Using Children’s Picture Books to Introduce Climate Change Pedagogies in Teacher Education

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53967/cje-rce.7469

Keywords:

climate change education, picture books, teacher education, climate anxiety, hope

Abstract

The Accord on Education for a Sustainable Future recognizes that Canadian teacher education programs have a social and ethical responsibility to respond to the climate crisis. The Accord outlines six principles—the importance of Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing; relationality; social justice; well-being; advocacy; and hope. A sample of picture books was identified and systematically reviewed to help operationalize the principles of the Accord. Each book was scored on how visible the principles were, and factors for climate anxiety were identified as present/absent. The analysis of picture books through the lens of climate anxiety responds to a gap in the research. A curated list of 60 picture books is offered to introduce pre-service teachers to best practices in climate change education. When teachers know what to look for, they can carefully and intentionally select a collection of picture books to anchor challenging conversations about the climate crisis, climate emotions, climate action, and climate justice.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biographies

Wendy Simms, Vancouver Island University

Dr. Wendy Simms is a Professor in the Faculty of Education at Vancouver Island University (VIU). Her teaching and research focus on science and sustainability education in initial teacher education programs, with particular interest in fostering science competencies, environmental identities, and agency. Through collaborative research with colleagues, practicing teachers, and teacher candidates, she explores interdisciplinary and inquiry-based approaches that can help educators engage students in science in meaningful and relevant ways. Her broader scholarship has examined climate change education, citizen science in classrooms, and the implementation of STEM-aligned curricula. Her current collaboration, Searching for the Science in Stories, explores how contemporary children’s picture books can support integrated science and literacy learning in teacher education and K–5 classrooms.

Kelly Hall, Cowichan Tribes

Kelly Hall is a Quw'utsun educator, Principal of Quw'utsun Hu-yi'xwule' Secondary School and Yuthay'thut Adult School with Cowichan Tribes. Whose work centres on Indigenous education, language revitalization, and land-based learning. Kelly's teaching, leadership, and scholarship explore how Indigenous knowledge systems and ancestral teachings can strengthen education by fostering language/cultural identity, community relationships, and environmental responsibility. Working alongside Elders, Knowledge Keepers, educators, and families, Kelly is committed to supporting Indigenous ways of knowing into contemporary educational practice.   Kelly's contribution to climate education is grounded in the understanding that caring for the environment has long been embedded within Indigenous ways of living on the land. Kelly's work explores how ancestral teachings, storytelling, language, and relationships with the natural world can help educators engage learners in meaningful conversations about environmental stewardship, sustainability, and climate action through an Indigenous lens.

Lindsay J. McCunn, Vancouver Island University

Dr. Lindsay McCunn is a Professor of psychology at Vancouver Island University (VIU) and Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). She is the Director of VIU’s Environmental Psychology Research Lab, an Adjunct Associate Professor of psychology at the University of Victoria, and the Principal of McCunn & Associates Consulting. Her research is published in several interdisciplinary journals that merge social science with engineering, sustainability, community planning, health care design, and facilities management. She is the co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Environmental Psychology, and has co-edited special issues of journals concerning sustainable construction and psychology’s role in climate change and urban planning. In addition to fulfilling her teaching responsibilities at VIU, she continues to collaborate with federal, provincial, municipal, and state sectors of government, as well as with architecture and engineering firms, school districts, hospitals, prisons, and neighborhood organizations in Canada and the US.

Marylee Holmes, Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools

Marylee Holmes (1982-2025) was a queer mom of four who brought years of social justice advocacy, compassion, and commitment to her work as an educator and researcher. She was a proud member of, and advocate for, the LGBTQ2S+ community. Marylee’s belief in the importance of connecting children with the natural world from an early age shaped her teaching practice and led her to develop an outdoor kindergarten program at her school. She believed it was crucial to empower children to understand the impact of their actions on the planet and inspire them to become responsible stewards of the land. Marylee’s commitment to this was visible throughout her work, including her collaboration with the British Columbia Climate Action Secretariat to develop a climate change connections guide for K-3 teachers and her research examining the sustainability and social justice policies of her local school district. 

Liz Simms, retired teacher, private citizen

Liz Simms was an elementary and middle school teacher in Ontario public schools for 22 years, and for 4 years in the Canadian Arctic. Teaching English to French Immersion in a Gifted program, and ESL to refugee children, taught her the importance of story telling as an important tool in all our learning. She has a deep understanding of the impact that children's literature can have on the development of a child's perspective about the world around us. In retirement, Liz remains committed to fostering literacy skills with her grandchildren and in her community, regularly perusing the children's literature section at bookstores for her perpetual gift-giving.

