Earth Day

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 1974

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Future, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Food, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Survival Fiction

Z for Zachariah (1974) by Robert C. O’Brien is a young adult dystopian novel. It tells the story of Ann Burden, who survives a nuclear war that destroys the world thanks to a natural phenomenon that keeps her valley safe from radiation. After over a year alone, she awakes one morning to a column of smoke, and John Loomis—a scientist who has traveled for weeks in a protective suit—arrives and disrupts her life of solitude... Read Z For Zachariah Summary


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Environment, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure, Humor, Animals, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction