For Earth Day (or any day), here are some LGBTQ-inclusive books that show how queer youth and youth with queer parents have played a part in fighting climate change, and that remind us of our connections with the natural world.
Click titles or images for full reviews and more!
On Fighting Climate Change
No World Too Big: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change, edited by Jeanette Bradley, Keila V. Dawson, and Lindsay H. Metcalf, illustrated by Jeanette Bradley (Charlesbridge). The stories of 12 young climate activists and three activist groups are here paired with poems from exceptional adult poets of similar identities who were inspired by their work. We read of young people who have planted trees in Uganda, protected water in Canada, reduced school-bus climate footprint in Indonesia, invented alternate power sources in Ohio, and more. Most are people of color. Among the activists is Zanagee Artis, who not only started a sustainability club at his school, but also “staged the first youth-led climate march in Washington, DC, with sister marches around the world.” Artis was inspired, we read, “by seeing his mothers succeed in their long fight for marriage equality.” The poem about him was written by Bradley, who is also a queer mom.
Girl Warriors: How 25 Young Activists Are Saving the Earth, by Rachel Sarah (Chicago Review Press). In this volume, author Rachel Sarah profiles 25 young activists from 16 different countries. Unsurprisingly, there are queer people here, including Jamie Margolin of Seattle, Washington, who says she is “trying to be an LGBT Latina role model for others”; Haven Coleman of Denver, Colorado, who came out as gay in 2019 and was profiled by magazines like Out and the Advocate; and nonbinary activist Saoi O’Connor, one of the first climate strikers in Ireland. (Sarah told me that Saoi used she/her pronouns when first contacted about the book, and later switched to they/them—but they did not object to being included in the book, despte “girl” in the title.)
On Our Relationship with Nature
Firsts and Lasts: The Changing Seasons, by Leda Schubert, illustrated by Clover Robin (Candlewick). In this lovely book about the intertwining harmonies of nature and family life, a child talks about the different activities that start—and end—in each season for her, her sister, and her moms. Lush collage illustrations by Clover Robin bring Leda Schubert’s words to vivid life. This is not just a book about the seasons, but about what we welcome and say goodbye to in each one. It is about cycles, rhythms, transitions, and finding the new even as we bid farewell to the old.
Miguel’s Community Garden, by JaNay Brown-Wood, illustrated by Samara Hardy (Peachtree). A young boy wants sunflowers for his garden party, and sets off with his pet turtle to find them. This is a delightful book for early STEM learning, showing readers how to be careful observers of nature. The fact that Miguel has two dads is happily incidental to the tale.
Call Me Tree/Llamame arbol, written and illustrated by Maya Gonzalez (Reflection Press). A child whose gender is never specified moves through this lovely bilingual story that shows the parallels between personal growth and growth in the natural world. Thoughtful and moving, with the always-inspiring images of author and illustrator Maya Gonzalez.
