions. 
17. Cooling, Wendy. Ed. 2010. All the Wild Wonders: Poems of Our Earth. Ill. by Piet Grobler. London: Frances Lincoln Children’s Books. 
18. Coombs, Kate. 2012. Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems. Ill. by Meilo So. Chronicle.
19. Davies, Nicola. 2012. Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature. Ill. by Mark Hearld. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. 
20. Davies, Nicola. 2017. Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. 
21. Drimmer, Stephanie. 2017. Hey, Baby!: A Collection of Pictures, Poems, and Stories from Nature's Nursery. Washington, DC: National Geographic.
22. Elliott, David. 2010. In the Wild. Ill. by Holly Meade. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick. 
23. Elliott, David. 2020. In the Woods. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. 
24. Engle, Margarita. 2017. Forest World. New York: Atheneum. 
25. Farrar, Sid. 2012. The Year Comes Round: Haiku Through the Seasons. Ill. by Ilse Plume. Chicago, IL: Whitman.
26. Florian, Douglas. 2010. Poetrees. New York: Simon & Schuster.
27. Florian, Douglas. 2012. Unbeelievables: Honeybee Poems and Paintings. Beach Lane.
28. Florian, Douglas. 2020. ICE! Poems about Polar Life. New York: Holiday House.
29. 
    Fogliano, Julie. 2012. And Then It’s Spring. Ill. by Erin E. Stead. New York: Roaring Brook Press. 
30. Fogliano, Julie. 2016. When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons. Ill. by Julie Morstad. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
31. Franco, Betsy. 2015. A Spectacular Selection of Sea Critters. Ill. by Michael Wertz. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook.
32. George, Kristine O’Connell. 1998. Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems. New York: Clarion. 
33. Gerber, Carole. 2013. Seeds, Bees, Butterflies and More! Poems for Two Voices. New York: Holt. 
34. Gerber, Carole. 2013. Spring Blossoms. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge. 
35. Harley, Avis. 2006. Sea Stars: Saltwater Poems. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press. 
36. Harley, Avis. 2008. The Monarch’s Progress: Poems with Wings. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills/Wordsong.
37. Harrison, David L. 2016. Now You See Them, Now You Don’t: Poems About Creatures that Hide. Ill. by Giles Laroche. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge. 
38. Harrison, David L. 2018. A Place to Start a Family: Poems About Creatures That Build. Ill. by Giles Laroche. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge. 
39. Harrison, David L. 2021. The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet. Ill. by Kate Cosgrove. New York: Holiday House. 
40. Havill, Juanita. 2006. I Heard It from Alice Zucchini: Poems About the Garden. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.
41. Havill, Juanita. 2008. Grow. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.
42. Heard, Georgia. 2019. Boom! Bellow! Bleat! Animal Poems for Two or More Voices. Ill. by Aaron DeWitt. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills/Wordsong.
43. Heidbreder, Robert. 2020. Catch the Sky: Playful Poems on the Air We Share. Greystone Kids.
44. Hoberman, Mary Ann. 2019. The Sun Shines Everywhere. Ill. by Luciano Lozano. New York: Little, Brown. 
45. Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Ed. 2017. Traveling the Blue Road: Poems of the Sea. Ill. by Bob Hansman & Jovan Hansman. New York: Quarto. 
46. Hopkins, Lee. Bennett. Ed. 2010. Sharing the Seasons. New York: Margaret McElderry.
47. 
    Hoyte, Carol-Ann. Ed. 2015. Dear Tomato: An International Crop of Food & Agriculture Poems. Charleston, SC: CreateSpace.
48. Hutchens, Verlie. 2019. Trees. Ill. by Jing Jing Tsong. New York: Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster. 
49. Judge, Lita. 2021. The Wisdom of Trees: How Trees Work Together to Form a Natural Kingdom. New York: Macmillan/Roaring Brook. 
50. Keller, Shana. 2020. Fly, Firefly. Ill. by Ramona Kaulitzki. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear. 
51. Latham, Irene. 2014. Dear Wandering Wildebeest: And Other Poems from the Water Hole. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook/Lerner. 
52. Latham, Irene. 2016. Fresh Delicious: Poems from the Farmers' Market. Ill. by Mique Moriuchi. Honesdale, PA: Highlights/Wordsong.
53. Latham, Irene. 2021. Wild Peace. Ill. by Il Sung Na. New York: Roaring Brook. 
54. Levy, Constance. 2002. Splash! Poems of Our Watery World. New York: Orchard.
55. Lewis, J. Patrick. 2017. Make the Earth Your Companion. Ill. by Anna and Elena Balbusso. Creative Editions.
56. Lewis, J. Patrick. Ed. 2012. National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry. Washington DC: National Geographic.
57. Lewis, J. Patrick. Ed. 2015. National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry. Washington DC: National Geographic. 
58. 
    Michelson, Richard. 2014. S is for Sea Glass: A Beach Alphabet. Ill. by Doris Ettlinger. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press. 
59. Mora, Pat. 1994. The Desert is My Mother / El Desierto es Mi Madre. Houston, TX: Pinata Books.
