This article is reproduced from the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement. It was written by Tura Foster Gillespie who is an ordained deacon from the Northern Illinois Conference of the UMC. Her ministry, Teaching Cultural Compassion, provides ways for churches to include more diversity in their children’s ministry, partly through tying secular picture books to scriptural lessons. For more recommendations and information on how to use picture books in your church, visit the Teaching Cultural Compassion website.
NOTE: Teaching Cultural Compassion will earn a small commission on any books purchased through the links in this article.
Picture books capture the attention of all generations—it’s amazing how quiet a room can get when someone starts to read a picture book aloud. Picture books are also a great way to distill big ideas into smaller understanding, start discussing a tough topic, or simply create an intergenerational moment. There are SO MANY good books out right now about appreciating God’s Creation and what humans can do to help preserve and protect it. Below are some favorites.
Need a children’s moment? Try these books that are short enough to read during worship:
One Earth, by Eileen Spinelli and Rogerio Coelho, counts up to ten naming multiples of things in nature and then counts back down with ideas for reuse/recycling/cutting back on energy use and so forth, reinforcing at the end that we only have the one earth. This is a great, simple introduction to creation justice, but can easily be elaborated upon by the adult reading it—or by asking kids what they think. A good sermon for any age includes examples and action steps!
Hike, by Pete Oswald, is a picture book with no words telling the story. This kind of children’s moment might hearken back to the flannelgrams of the past, so it might take more prep on the part of the reader—or bravery to let the kids intuit the story aloud. The depictions show a father and child going for a hike to arrive at a vista where they plant a sapling. Pictures after they arrive home show that this has been a generational tradition. Passing on a love of nature to the next generation and the next is always encouraged.
When You Go Into Nature, by Sheri M Bestor and Sydney Hanson, is the last one I’ll name in the children’s moment section because it’s a great borderline book. The poetic narrative on each page is short and appreciative of nature, great for a short time with kids. But this book is a great example of a “grow with me” book as each spread also has a paragraph of more information about the plants or animals in the illustrations so bigger kids can keep loving it for new reasons.
If you have a little more time with the kids:
The World Is Ours to Cherish: A Letter to a Child, by Mary Annaïse Heglar and Vivian Mineker, is written as a letter from an earlier generation to the current one. It recognizes the changes that have happened and the disasters that seem all around, but shares hope that we can help make it better and keep the earth beautiful and magical. A lot of conversations can be started here as well.
Bud Finds Her Gift, by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Naoko Stoop, is exactly what you’d hope for in a kids’ book by Robin Wall Kimmerer. If you’re familiar with The Serviceberry or Braiding Sweetgrass, you’ll notice similar themes but in a story kids can grasp onto and place themselves inside. Bud is a girl who feels like everyone around her has a purpose, a special gift—except her. She wisely goes to visit her Nokomis (grandmother) to help her investigate what her gift might be. She finds her gift in noticing, loving, and speaking up for the natural world. (Read aloud warning: About halfway through the book begins an appreciation for bird poop and its ability to plant seeds. Poop always makes a story more exciting for kids but also often comes with giggles or flat out laughter.)
Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior, by Carole Lindstrom and Bridget George, is a semibiographical account of Autumn Peltier who felt the generational call to protect the water that was so important to her ancestors. By the side of her Elders, she saw the pollution and desecration of the lakes and rivers and the pipes that would potentially divert the water or poison it. At age 13, she addressed the UN General Assembly on behalf of her people and at 15 she was named Chief Water Commissioner for the whole Anishinabek Nation. This picture book focuses on the first part of her story (from the perspective of the water) and shows kids that age doesn’t matter in advocacy!
If you are looking for more books to add to your church library, these titles show Creation Appreciation from a specifically scriptural side:
When God Made the World, by Matthew Paul Turner and Gillian Gamble
Psalms of Wonder, by Carey Wallace and Khoa Le
The Marvelous Mustard Seed, by Amy-Jill Levine, Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, and Margaux Meganck
OTHER bOOKS
We also have an booklist for adults listing of some of the many books that have been published about climate justice and creation care. They have all been recommended by various members of our task force.