Read Green
The Green Earth Book Award
2025 GEBA Final List
NatGen is excited to share this year’s GEBA results. From powerful storytelling to compelling non-fiction that brings environmental issues and information to young people in relatable ways, these books offer a unique and vital perspective to the conversation around our planet’s future.
This year’s winners represent not only excellence in writing, but a deep commitment to environmental awareness, advocacy, and action. Their work reminds us that books are more than just stories or studies—they can be catalysts for change.
Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators, and publishers who bring these stories to life. Listed below are the Winners, Honor Books, and Recommended Reading for the 2025 Green Earth Book Award.
Now, it’s your turn. Read these extraordinary books. Share them. Discuss them. Let them spark conversations in classrooms, libraries, and communities.
2025 Green Earth Book Award Winners
Each Earth Day, The Nature Generation bestows this coveted award to children’s and young adult literature that best convey the message of environmental stewardship. We applaud the winning authors and illustrators who continue to tell the stories about the environmental challenges we all face in a way that resonates with children and young adults. We also applaud the publishers who bring these stories to fruition.
In 2025, we are proud to award the following six Green Earth Book Awards.
Cadmus
Children's Fiction Winner
Written by Evan Griffith
Tree Quill, an imprint of Harper
Kline Family
Young Adult Fiction Winner
Written by Ann E. Burg
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
Parker-Tirrell Family and Friends Young Adult Non-Fiction Winner
Written by Ferin Davis Anderson and Stephanie Sammartino McPherson
Lerner Publishing Group
Thomas Family
Children's Non-Fiction Winner
Written by Erin Silver
Illustrated by Pui Yan Fong
Orca Book Publishers
Council Oak
Picture Book - Intermediate
Written by Debbie Levy
Illustrated by Alex Boersma
Bloomsbury Publishing
GDIT
Picture Book - Primary
Written and Illustrated
by Marie-Louise Gay
Groundwood Books Ltd.
2025 Green Earth Book Award
Honor Books and Recommended Reading
PICTURE BOOK Primary
for young readers
Honors
Gifts from the Garbage Truck, by Andrew Larsen, illustrated by Oriol Vidal (Sourcebooks)
Inside the Compost Bin, by Melody Sumaoang Plan, illustrated by Vinh Nguyen & Rong Pham (Tilbury House Publishers)
Ranger Hamza's Eco Quest, by Ranger Hamza, illustrated by Kate Kronreif (The Quarto Group)
Recommended Reading
Art & Oakie Ask: Do You Speak Bee?, by Josh Oaktree, illustrated by Josiane Vlitos (Oak Tree Comics)
Beauty and the Beaker, by Sue Fliess, illustrated by Petros Bouloubasis (Albert Whitman & Company)
Dino-Earth Day, by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Barry Gott (Lerner Publishing Group)
Loop de Loop: Circular Solutions for a Waste-Free World, by Andrea Curtis, illustrated by Roozeboos (Groundwood Books Ltd.)
