Green Earth Book Award

Read Green

The Green Earth Book Award

2024 GREEN EARTH BOOK AWARD NOMINATION PERIOD IS OPEN
The 2024 award cycle represents NatGen's 20th year of awarding GEBA! We are proud to have created the nation's first environmental stewardship award for children and young adults 20 years ago. GEBA promotes books that inspire youth to grow a deeper understanding, respect, and responsibility for the natural environment. We look forward to this year's submissions.


The Nature Generation is excited to announce that the nomination period for the 2024 GEBA is open September 15 through December 15, 2023.


We accept submissions in five categories: Children's Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Children's Non-Fiction, Young Adult Non-Fiction, and Picture Book. Additionally, we are looking for books that foster a more inclusive culture of underrepresented characters, storyline, and authors.


Apply Today!


NEW THIS YEAR! Submit Online HERE!

This year's winners have been announced!

The Nature Generation Board Chair Ian Kline and family.

2023 Green Earth Book Award Winners

The Nature Generation is still basking in the glow of our 2023 GEBA winners! Each Earth Day, we bestow this award to children’s and young adult literature that best convey the message of environmental stewardship. We applaud the winning authors who continue to tell the stories about the environmental challenges we all face in a way that resonates with children and young adults.


In 2023, we are proud to award the following five Green Earth Book Awards.



Cadmus

Children's Fiction Winner

Written by Elaine Dimopoulos

Kline Family

Young Adult Fiction Winner

Written by Alan Gratz

Council Oak

Picture Book Winner

Written by Christina Soontornvat

Illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell

Thomas Family
Children's Non-
Fiction Winner

Written by Megan Clendenan

Illustrated by Julie McLaughlin

Parker-Tirrell Family and Friends

Young Adult Non-Fiction Winner

Written by Rowena Rae

2023 Green Earth Book Award

Honor Books and Recommended Reading 

PICTURE BOOK

for young readers


Honors


It's Up To Us: Building a Brighter Future for Nature, People & Planet, by Christopher Lloyd, forward by, King Charles III, HRH and, 33 different illustrators (What on Earth Books)


Our Green City, by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, illustrated by Colleen Larmour (Kids Can Press)


Scrap Metal Swan, by Joanne Linden, illustrated by Estrellita Caracol (Barefoot Books)

Recommended Reading


A Planet Like Ours, by Frank Murphy & Charnaie Gordon, ill. by Kayla Harren (Sleeping Bear Press)


Alexander von Humboldt, by Danica Novgorodoff (Crown BFYR; an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)


Building an Orchestra of Hope: How Favio Chavez Taught Children to Make Music from Trash, by Carmen Oliver, illustrated by Luisa Uribe (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers)


Count on Us! by Gabi Snyder, illustrated by Sarah Walsh (Barefoot Books)


Keepers of the Reef, by Sharon Wismer, illustrated by Alice Wong (Tilbury House Publishers)


Lion Lights: My Invention that Made Peace with Lions, by Richard Turere & Shelly Pollock, illustrated by Sonia Possentini (Tilbury House Publishers)


Listen to the Language of the Trees: A story of how forests communicate underground, by Tera Kelley, illustrated by Marie Hermansson (Sourcebooks – Dawn Publications)


Make Way for Animals: A World of Wildlife Crossings, by Meeg Pincus, illustrated by Bao Luu (Millbrook Press)


One Turtle's Last Straw, by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens (Crown BFYR, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)


Pass the Feather: Walking Lake Erie, by Carol Trembath, illustrated by David W. Craig (Lakeside Publishing)


The Forest Girls, with their Friends and Teachers, by Sissel Waage, illustrated by Ana-Maria Costa (Lulu Press)


The Girl Who Built An Ocean, by Jess Keating, illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter (Knopf Books for Young Readers)


The Poem Forest: Poet W.S. Mervin and the Palm Tree Forest He Grew from Scratch, by Carrie Fountain, illustrated by Chris Turnham (Candlewick Press)


Wake, Sleepy One: California Poppies and the Super Bloom, by Lisa Kerr, illustrated by Lisa Powell Braun (West Margin Press)

CHILDREN’S FICTION

for young readers up to age 12


Honors


Legend Keepers: the Partnership, by Bruce L. Smith (Hidden Shelf Publishing House)


Trouble at Turtle Pond, by Diana Renn (Regal House Publishing, Fitzroy Book Imprint)


Wildoak, by C.C. Harrington (Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.)

Recommended Reading


Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs, by Pam Munoz Ryan (Disney Publishing Worldwide)


Wild Survival #3: Chasing Jaguars, by Melissa Cristina Marquez (Scholastic Paperbacks, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.)

