Book list · Updated October 2026
The best recycling books for kids
Picture books about recycling, reusing and fixing things, for preschool to grade 3. Picked by Ken Yeung, a dad of two and the author of The Rummage Crew. Ages are a guide; most work as read-alouds a year or two younger.
For preschool, try The Earth Book by Todd Parr. For kindergarten, Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel. For grades 1–3, One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul. For fixing and reusing, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat and our own The Secret of the Squeaky Wagon.
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Our bookThe Secret of the Squeaky Wagon
The Rummage Crew pulls a rusty wagon out of a hedge, fixes the stuck wheel, paints it, and uses it to deliver donated toys. This one is ours, so take its spot at the top with a grain of salt. It is here because it is about repair, which most recycling books leave out.
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Michael Recycle
A young superhero flies into a messy town and shows everyone how to recycle. Rhyming and silly, and easy to follow for a first talk about sorting.
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Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
A worn-out coat becomes a jacket, then a vest, then a scarf, and smaller and smaller. Won the Caldecott Medal. Die-cut holes hint at what the coat turns into next.
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Something from Nothing
A Canadian classic: Grandpa keeps remaking Joseph's worn blanket into something new. Look for the mouse family reusing the scraps underneath.
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One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia
The true story of a woman who turned plastic bags littering her village into purses. Best for grades 1 to 3.
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The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle: A Story About Recycling
Told by the bottle itself, from factory to store to recycling bin and on to a new life. Makes the "what happens next?" question concrete.
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I Can Save the Earth! One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Max the little monster leaves lights on and toys everywhere until he learns better. Gentle and funny for preschool and kindergarten.
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Recycle! A Handbook for Kids
Clear non-fiction showing how paper, glass, cans and plastic get recycled. Useful when a story raises "where does it all go?" questions.
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The Three R's: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle
A simple illustrated introduction to all three Rs, with a page of notes for grown-ups.
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10 Things I Can Do to Help My World
A lift-the-flap book of small, doable habits, printed on recycled paper. For the youngest readers.
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The Earth Book
Todd Parr's bright, simple pages on why and how we take care of the planet. An easy Earth Day read-aloud for preschool.
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Not a Box
A rabbit insists a cardboard box is a race car, a mountain, a rocket. Perfect before a cardboard-box craft.
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Rosie Revere, Engineer
Rosie builds gizmos out of other people's junk and learns that a flop is just a first try. For kids who like to tinker.
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What a Waste: Rubbish, Recycling, and Protecting Our Planet
A DK non-fiction look at where waste goes and what we can do. Best for older kids and classroom research.
More questions about recycling books
What is a good book about recycling for kindergarten?
Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel and I Can Save the Earth! by Alison Inches are fun, simple read-alouds for kindergarten. For repair and reuse, The Secret of the Squeaky Wagon from The Rummage Crew shows kids fixing an old wagon and donating toys.
What are good Earth Day books for kids?
The Earth Book by Todd Parr for preschool, Michael Recycle for kindergarten, and One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul for grades 1 to 3 are all strong Earth Day picks, alongside the books on this list.
Are there Canadian picture books about reusing?
Yes. Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman is a Canadian classic about remaking a worn blanket, and The Rummage Crew is written by a Canadian author in British Columbia.
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