Outdoor Farm, Indoor Farm, by Lindsay H. Metcalf, illustrated by Xin Li (Astra Young Readers/Astra Books for Young Readers)
The Wild, by Yuval Zommer, illustrated by Yuval Zommer (Random House Children's Books)
Whalesong: The True Story of the Musician Who Talked to Orcas,
by Zachariah Ohora, illustrated by Zachariah Ohora (Tundra Book Group)
PICTURE BOOK Intermediate
for young readers
Honors
Cactus Queen Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park,
by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Jenn Ely (Calkins Creek/Astra Books for Young Readers)
The Ocean Gardener, by Clara Anganuzzi, illustrated by Clara Anganuzzi (Tiger Tales)
Water: Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us, by Olga Fadeev, illustrated by Olga Fadeeva (Eerdmans)
Recommended Reading
Frogs on the Mountain: The Mountain Yellow-Legged Frogs in Yosemite, by Adalgisa Nico and David Nico, illustrated by Andy Atkins (Mummert House Enterprises, dba Butterfly Garden Preschool)
Milkweed for Monarchs, by Christine Van Zandt, illustrated by Alejandra Barajas (Beaming Books)
Sea Without a Shore: Life in the Sargasso, by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Katherine Roy (Norton Young Readers)
Secret Gardeners: Growing a Community and Healing the Earth, by Lina Laurent, illustrated by Maija Hurme (Pajama Press)
The Girl Who Planted Trees, by Caryl Hart, illustrated by Anastasia Suvorova (Nosy Crow)
The Last Zookeeper, by Aaron Becker, illustrated by Aaron Becker (Candlewick)
The Miracle Forest, by Ellen Dee Davidson, illustrated by Carolan Raleigh-Halsing (Willows Press)
Viewfinder, by Christine D.U. Chung and Salwa Majoka, illustrated by Christine D.U. Chung and Salwa Majoka (Tundra Book Group)
Wild at Heart: The Story of Olaus and Mardy Murie, Defenders of Nature, by Evan Griffith, illustrated by Anna Bron (Sleeping Bear Press)
CHILDREN’S FICTION
for young readers up to age 12
Honors
Gracie Under the Waves, by Linda Sue Park (Allida)
The Owl Prowl Mystery, by Diana Renn (Fitzroy Books/Regal House)
The Secret Language of Birds, by Lynne Kelly (Random House Children's Books, Delacorte Press)
Recommended Reading
Emily Posts, by Tanya Lloyd Kyi (Tundra Book Group)
Legend Keepers: The Promise, by Bruce Smith, illustrated by Diana Smith (Hidden Shelf Publishing House)
No Time To Waste, by Carolyn Armstrong (Carolyn Armstrong Books)
Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood, by Robert Beatty, illustrated by Jennifer Beatty (Disney Hyperion)
CHILDREN’S NON FICTION
for readers up to age 21
Honors
All Consuming: Shop Smarter for the Planet, by Erin Silver, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa (Orca Book Publishers)
Let's Get Creative: Art for a Healthy Planet, by Jessica Rose, illustrated by Jarett Sitter (Orca Book Publishers)
Recommended Reading
Galápagos Islands: The World's Living Laboratory, by Karen Romano Young, illustrated by Amy Grimes (What on Earth!)
Kids Fight Extinction, by Martin Dorey, illustrated by Tim Wesson (Candlewick)
Rewild the World at Bedtime, by Emily Hawkins, illustrated by Ella Beech (The Quarto Group)
Taking Care of Where We Live: Restoring Ecosystems, by Merrie-Ellen Wilcox, illustrated by Amanda Key (Orca Book Publishers)
Whales and Us: Our Shared Journey, by India Desjardins, by Nathalie Dion (Orca Book Publishers)
What Do We Eat?: How Humans Find, Grow and Share Food, by Megan Clendenan, illustrated by Meegan Lim (Orca Book Publishers)
What Poo Can Do: How Animals Are Fighting the Climate Crisis, by Yolanda Ridge (Orca Book Publishers)
YOUNG ADULT FICTION
for readers from age 13 to 21
Honors
Make a Little Wave, by Kerry O'Malley Cerra (Lerner Publishing Group)
Save Our Forest, by Nora Dasnes (Hippo Park/Astra Books for Young Readers)
What the Seahorse Told Me, by Mary Knight (Middleton Books)
Recommended Reading
Knights Unite, by Laurel Colless, illustrated by Jessica Lai (Peter Blue Press)
YOUNG ADULT NON FICTION
for readers from age 13 to 21
Honors
Living Light: Conserving Bioluminescent Plants and Animals, by Stephen Aitken (Orca Book Publishers)
Owls: Who Gives a Hoot?, by Frances Backhouse (Orca Book Publishers)
Save Our Seeds: Protecting Plants for the Future, by Sheryl Normandeau (Orca Book Publishers)
Recommended Reading
Call the Bee Doctor!: How Science Is Saving Honey Bees, by Sandra Markle (Lerner Publishing Group)
Keystone Species: Meet the Animals Key to Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity with Hands-On Science Activities for Kids, by Laura Perdew, illustrated by Micah Rauch (Nomad Press)
The Science of Seeds, Why We Eat Maize, Wheat, Rice, and Potatoes, by Carla Mooney, illustrated by Micah Rauch (Nomad Press)
Sustainable Structures, by Kate McMillan, illustrated by Kate McMillan (Holiday House)
The Monarch Effect: Surviving Poison, Predators, and People, by Dana L. Church (Scholastic Focus, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.)