CHILDREN’S and YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION

for readers from infancy to age 21


Children's Non-Fiction Honors


A Kid's Guide to Saving the Planet: It's Not Hopeless and We're Not Helpless, by Paul Douglas, illustrated by Chelen Ecija (Beaming Books)


Sharks Forever: The Mystery and History or the Planet's Perfect Predator, by Mark Leiren-Young (Orca Book Publishers)


The Global Ocean, by Rochelle Strauss, illustrated by Natasha Donovan (Kids Can Press)


Young Adult Non-Fiction Honors


Where Have All the Birds Gone: Nature in Crisis, by Rebecca E. Hirsch (Twenty-First Century Books)


Children's Non-Fiction Recommended Reading


Antarctica: The Melting Continent, by Karen Romano Young, ill. by Angela Hsieh (What on Earth Books)



How You Can Save Water (Learn About), by Dionna L. Mann (Children's Press, imprint of Scholastic Inc.)


Investigating Nature: Women Who Led the Way (SuperSHEroes of Science), by Anita Dalal (Children's Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.)


Jobs of the Future: Imaginative Careers for Forward-Thinking Kids, by Sofia E. Rossi and Carlo Canepa, illustrated by Luca Poli (McMeel Publishing)


Listen Up!: Exploring the World of Natural Sound, by Stephen Aitken (Orca Book Publishers)


One Million Trees: A True Story, written and illustrated by Kristen Balouch (Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House)


Swoop and Soar: How Science Rescued Two Osprey Orphans and Found Them A New Family In The Wild, by Deborah Lee Rose & Jane Veltkamp (Wundermill, Inc./ Persnickety Press Imprint)


The Adventures of Dr. Sloth, by Suzi Eszterhas (Millbrook Press)


The River that Wolves Moved, by Mary Kay Carson, illustrated by David Hohn (Sleeping Bear Press)


The Rodent, the Bee, and the Brazil Nut Tree, written and illustrated by Sheri Amsel (Eifrig Publishing)


Water, by Doe Boyle, illustrated by Ana Miminoshvili (Albert Whitman & Co.)


Young Adult Non-Fiction Recommended Reading


Animal Allies: 15 Amazing Women in Wildlife Research, by Elizabeth Pagel-Hogan (Chicago Review Press)


Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt (Zest Books)


Duet: Our Journey in Song with the Northern Mockingbird, by Philip Hoose (Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers)


Girls Who Green the World, by Diana Kapp, illustrated by Ana Jarén (Delacorte an imprint of Random House Children's books)


No Boundaries: 25 Women Explorers and Scientists Share Adventures, Inspiration, and Advice by Gabby Salazar and Clare Fieseler (National Geographic Kids Books)


The Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale: Restoring an Island Ecosystem, by Nancy Castaldo (Clarion Books)


When the World Runs Dry, by Nancy Castaldo (Algonquin Young Readers)

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

for readers from age 13 to 21


Honors


Front Country, by Sara St. Antoine (Chronicle Books)

2023Judging 


The 2023 Green Earth Book Award judges are literary, environmental, and educational professionals who volunteer their time to review the books. In 2023, our judges reviewed over 100 books in five 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 captures a book's environmental concepts such as environmental stewardship, the celebration of nature, defending the environment, as well as awareness and inspiration.

2023 Green Earth Book Award Judges


Patty Dean, Panel Chair, Associate Professor in Teacher Education, Salisbury University


Darby Bade, Principal GDIT


Tish Blessing, Pre-Kindergarten Teacher


Ellen Claussen,


Cathrene Connery, Associate Professor of Literacy and Children's Literature, Salisbury University


Paula Dillon, Librarian, Loudoun County


Karen Fitzsimmons, Librarian, Retired


Doris Gebel, Children's Literature Consultant


Dr. Yuan He, Assistant Professor, Education Studies, Stephen F. Austin State University


Sarah Mulhern Gross, High School English Teacher/Emphasis on Science and Literacy


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 (NOAA)


Adriane Lam, Presidential Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow

Department of Geological Sciences and Environmental Studies, Binghamton University SUNY


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


Terry McTigue, NOAA, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science


Margy Meeks, Librarian, Retired


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


Elaine O'Neal, Assistant Clinical Professor, Interim Elementary Education Program Director, ESHEC Site Coordinator, CCPS PDS Liaison, Salisbury University


Maren Ostergard, Early Literacy/Outreach Librarian, King County Library System


Dr. Gurupriya Ramanathan, Assistant Professor, Department of Early & Elementary Education, Salisbury University


Sharon Sheridan, GFWC Education Community Service Program Chairman; Retired Librarian


Chris Schmidt, Librarian, Retired


Autumn Smith, Reading Specialist, Patapsco Middle School


Aisha Tariq, Early Childhood Special Education, Snow Hill Elementary


Tamara Teaff, Retired Librarian, Virginia Reader's Choice Committee


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.

Contact Us

Thank you for subscribing!

Share by: