Role models — nonfiction

Role models can inspire us. They show us what is possible. They may take several different paths to working with and protecting nature. The great thing about role models is they come in all shapes, sizes, colors, nationalities and beliefs. What they have in common is a love of nature. Anyone can be a role model.

Johnny Appleseed

Biography

Author:  Jane Kurtz Illustrator: Mary Haverfield

Ages: 4-6

Ready to Read Series

Shares the story of Johnny Chapman who planted apple trees throughout the Midwest.  This book is aimed at children who are starting to read on their own and invites the reader to clap their hands for Johnny Chapman.

The Camping Trip that Changed America  

Biography

Author:  Barb Rosenstock  Illustrator:  Mordicai Gerstein

Age: 6-8

 A whimsical telling of the camping trip of John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt in Yosemite.  This trip inspired President Roosevelt to set aside thousands of acres as national parks, wilderness areas and national forests.  Shows the impact one person can make.

Seeds of Change

Biography

Picture Book

Author:  Jen Cullerton Johnson  Illustrator:  Sonia Lynn Sadler

Age 8-11 Tells the story of Wangari Maathi, the first African woman and the first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.  Learning to respect trees as a young girl, as a scientist and activist, she encouraged people throughout Kenya to replant trees that had been cut down. The book highlights the changes this made on the environment.

Rachel Carson Fighting Pesticides and Other Chemical Pollutants  

Biography

Author:  Patricia Lantier   Photographs

Age: 9-12

Part of the Voices for Green Choices Series

Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, is one of the most influential in showing how humans can affect nature.  This book shows how Rachel combined her love of writing and nature to present issues to a general audience.  It also shows how her confidence in her science helped her to stand up against pressure.  Book includes quotes, a chronology of her life and a glossary.  Also includes some practical steps children and families can take to help nature.

Greta Thunberg Climate Crisis Activist

Biography

Author:  Matt Doeden  Photographs

Age:  11-13 Greta, a teenager, became one of the world’s leading climate crisis activist.  She got tired of waiting for adults to something.  Starting with school strikes, she gained worldwide attention.  This book demonstrates the power of one teenager to make a difference.

Explore

These are only a few of possible role models who used their passion for nature to make changes.  If age appropriate, encourage your child to make a nature journal –where and what did they see, any feelings they experience when in nature.  Consider art work or poetry as other ways of expressing feelings for nature. Earth Day is next month. Many schools and organizations will have contests. See if your child/children would be interested in entering one.

Please contact your local librarian for other age-appropriate biographies on environmentalists.