Green Earth Book Award 2025 short list (GEBA)

This award cycle represents NatGen's 21st year of awarding GEBA! We are proud to have created the nation's first environmental stewardship award for books that inspire children and young adults to grow a deeper understanding, respect, and responsibility for the natural environment.

NatGen is proud to unveil the 2025 GEBA Short List: a celebration of powerful storytelling that inspires the next generation of eco-heroes. These books remind us that every page turned can lead to a greener future for kids! Final Winners, Honor, and Recommended Reading will be announced on Earth Day, April 22, 2025

Nearly all of these are unfamiliar to me but this list might give you some titles to add to your school library (assuming they are not too expensive here in Australia). You might also like to look at the 2024 winners list. 

This is the 2024 Picture Book winner

Read more here

Take a look at the website for the 2025 award. I am not sure I would call this a short list there are so many fabulous titles listed here - sorry I had to split the image. 

You can access these lists here. Note there are also Young Adult titles for High School libraries. 

PICTURE BOOK – PRIMARY READERS  

Books for young readers in which the visual and verbal narratives together tell the story 

• 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) 
• Gifts from the Garbage Truck, by Andrew Larsen, illustrated by Oriol Vidal (Sourcebooks) 
• Inside the Compost Bin, by Melody Sumaoang Plan, illus by Vinh Nguyen & Rong Pham (Tilbury) 
• Loop de Loopby Andrea Curtis, illus by Roozeboos  (Groundwood)
• Outdoor Farm, Indoor Farm, by Lindsay H. Metcalf, illustrated by Xin Li (Astra Young Readers)
• Ranger Hamza's Eco Quest, by Ranger Hamza, illustrated by Kate Kronreif (The Quarto Group) 
• The Wild, by Yuval Zommer (Random House Children's Books) 
• Walking Trees, by Marie-Louise Gay, illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay (Groundwood Books)
• Whalesong: The True Story of the Musician Who Talked to Orcas, by Zachariah Ohora, illustrated by Zachariah Ohora (Tundra Book Group)

PICTURE BOOK – INTEMEDIATE READERS 

Books for young readers in which the visual and verbal narratives together tell the story 

• Cactus Queen Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park, by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Jenn Ely (Calkins Creek/Astra Books for Young Readers) 
• Change is in the Air, by Debbie Levy, illustrated by Alex Boersma (Bloomsbury Publishing) 
• Frogs on the Mountain: The Mountain Yellow-Legged Frogs in Yosemite, by Adalgisa Nico and David Nico, illustrated by Andy Atkins (Mummert House Enterprises)
• Milkweed for Monarchs, by Christine Van Zandt, illustrated by Alejandra Barajas (Beaming)
• 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)
• The Ocean Gardener, by Clara Anganuzzi, illustrated by Clara Anganuzzi (Tiger Tales) 
• Viewfinder, by Christine D.U. Chung & Salwa Majoka, illust by Christine D.U. Chung and Salwa Majoka (Tundra Book Group) 
• Water: Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us, by Olga Fadeev, illustrated by Olga Fadeeva (Eerdmans) 
• 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 

Novels for young readers up to age 12 

• Emily Posts, by Tanya Lloyd Kyi (Tundra Book Group) 
• Gracie Under the Waves, by Linda Sue Park (Allida) 
• Legend Keepers: The Promise, by Bruce Smith, illustrated by Diana Smith (Hidden Shelf)
• 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) 
• The Owl Prowl Mystery, by Diana Renn (Fitzroy Books/Regal House) 
• The Secret Language of Birds, by Lynne Kelly (Random House Children's Books)
• The Strange Wonders of Roots, by Evan Griffith, illustrated by Pascal Campion (Quill Tree)

CHILDREN'S NONFICTION  

Nonfiction books for young readers up to age 12                                              

• All Consuming: Shop Smarter for the Planet, by Erin Silver, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa (Orca)
• Galápagos Islands: The World's Living Laboratory, by Karen Romano Young, illustrated by Amy Grimes (What on Earth!) 
• In It to Win It: Sports and the Climate Crisis, by Erin Silver, illustrated by Pui Yan Fong (Orca)
• Kids Fight Extinction, by Martin Dorey, illustrated by Tim Wesson (Candlewick) 
• Let's Get Creative: Art for a Healthy Planet, by Jessica Rose, illustrated by Jarett Sitter (Orca)
• 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)
• 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 

Huge thanks to my IBBY Friend who was a judge for these awards (2021). I had not seen this award previously even though it has been running for 21 years. Here is the 2021 Picture Book winner:

Butterflies belong here