Earth Day has been celebrated across the globe on April 22 since 1970. Throughout April, Chicago Public Library branches have events from craft workshops to documentary screenings to tree giveaways.

The Chicago Park District is hosting a citywide park cleanup on Saturday, April 18th: sign up to volunteer here or find another Earth Day event in your city here.

Whether you’re participating in an in-person event or not, we’ve got you covered with Earth Day book suggestions. Below are ten pairs of books: one book for kids, and one book for adults, about the same theme. We hope you and a young person in your life enjoy learning about our beautiful planet together!

For the Backyard Explorer

Youth: Hello, Puddle! by Anita Sanchez

Adult: The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl

For the Urban Ecologist

Youth: Crossings: Extraordinary Structures for Extraordinary Animals by Katy S. Duffield

Adult: Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb

For the Geologist

Youth: Stalactite & Stalagmite by Drew Beckmeyer

Adult: Strata: Stories from Deep Time by Laura Poppick

For the Night Owl

Youth: Luminous: Living Things That Light Up The Night by Julia Kuo

Adult: Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark by Leigh Ann Henion

For the Tree Hugger

Youth: Listen to the Language of Trees: A Story About How Forests Communicate Underground by Tera Kelley

Adult: Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard

For the Birder

Youth: Families of a Feather: A Celebration of Family Diversity by Fern Wexler

Adult: The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

For the Poet

Youth: The City Sings Green and Other Poems About Welcoming Wildlife by Erica Silverman

Adult: Nature Matters: Vital Poems from the Global Majority edited by Mona Arshi and Karen McCarthy Woolf  

For the Mycologist

Youth: Mushrooms Know by Kallie George

Adult: Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake

For the Ocean Lover

Youth: The Deep! Wild Life at the Ocean’s Darkest Depths by Lindsey Leigh

Adult: The Brilliant Abyss: Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean, and the Looming Threat That Imperils It by Helen Scales

For the Climate Activist

Youth: As the Seas Rise: Nicole Hernández Hammer and the Fight for Climate Justice by Angela Quezada Padron

Adult: A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate and Chaos Theory by Jagadish Shukla