Book Recommendations for Captain Planet

This Earth Day, and we’re reminiscing about the ultimate Earth Day hero, Captain Planet. Technically, he only exists when the planeteers combine their powers, but let’s imagine that when they’re not in need of him, he’s hanging out somewhere, maybe in a bamboo hammock or tiny house, catching up on his reading. Here are some books Captain Planet would love.

Silent Spring

This 1962 eco-classic about the dangers of pesticides inspired the modern environmental movement. Captain Planet would read this if for no other reason than to study how to make people take notice and care.

Walden

Henry David Thoreau’s memoir of a year that praises the simple life and encourages being attuned to nature would definitely appeal to Captain Planet. Had they existed in the same time, Thoreau definitely would have invited Captain Planet into his cabin for tea and a chat. They probably would have gotten along.

An Inconvenient Truth

Captain Planet would have been all over An Inconvenient Truth—the book and the documentary movie. He’d appreciate Gore’s mission to encourage people to do what they can to prevent global warming. The power is yours!

Drift

Given Captain Planet’s penchant for battling eco-villains, we like to think he’d enjoy a good detective story, especially one that also delves into the topic of GMOs. He can read this to gear up for an eco-battle.

The Lorax

This might’ve been the children’s book that inspired a young Captain Planet. When you think about it, the Once-ler seems like an actual villain from the show. The kind that the planeteers could only fight with their powers combined.