Every April, we honor our planet on Earth Day with a selection of works celebrating the natural world. With titles ranging from stories of wilderness survival to nonfiction works about conservation and sustainability, this Collection features a broad spectrum of ideas regarding nature and our role within it.
Publication year 1975
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Environment
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure, Food, Grief / Death, Sociology, Relationships, American Literature, Children's Literature, Education, Education
Publication year 1931
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Natural World: Environment, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Natural World: Place, Society: Community
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, History: Asian, Education, Education, History: World, Chinese Literature
A measure of the quality, prescience, and veracity of Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth is that, nearly a century after its first publication, the book remains required reading in literature, world history, and social science courses. The novel is a simple, straightforward narrative about 50 years in the life of Wang Lung, an uneducated farmer in eastern China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While this era period was one of continual... Read The Good Earth Summary
Publication year 2012
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Natural World: Environment
Tags Food, Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Social Justice, Arts / Culture, Health / Medicine, Biography
Will Allen, author of the 2012 book The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities, co-written with Charles Wilson, is an important figure in the American urban farming movement. Born into a farming family, Allen spent much of his adolescence and early adulthood hoping to avoid the agricultural life; however, after a career in professional basketball and later in corporate sales and marketing, Allen finds himself farming full-time, with idealism in his heart... Read The Good Food Revolution Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Indigenous, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Environment, Self Discovery, Society: Community
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Animals
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Climate, Society: Globalization, Society: Immigration, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Climate Change, Science / Nature, Politics / Government, History: World
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Climate, Society: Class
Tags Science / Nature, Climate Change
Publication year 1994
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Society: Globalization, Society: Community
Tags Science / Nature, Health / Medicine, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston is a non-fiction thriller, published in 1994, two years after his article “Crisis in the Hot Zone” appeared in The New Yorker. Preston writes often on Ebola, bioweapons, and emerging viruses. The Hot Zone deals with the breaking of Ebola into the human species and a 1989 incident in which an Ebola-like virus, the Reston virus, sweeps through a monkey quarantine facility outside of Washington, DC. The book served... Read The Hot Zone Summary
Publication year 2003
Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Place, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government, History: World, Sociology
Publication year 2009
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Environment, Society: Nation
Tags History: U.S., Crime / Legal, Action / Adventure, Drama / Tragedy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World, Biography
Publication year 2015
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Flora/plants, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Science / Nature, History: World, Travel Literature, Biography
Publication year 2012
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Emotions/Behavior: Memory
Tags Science / Nature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Travel Literature, Action / Adventure, Biography, Immigration / Refugee
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Teams
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Humor
Publication year 1827
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Romanticism / Romantic Period, History: World, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Aging, Natural World: Environment, Self Discovery
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, History: World
Publication year 2024
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Flora/plants, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Science / Nature
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Environment
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Animals, Grief / Death, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1940
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Disability, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World