Heather Thompson, Thompson Publishing

Heather Thompson taught a wide range of elementary grades and subjects in both private and public schools across Canada over a 25 year career. Among her most rewarding roles was leading the Kindergarten to Grade 3 physical education program in Vancouver, where she designed engaging learning experiences in dance, gymnastics, and games, drawing on her Movement Education degree from Brock University.

Contributing to this children's book project prompted Heather to reflect on her years as an elementary generalist teacher, particularly when she was assigned to teach science without specialized training. She hopes Wendy's resource will equip educators, regardless of their science background, with the practical strategies, creativity, and confidence to deliver meaningful science learning that she wished had been available to her.

Now retired from classroom teaching and living in Calgary, Heather is the author of the children's book Greta the Grasshopper and enjoys hut to hut hiking with her family.

Ana Vieira, Vancouver Island University

Dr. Ana Vieira is a professor in the Faculty of Education at Vancouver Island University in British Columbia, Canada. She teaches courses in reading, writing, assessment, and principles of teaching for preservice and practicing teachers. Her research interests focus on evidence-based approaches to literacy instruction and the science of teaching and learning, with a particular interest in how findings from the science of reading and learning can be translated into meaningful classroom practice. Dr. Vieira is also interested in disciplinary literacy and knowledge-building, recognizing that literacy development and content learning are mutually reinforcing. She values interdisciplinary approaches that integrate reading, writing, oral language, and disciplinary thinking to strengthen both students' literacy skills and their understanding of subject matter across the curriculum. Dr. Vieira collaborates with the Ministry of Education, local school districts, and educators on professional learning and literacy initiatives. Her work emphasizes bridging the gap between research and practice by equipping teachers with the knowledge, practical tools, and evidence-informed instructional strategies needed to support inclusive, engaging, and high-quality learning for all students.

References

Aikenhead, G., & Michell, H. (2011). Bridging cultures: Indigenous and scientific ways of knowing nature. Pearson Canada.

Alvey, E. (2020). Deferral, agency, and hope: Pre-service social studies teachers making sense of the pedagogical demands of engaging climate crisis. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 11(3), 18–45. https://jsser.org/index.php/jsser/article/view/1864

Association of Canadian Deans of Education. (2022). Accord on education for a sustainable future. https://csse-scee.ca/acde/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/03/Accord-on-Education-for-a-Sustainable-Future-1.pdf

Axelrod, Y. D., Ives, D., & Weaver, R. (2020). We are all learning about climate change: Teaching with picture books to engage teachers and students. Occasional Paper Series, 2020(44), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.58295/2375-3668.1367

Benevento, S. V. (2023). Communicating climate change risk to children: A thematic analysis of children’s literature. Early Childhood Education Journal, 51(2), 201–210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01294-y

Bishop, R. S. (1990). Mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors. Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, 6(3), ix–xi.

Boggs, G. L., Wilson, N. S., Ackland, R. T., Danna, S., Grant, K. B., Yond, B. F., & Lor, T. H. F. (2016). Examining children’s books on climate change. The Reading Teacher, 69(6), 665–675. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44001394

Clayton, S. (2020a). Climate anxiety: Psychological responses to climate change. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102263

Clayton, S., & Parnes, M. F. (2025). Anxiety and activism in response to climate change. Current Opinion in Psychology, 62, 101996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.101996

Climate Mental Health Network. (2024). Climate emotions wheel. https://www.climatementalhealth.net/wheel

Climate Psychology Alliance North America. (n.d.). An educator’s guide to climate emotions. https://www.climatepsychology.us/educators-guide-climate-emotions

Colla, R., Williams, P., Oades, L. G., & Camacho-Morles, J. (2022). “A new hope” for positive psychology: A dynamic systems reconceptualization of hope theory. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.809053

Crandon, T. J., Scott, J. G., Charlson, F. J., & Thomas, H. J. (2022). A social–ecological perspective on climate anxiety in children and adolescents. Nature Climate Change, 12(2), 123–131. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01251-y

Crandon, T. J., Scott, J. G., Charlson, F. J., & Thomas, H. J. (2024). A theoretical model of climate anxiety and coping. Discover Psychology, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-024-00212-8

Darragh, J. J., & Kelley, J. E. (2022). “So many hopes”: A qualitative content analysis of children’s picture books that portray refugees. Reading Horizons, 61(3), 20–44. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol61/iss3/3

Environment and Climate Change Canada. (2025). Towards a national framework for environmental learning – What we heard report. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/corporate/transparency/consultations/national-framework-environmental-learning/what-we-heard-report.html#toc3