When Forests Burn, by Albert Marrin (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
2025Judging
The 2025 Green Earth Book Award judges are literary, environmental, and educational professionals who volunteer their time to review the books. In 2025, our judges reviewed over 130 books in six categories! Several judges serve on more than one panel and review in multiple categories. Many have served on our panel for years.
The caliber of our judges' professional experience benefits the Green Earth Book Award. Our vetted panel comprises university professors of children's literature and teacher education, high school teachers, environmental educators, and authors. We have several librarians who work in county and school libraries. NatGen judges work in the information technology sector and several who support the federal government in environmental management and consulting. We also have multiple judges who work in science fields and for the National Wildlife Federation, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. We believe the mix of experience, education, and participation on our panels enhances the overall review process.
Judges review books using an established set of award criteria per category. The criteria capture a book's environmental concepts such as environmental stewardship, the celebration of nature, defending the environment, as well as awareness and inspiration.
2025 Green Earth Book Award Judges
Patty Dean, Panel Chair, Associate Professor in Teacher Education, Salisbury University
Deanna Antonio, Retired Reading Specialist and Environmentalist
Darby Bade, Principal GDIT
Tish Blessing, Pre-Kindergarten Teacher
Niya Brown, Clinical Faculty, Salisbury University
Ellen Claussen,
Cathrene Connery, Associate Professor of Literacy and Children's Literature, Salisbury University
Paula Dillon, Librarian, Loudoun County, VA
Karen Fitzsimmons, Librarian, Retired
Stephen Ford, Curriculum Resource Center Director, Salisbury University
Doris Gebel, Children's Literature Consultant
Debra Wolf Goldstein, Executive Director, One Little Earth
Sarah Mulhern Gross, High School English Teacher/Emphasis on Science and Literacy
Grace Hao, 12th Grade High School Student
Dr. Yuan He, Assistant Professor, Education Studies, Stephen F. Austin State University
Leah Hill, Kindergarten Teacher
Jen Cullerton Johnson, Author
Ian Kline, President and CEO, The Cadmus Group
Lydia Kline, Science Policy Analyst, National Institutes of Health
Louisa Koch, Education Director, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Adriane Lam, Assistant Professor, Binghamton University Department of Earth Science
Isaac Larison, Associate Professor, Literacy Education, Marshall University
Renee' Critcher Lyons, Professor, East Tennessee State University; 2019 YALSA Nonfiction Award
Jennifer McColl, Contract Management Specialist
Cynthia McDermott, Literary Professor, Retired
Gretchen McRoberts, Artist/Naturalist
Terry McTigue, NOAA, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
Margy Meeks, Librarian, Retired
Elizabeth Myers, 1st Grade Teacher, Talbot County, MD
Char Moffit, Assistant Professor of Education, California State University Chico
Jennifer Noonan, Children's Librarian, Lewes Public Library
Cindy Olson, Art Director for Ranger Rick Magazines National Wildlife Federation
Maren Ostergard, Early Literacy/Outreach Librarian, King County Library System
Sharon Sheridan, GFWC Education Community Service Program Chairman; Retired Librarian
Chris Schmidt, Librarian, Retired
Autumn Smith, Reading Specialist, Patapsco Middle School
Tamara Teaff, Retired Librarian, Virginia Reader's Choice Committee
Sharryn Larsen Walker, 2023 CWU Distinguished Professor for Service, Professor, Central Washington University
Cindy Woodruff, Librarian, Retired
Apply for GEBA
The nomination period for the 2024 Green Earth Book Award has CLOSED. Please join our mailing list (below) to be notified about award submission dates, schedules, and updates. GEBA 2025 nomination period will open in fall 2024.
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