Protecting Endangered Species: Books for Kids

Did you know that the United States has been officially protecting endangered species since 1973? The Endangered Species Act of 1973 created a way for people to ask for habitat protection for animals and plants whose entire existence might be threatened. This helps animals in the United States and also around the world. If you're an animal lover like me, you'll enjoy digging into these amazing books celebrating species we've lost, found and are working to save. 

Animals Lost & Found: Meet a wide variety of animals, from extinct to recovering, and learn about what those terms mean. Richly colored illustrations bring them to life alongside informative text sharing fun facts about each species, plus information about threats and conservation efforts.

One way to help endangered animals is by raising them and then Rewilding them. Each page tells a different story about animals that scientists have tried to raise and re-introduce to the wild. Want more detail on how specific species have been helped by humans? Try Back From the Brink for stories of wolves, bald eagles, giant tortoises and more!

What happens when animals go extinct? If You Take Away the Otter explores the changes to a specific ecosystem when otters were nearly hunted to extinction. The results might surprise you! 

Animals aren't born knowing how to exist in the wild. They are Learning to Be Wild, just like humans learn to be human. Prolific environmental author Carl Safina takes a deep dive in research on chimpanzees, macaws and sperm whales and shares what he finds about animal culture in this adaptation for younger readers. I loved exploring the long-term impact of hand-raising macaws in culture that is passed down between the generations of wild macaws.

Global: Animals are not the only ones threatened by changing habitats and climate change. Follow the fictional stories of Sami in a hot fishing village in the Indian Ocean and Yuki in very cold northern Canada as they figure out how they fit in a world where fish are disappearing and bear species are disappearing and changing.

What's your favorite endangered animal?