Field, E., Schwartzberg, P., & Berger, P. (2019). Canada, climate change and education: Opportunities for public and formal education. The UNESCO Courier, 2019(3), 31. https://doi.org/10.18356/77d332cc-en

Field, E., Spiropoulos, G., Nguyen, A. T., & Grewal, R. K. (2023). Climate change education within Canada’s regional curricula: A systematic review of gaps and opportunities. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 202, 155–184. https://doi.org/10.7202/1099989AR

Finnegan, W., & D’Abreu, C. (2024). The hope wheel: A model to enable hope-based pedagogy in climate change education. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1347392

Galway, L. P., & Field, E. (2023). Climate emotions and anxiety among young people in Canada: A national survey and call to action. Journal of Climate Change and Health, 9, 100204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2023.100204

Gould, R. K., Martinez, D. E., & Hoelting, K. R. (2023). Exploring Indigenous relationality to inform the relational turn in sustainability science. Ecosystems and People, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2023.2229452

Hickman, C., Marks, E., Pihkala, P., Clayton, S., Lewandowski, R. E., Mayall, E. E., Wray, B., Mellor, C., & van Susteren, L. (2021). Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: A global survey. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(12), e863–e873. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00278-3

Hoffman, J. V., Wilson, M. B., Martínez, R. A., & Sailors, M. (2012). Content analysis: The past, present, and future. In N. K. Duke & M. H. Mallette (Eds.), Literacy research methodologies (pp. 28–49). Guilford Publications.

Holmes, A. G. D. (2020). Researcher positionality - A consideration of its influence and place in qualitative research - A new researcher guide. International Journal of Education, 8(4), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.34293/education.v8i4.3232

Hsieh, H. F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277–1288. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687

Hurley, D. A., Kostelecky, S. R., & Aguilar, P. (2017). Whose knowledge? Representing Indigenous realities in library and archival collections. Collection Management, 42(3–4), 124–129. https://doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2017.1392805

Léger-Goodes, T., Malboeuf-Hurtubise, C., Mastine, T., Généreux, M., Paradis, P. O., & Camden, C. (2022). Eco-anxiety in children: A scoping review of the mental health impacts of the awareness of climate change. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.872544

Li, C. J., & Monroe, M. C. (2019). Exploring the essential psychological factors in fostering hope concerning climate change. Environmental Education Research, 25(6), 936–954. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1367916

Lovelock, J. (2010). The vanishing face of Gaia: A final warning. Basic Books.

Martin, N. M., Hageman, J. L., Montgomery, S. E., & Rule, A. C. (2019). A content analysis of thirty children’s picture books about ecology. Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions, 4(1), 83–120. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/journal-stem-arts/vol4/iss1/5/

McGregor, C., & Christie, B. (2021). Towards climate justice education: Views from activists and educators in Scotland. Environmental Education Research, 27(5), 652–668. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2020.1865881

McHugh, M., L. (2012). Interrater reliability: The kappa statistic. Biochem Medica, 22(3), 276–282. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3900052/

McNair, J. C., & Edwards, P. A. (2021). The lasting legacy of Rudine Sims Bishop: Mirrors, windows, sliding glass doors, and more. Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice, 70(1), 202–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/23813377211028256

Monroe, M. C., Plate, R. R., Oxarart, A., Bowers, A., & Chaves, W. A. (2019). Identifying effective climate change education strategies: A systematic review of the research. Environmental Education Research, 25(6), 791–812. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1360842

Mortreux, C., Barnett, J., Jarillo, S., & Greenaway, K. H. (2025). Hope as an enabler of climate change adaptation. Communications Psychology, 3(147), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00291-w

Neidhardt, J., & Neidhardt, N. (Eds.). (2018). Groundswell: Indigenous knowledge and a call to action for climate change. Strong Nations Publishing.

Neidhardt, N., Mowatt, G., & Everstz, T. (2019). Rooted: Staying grounded amidst a changing landscape. In J. Neidhardt & N. Neidhardt (Eds.), Groundswell: Indigenous knowledge and a call to action for climate change (pp. 30–49). Strong Nations Publishing.

