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Story as Seed: A Conceptual Framework for Using Picturebooks to Teach Climate Justice with Young Children

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Title: Story as Seed: A Conceptual Framework for Using Picturebooks to Teach Climate Justice with Young Children
Language: English
Authors: Erica Holyoke, Lauren Fletcher
Source: International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education. 2026 13(1):9-21.
Availability: North American Association for Environmnental Education. 1725 DeSales Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-419-0412; Web site: https://naturalstart.org/research
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Descriptors: Picture Books, Climate, Environmental Education, Early Childhood Education, Culturally Relevant Education, Learning Activities, Citizenship Responsibility
ISSN: 2331-0464
Abstract: In a time of ecological crisis and educational constraint, this conceptual article reimagines early childhood climate education as a site of relational, justice-centered learning, led through story, grounded in place, and co-constructed with children. Drawing on critical literacy, justice-oriented place-based education, this article explores how picturebooks serve as anchors to support early climate justice learning grounded in ecological belonging, civic responsibility, and relational care. We present four thematic lenses -- "reciprocity and kinship," "ecological identity and observation," "systems thinking and collective action," and "environmental grief and repair" -- as invitations and practical tools for educators. We share text selections and text analyses of eight picturebooks, classroom strategies, and inquiry prompts that position stories as a literacy practice and an ecological engagement. Applying frameworks to include land, place, and more-than-human relationships, we argue that justice in children's literature must include relational responsibility. This article offers readers an approach to climate justice education that begins with wonder, centers relationships, and affirms young children as participants in imagining and enacting more just and sustainable worlds.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1506138
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Story as Seed: A Conceptual Framework for Using Picturebooks to Teach Climate Justice with Young Children
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  Data: North American Association for Environmnental Education. 1725 DeSales Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-419-0412; Web site: https://naturalstart.org/research
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  Data: In a time of ecological crisis and educational constraint, this conceptual article reimagines early childhood climate education as a site of relational, justice-centered learning, led through story, grounded in place, and co-constructed with children. Drawing on critical literacy, justice-oriented place-based education, this article explores how picturebooks serve as anchors to support early climate justice learning grounded in ecological belonging, civic responsibility, and relational care. We present four thematic lenses -- "reciprocity and kinship," "ecological identity and observation," "systems thinking and collective action," and "environmental grief and repair" -- as invitations and practical tools for educators. We share text selections and text analyses of eight picturebooks, classroom strategies, and inquiry prompts that position stories as a literacy practice and an ecological engagement. Applying frameworks to include land, place, and more-than-human relationships, we argue that justice in children's literature must include relational responsibility. This article offers readers an approach to climate justice education that begins with wonder, centers relationships, and affirms young children as participants in imagining and enacting more just and sustainable worlds.
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