The texts listed here can be used as primary sources for book study and read-alouds, for discussion and debate, and for sparking all kinds of writing.

These lists feature many texts by First Nations, Metis and Inuit authors. By reading and learning from Indigenous texts students are brought into dialogue with Indigenous knowledges and stories that highlight deep ancestral connections with place and other-than-human life. Such texts provide students with alternate perspectives on Western ways of knowing. They also encourage ways of knowing and relating that emphasize care, reciprocity and responsibility. In this way, Indigenous stories and texts call upon students to engage in the important work of imagining decolonial futures.

Non-fiction texts in these lists will inform readers about plants and animals, global systems and current issues - key content for social studies, geography and science. They also tell the stories of people from diverse backgrounds working together to care for and protect their local lands, waters and communities: these are essential readings for climate justice education. Picture books and novels, including climate-fiction, are equally important: by helping readers make sense of their time and place, and grow socially and emotionally, these stories empower readers to navigate a personal path through challenging times, informed by human values.

“Solely focusing on STEM practices and the impacts of climate change limits our ability, and our students’ ability, to imagine and implement equitable solutions. Climate fiction, or cli-fi, in addition to nonfiction works about climate change, can change the predominant narrative of impacts and fear into one that centres justice and human experiences of climate change, and one that fosters intangible skills such as empathy, compassion, creativity, resourcefulness, perseverance, and courage.”

- Climate Generation, Climate Fiction and Non-fiction Reading Guide