O’Brien, K., Selboe, E., & Hayward, B. M. (2018). Exploring youth activism on climate change: Dutiful, disruptive, and dangerous dissent. Ecology and Society, 23(3), 42–54. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-10287-230342

Ojala, M. (2012a). Hope and climate change: The importance of hope for environmental engagement among young people. Environmental Education Research, 18(5), 625–642. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2011.637157

Ojala, M. (2012b). How do children cope with climate change? Coping strategies, engagement, and well-being. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32, 225–233. https://doi.org/doi: 10.1016/j.jenv.2012.02.004

Ojala, M. (2013). Coping with climate change among adolescents: Implications for subjective well-being and environmental engagement. Sustainability, 5(5), 2191–2209. https://doi.org/10.3390/su5052191

Ojala, M. (2023). Hope and climate-change engagement from a psychological perspective. Current Opinion in Psychology, 49, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101514

Ojala, M., Cunsolo, A., Ogunbode, C. A., & Middleton, J. (2021). Anxiety, worry, and grief in a time of environmental and climate crisis: A narrative review. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 46, 35–58. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-022716

Oziewicz, M. (2022). Planetarianism now: On anticipatory imagination, young people’s literature, and hope for the planet. In M. Paulson, J. Jagodzinski, & S. Hawke (Eds.), Pedagogy in the Anthropocene: Re-wilding education for a new Earth (pp. 241–256). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90980-2_12

Oziewicz, M. (2023). CLICK framework. Climate Literacy in Education, 1(2), 44–52. https://doi.org/10.24926/cle.v1i2.5438

Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). SAGE.

Pihkala, P. (2020). Anxiety and the ecological crisis: An analysis of eco-anxiety and climate anxiety. Sustainability, 12(19), 7836–7855. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU12197836

Pihkala, P. (2022). Toward a taxonomy of climate emotions. Frontiers in Climate, 3, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2021.738154

Potter, W. J., & Levine-Donnerstein, D. (1999). Rethinking validity and reliability in content analysis. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 27, 258–284.

Redmond, C. B. (2024). The HOPE framework: A literacy strategy for identifying hope in narratives as a response to young people’s eco-grief. Climate Literacy in Education, 2(1), 14–22. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24926/cle.v2i1.6231

Schatz, K. (2021). Where we stand: The integration of climate change education in Canadian schools. P15. https://www.bccic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FINAL-Climate-Change-Education-in-Canada.pdf

Schwartzberg, P., Stevens, J., & Acton, K. S. (2022). Canadians’ perspectives on climate change & education: 2022. https://lsf-lst.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Canadians-Perspectives-on-Climate-Change-and-Education-2022-s.pdf

Snively, G., & Williams, W. L. (2016). Knowing home: Braiding Indigenous science with Western science, Book 1. University of Victoria. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/knowinghome/

Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13(4), 249–275. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1304_01

Stewart, M., & Correia, M. P. (2024). 5 kinds of nonfiction: Enriching reading and writing instruction with children’s books. Routledge.

Topa, W., & Narvaez, D. (Eds.). (2022). Restoring the kinship worldview: Indigenous voices introduce 28 precepts for rebalancing life on planet earth. North Atlantic Books.

Trott, C. D., Lam, S., Roncker, J., Gray, E. S., Courtney, R. H., & Even, T. L. (2023). Justice in climate change education: A systematic review. Environmental Education Research, 29(11), 1535–1572. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2023.2181265

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to action. https://ehprnh2mwo3.exactdn.com/wpcontent/uploads/2021/01/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf

UNESCO. (2017). Local knowledge, global goods. unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000259599

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2016). The Paris Agreement. https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/parisagreement_publication.pdf?download

Walsh, Z., Böhme, J., & Wamsler, C. (2021). Towards a relational paradigm in sustainability research, practice, and education. Ambio, 50(1), 74–84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-020-01322-y

Wynes, S., & Nicholas, K. A. (2019). Climate science curricula in Canadian secondary schools focus on human warming, not scientific consensus, impacts or solutions. PLoS ONE, 14(7), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218305

Zembylas, M. (2025). Rethinking positionality statements in research: From looking back to building solidarity. International Journal of Research and Method in Education, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2025.2475762

Downloads

Published

2026-07-14

How to Cite

Simms, W., Hall, K., McCunn, L., Holmes, M., Simms, E., Thompson, H., & Vieira, A. (2026). Using Children’s Picture Books to Introduce Climate Change Pedagogies in Teacher Education. Canadian Journal of Education Revue Canadienne De l’éducation, 49(2), 104–130. https://doi.org/10.53967/cje-rce.7469

Issue

Vol. 49 No. 2 (2026): Summer 2026 | Été 2026

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Wendy Simms, Kelly Hall, Dr. Lindsay J. McCunn, Marylee Holmes, Liz Simms, Heather Thompson, Dr. Ana Vieira

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The Canadian Journal of Education follows Creative Commons Licencing CC BY-NC-ND.