My four-year-old is very worried about global warming, animal extinction and our threatened world. Which books will help her understand and explore the issues and possible solutions - without leaving her really down-hearted?

How humans are threatening the planet has been a theme in children’s books for all ages for some time. Sometimes, the stories about what might happen and the images of destruction can be scary and picture books can vividly show what how our world might look if the planet is misused. But there are great picture books which show that we can all make a difference – and that is an encouraging and useful message.

Michael Foreman’s classic Dinosaurs and All that Rubbish was ground breaking when it was first published in 1972. A vividly told and illustrated story of human greed and destruction, which clearly spells out the need to protect and cherish what we have rather than unnecessarily searching for something more, was ahead of its time forty years ago – but it should have made everyone sit up and take notice. As they didn’t, it is just as meaningful today.

Foreman’s use of dinosaurs, not totally extinct as has always been thought shown rising up from under the ground and putting everything straight again, is a particularly good detail and one that all children enjoy.

The last 10 years have seen many new picture books which deal with all the issues surrounding climate change and the need to protect our fragile world. How the subject is approached varies considerably. Some take a strong campaigning approach as in Barroux’s recently published Where’s the Elephant? – a near wordless picture book which powerfully demonstrates the devastating effects of deforestation as Elephant, Parrot and Snake find their simple game of hide and seek is no longer possible as the trees of the forest have been cut down to make way for houses, road and cars.

Even a very young child can see that the vibrantly coloured and textured trees have been reduced to stumps by people wanting to take over the land. The pictures spell a kind of sadness and the message that they send out is clearly that this is wrong.

Lynne Cherry’s The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest is equally direct. The beauty of of the forest is brought to life in Lynne Cherry’s watercolour and pencil illustrations, and how delicately balanced and interdependent the plants and the creatures that live among them are. When a man sleeps after trying to chop down the Kapok tree, he hears whispering in his ear; every living thing in the forest – including a human child - tells him that the trees are important for the survival of all. Luckily, the man responds and the tree is saved. In addition to its beautiful illustrations, The Great Kapok Tree includes a wealth of easily accessible information about the animals living in the rain forest and the ecology of this very special region.

Debi Gliori is unspecific about place in The Trouble with Dragons but she makes similar points about the need for protecting the world. The trouble with the dragons is that they are wrecking the world; they are chopping down trees, polluting the environment and using up all the resources. Somehow they must be stopped before it is all too late. Bold illustrations and a simple rhyming text capture the urgency of the situation. The substitution of dragons for people allows the perpetrators to be just a little bit more sinister than if they were humans.

In Anouck Boisrobert , Louis Rigaud and Sophie Strady’s In the Forest and its partner title Under the Ocean, popups are used to excellent effect to celebrate the wonderful and special qualities of their respective environments. The glorious presentation of the multi-layered eco system of each of those special worlds shows just why they need to be protected, how much has already been lost and how protection for the future must be achieved.

How everyone can make a difference to the future of the world by changing their everyday habits is the message of George Saves the World by Lunch Time by Jo Readman and Ley Honor Roberts. Published by the Eden Project as one of several titles designed to get young children in to good habits, it shows young George learning about recycling, composting and reusing materials wherever possible. Such a practical guide is inspiring rather than alarming and is based on the supposition that if we all do something things will get better! Melanie Walsh’s 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World is similarly practical and upbeat.

There are also a wealth of longer stories on this theme. Elizabeth Beresford, like Michael Foreman, was writing about these issues a generation ago. Her first book, The Wombles was published in 1968 and it introduced a curious and entertaining family of characters who soon became a household name. Living on Wimbledon and inspired by their motto “make good use of bad rubbish” they spent their lives clearing up litter that others had left behind.

For older readers, Nicola Davies’s Heroes of the Wild series takes readers further afield and into more complicated projects. In well-told stories. each title looks at a real conservation project in different parts of the world. In the fifth and most recent title, The Whale who saved Us, illustrated by Annabel Wright, Suki makes a strong connection with a special and beautiful whale when she is sent off to the far, far north to live with her great granny where she can be a long way away from the troubles of her older brother. Here, and in all the other titles in the series, Nicola Davies shows the importance of protecting all endangered wildlife.

And for those who want to know more about taking direct action Nicola Davies and James lovelock’s Gaia Warriors is a fascinating collection of interviews with campaigners who, in whatever field they work, are busy encouraging everyone to rethink how they live and to start making their own contribution by recycling more, flying less and switching off all those lights!

For a more reflective tone and a close look at some special places in the world, Kenneth Steven’s Stories for a Fragile Planet, a collection of stories from around the world the past and present, is thought-provoking and informative. Jane Ray’s illustrations bring each special place and those who live in it magically alive.

We are focussing on eco issues all week on Guardian children’s books. If you have an eco book to recommend for children and teens, join our best eco books discussion by email childrens.books@theguardian.com or on Twitter @GdnChildrensBks.