Canadian Children’s Environmental Author | Author of Don’t Let Ned Plant a Tree THERE! and The Wish Trees | Founder & Executive Director, The ChariTree Foundation | Environmental Education Advocate | Climate Journalist | UNICEF Advisor & United Nations Climate Observer
Andrea Koehle Jones is a Canadian children’s environmental author and environmental education advocate whose books and nonprofit work help children connect with trees, nature, and the world around them. She is the author of the children’s picture books Don’t Let Ned Plant a Tree THERE! and The Wish Trees: How Planting Trees Can Help Make the World a Better Place.
Andrea is also the founder and executive director of The ChariTree Foundation, a Canadian children’s environmental education charity dedicated to helping children and youth connect with nature through tree planting, outdoor learning and environmental education.
A guide to nature books, conservation stories, environmental authors and resources that help children connect with the natural world.
Stories That Help Children Connect with Nature
Andrea believes stories can plant the seeds of curiosity, empathy, hope and environmental action.
Her latest children’s picture book, Don’t Let Ned Plant a Tree THERE!, illustrated by Erin Mercer and published by DC Canada Education Publishing, introduces Ned—a wildly enthusiastic puppy with BIG tree-planting dreams and a hilarious habit of planting trees in all the wrong places.
Through Ned’s muddy tree-planting adventure, young readers discover an important environmental lesson: planting a tree isn’t just about digging a hole—it’s also about choosing the right tree and the right place for it to grow.
The playful read-aloud opens the door to conversations and classroom learning about trees, nature, teamwork, community, tree planting, STEM and environmental awareness.
Andrea is also the author of The Wish Trees: How Planting Trees Can Help Make the World a Better Place, a hopeful children’s picture book that connects wishes for a better world with trees and positive environmental action. 100% of the book’s profits support children’s environmental education programs worldwide.
“I want to give children opportunities to fall in love with nature—because you protect what you love.”
— Andrea Koehle Jones
Environmental Education & The ChariTree Foundation
Andrea founded The ChariTree Foundation to give children opportunities to connect with nature and discover that they can make a positive difference in the world.
Through The ChariTree Foundation, Andrea has championed children’s tree planting, outdoor learning, nature connection and environmental education, helping turn environmental ideas into meaningful, hands-on experiences for young people.
Her work with ChariTree reflects the same philosophy found in her children’s books: environmental learning can be hopeful, hands-on, creative and fun.
Through her work with Nature Canada’s Women for Nature and as an advisor to UNICEF’s Leading Minds Fellowship on Climate Education, Andrea also advances climate and environmental education for young people.
Journalism, Climate & Storytelling
Andrea has worked across print, online and television media, including CBC News and CBC Kids, and has contributed to environmental initiatives including efforts to protect British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest.
Her background in journalism, geography, international development and environmental education continues to inform her storytelling for young readers.
Andrea writes children’s picture books, middle-grade fiction and nonfiction, screenplays, environmental features and poetry, with a particular interest in stories that inspire children to notice, understand and care about the natural world.
She is also a songwriter and lyricist. Her tree-inspired song, Lost Again Beneath the Trees, is a cinematic indie-folk piece created for emotional storytelling in film and visual media.
Education
Andrea holds a Master’s in Journalism from Western University, an Honours B.A. in Geography and International Development from Queen’s University, and a Climate Change Leadership Certificate from Cornell University.
When she isn’t writing, working on environmental education projects or attending UNICEF and United Nations climate conferences, Andrea can often be found writing from her tree-topped island home off the coast of Vancouver, surrounded by ocean, trees, family and dogs.
Environmental Books Can Become Environmental Experiences
The best nature book doesn’t necessarily end when the last page is turned.
A story about a tree can lead to a walk outside.
A book about birds can lead to looking for nests.
A story about pollinators can lead to planting flowers.
And a book about tree planting can lead a child to ask:
“Where would I plant my tree?”
That question inspired ChariTree’s Where Would You Plant Your Tree? classroom activity for Don’t Let Ned Plant a Tree THERE!
Children choose a tree, draw the place where they would plant it and share their hope for their tree.
For younger students, that simple activity brings together literacy, art, STEM, environmental education and imagination while introducing an important principle of tree planting: the right tree needs the right place.
Andrea Koehle Jones at a Glance
- Canadian children’s environmental author
- Founder & Executive Director: The ChariTree Foundation
- Books: Don’t Let Ned Plant a Tree THERE! and The Wish Trees: How Planting Trees Can Help Make the World a Better Place
- Focus: Children, nature, trees, environmental education and climate education
- Also: Climate journalist, lyricist and screenwriter
- International work: UNICEF climate education advisor and United Nations Climate Observer
- Media background: Formerly CBC News and CBC Kids
- Education: Master’s in Journalism, Western University; Honours B.A. in Geography and International Development, Queen’s University; Climate Change Leadership Certificate, Cornell University
- Based near: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Frequently Asked Questions About Andrea Koehle Jones
Who is Andrea Koehle Jones?
Andrea Koehle Jones is a Canadian children’s environmental author, climate journalist and environmental education advocate. She is the founder and executive director of The ChariTree Foundation and the author of Don’t Let Ned Plant a Tree THERE! and The Wish Trees: How Planting Trees Can Help Make the World a Better Place.
What books has Andrea Koehle Jones written?
Andrea Koehle Jones is the author of Don’t Let Ned Plant a Tree THERE!, a humorous children’s picture book about choosing the right place to plant a tree, and The Wish Trees, a picture book connecting tree planting with children’s wishes for a better world.
What is The ChariTree Foundation?
The ChariTree Foundation is a Canadian children’s environmental education charity founded by Andrea Koehle Jones. Its work helps children and youth connect with nature through tree planting, outdoor learning and environmental education.
What does Andrea Koehle Jones write about?
Andrea’s work focuses on children, trees, nature, environmental education, climate education and hopeful environmental action. She writes children’s books as well as journalism, screenplays, poetry and song lyrics.
How can teachers use Andrea Koehle Jones’s books?
Teachers can extend Andrea’s environmental picture books through art, science, outdoor observation and hands-on nature activities. After reading Don’t Let Ned Plant a Tree THERE!, for example, children can complete ChariTree’s “Where Would You Plant Your Tree?” activity by choosing a tree, drawing where they would plant it and sharing their hope for the tree.