60. Mora, Pat. 1998. This Big Sky. New York: Scholastic.
61. Mora, Pat. 2014. Water Rolls, Water Rises / El agua rueda, el agua sube. Ill. by Meilo So. San Francisco: Children's Book Press. 
62. Moser, Lisa. 2016. Stories from Bug Garden. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. 
63. Murray, Carol. 2017. Cricket in the Thicket: Poems About Bugs. Ill. by Melissa Sweet. New York: Holt.
64. Nicholls, Judith. 2003. The Sun in Me: Poems about the Planet. Cambridge, MA: Barefoot Books.
65. Nicholls, Judith. Ed.1993. Earthways, Earthwise: Poems on Conservation. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press.
66. Nye, Naomi Shihab. 2020. Cast Away: Poems of Our Time. New York: Greenwillow.
67. Ode, Eric. 2013. Sea Star Wishes: Poems from the Coast. New York: Sasquatch Books/Random House. 
68. Ode, Eric. 2019. Otters, Snails, and Tadpole Tails: Poems from the Wetlands. Ill. by Ruth Harper. LA Jolla, CA: Kane-Miller. 
69. Pappa, Rodoula. 2021. Beautiful Day! Petite Poems for All Seasons. Petaluma, Ill. by Seng Soun Ratanavanh. CA: Cameron Kids. 
70. Paschkis, Julie. 2015. Flutter & Hum: Animal Poems/ Aleteo y Zumbido: Poemas de Animales. New York: Holt. 
71. Peck, Jan and Davis, David. Eds. 2011. The Green Mother Goose; Saving the World One Rhyme at a Time. Ill. by Carin Berger. Sterling. 
72. Pendziwol, Jean K. 2013. Once Upon a Northern Night. Ill. by Isabelle Arsenault. Toronto, Canada: Groundwood. 
73. 
    Peters, Lisa Westberg. 2003. Earthshake: Poems from the Ground Up. Ill. by Cathie Felstead. New York: HarperCollins. 
74. Pignat, Caroline. 2018. Poetree. Markham, Ontario: Red Deer Press. 
75. Portis, Antoinette. 2020. A New Green Day. New York: Holiday House. 
76. Rogasky, Barbara. Ed. 2001. Leaf by Leaf. New York: Scholastic.
77. Rossetti, Christina. 2019. Blooming Beneath the Sun. Ill. by Ashley Bryan. New York: Atheneum. 
78. Salas, Laura Purdie. 2019. Lion of the Sky: Haiku for All Seasons. Ill. by Merce Lopez. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press.
79. Schaub, Michelle. 2017. Fresh-Picked Poetry: A Day at the Farmers’ Market. Ill. by Amy Huntington. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge. 
80. Sidman, Joyce. 2005. Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems. Ill. by Beckie Prange. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
81. Sidman, Joyce. 2006. Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow. Ill. by Beth Krommes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 
82. Sidman, Joyce. 2009. Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors. Ill. by Pamela Zagarenski. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
83. 
    Sidman, Joyce. 2010. Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night. Ill. by Rick Allen. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
84. Sidman, Joyce. 2010. Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature’s Survivors. Ill. by Becky Prange. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
85. Sidman, Joyce. 2014. Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold. Ill. by Rick Allen. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 
86. Sidman, Joyce. 2021. Hello, Earth! Poems to Our Planet. Ill. by Miren Asiain Lora. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
87. Silverman, Buffy. 2020. On a Snow-Melting Day: Seeking Signs of Spring. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook. 
88. Singer, Marilyn. 2002. Footprints on the Roof: Poems about the Earth. New York: Knopf. 
89. Singer, Marilyn. 2003. How to Cross a Pond: Poems about Water. New York: Knopf. 
90. Singer, Marilyn. 2005. Central Heating: Poems about Fire and Warmth. New York: Knopf. 
91. Singer, Marilyn. 2012. A Strange Place to Call Home: The World’s Most Dangerous Habitats and the Animals That Call Them Home. Ill. by Ed Young. Chronicle.
92. Turk, Evan. 2019. You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks. New York: Atheneum. 
93. Tuttle, Sarah Grace. 2018. Hidden City: Poems of Urban Wildlife. Ill. by Amy Schimler-Safford. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
94. VanDerwater, Amy Ludwig. 2013. Forest Has a Song. New York: Clarion.
95. Walker, Sally M. 2018. Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up. Ill. by William Grill. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. 
    
96. Wassenhove, Sue Van. 2008. The Seldom-Ever-Shady Glades. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills/Wordsong.
97. White, Dianne. 2020. Green on Green. Ill. by Felicita Sala. New York: Beach Lane Books.
98. Wong, Janet. 2011. Once Upon A Tiger; New Beginnings for Endangered Animals.OnceUponaTiger.com.
99. Yolen, Jane. 2015. Sing a Season Song. Minneapolis, MN: Creative Editions. 
100. Yolen, Jane. Ed.1996. Mother Earth, Father Sky: Poems of Our Planet. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press.

Here's a poem with an Earth Day focus, "When I Move," by the amazing Carole Boston Weatherford from Hop to It: Poems to Get You Moving. 

And just for fun, here is a video of poet Nancy Bo Flood reading her earth-day-themed poem, "Anyone Home?" out loud to a group of wonderful poets-- all with their own poems in HOP TO IT: POEMS TO GET YOU MOVING.