Renewable
or
Nonrenewable
Resources
A Compare and
Contrast Book
Everything around us is made from natural
resources. Some things are easily replaced,
while others are not. Think about the food you
have eaten or the energy it took to zoom to
school on the bus. What natural resources have
you used today, and are they easy to replace?
Step through the latest book in the Compare
and Contrast series to learn about the world’s
resources, how long they take to reproduce,
and how technology and ingenuity are helping
to relieve the strain on some of our most
precious reserves.
Arbordale Publishing offers so much more than
a picture book. We open the door for children
to explore the facts behind a story they love.
The For Creative Minds includes
• Renewable or Not?
• Reduce, Reuse or Recycle?
• Electricity
Visit www.ArbordalePublishing.com for free
resources and support: teaching activities;
quizzes; reading levels; and alignment to
Common Core, NGSS, and state standards.
Thanks to Chip Lindsey, Senior Director
of Education at the Children’s Museum of
Pittsburgh, for verifying the accuracy of the
information in this book.
Arbordale’s interactive ebooks read aloud
in both English and Spanish with word-
highlighting and adjustable audio speed.
Available for purchase online.
Renewable
or
Nonrenewable
Resources
A Compare and Contrast Book
Renewable
or
Nonrenewable
Resources
A Compare and Contrast Book
Natural Resources
come from the Earth.
Plants, animals, air,
sunlight, water, soil,
oil, natural gas, coal,
rocks, and minerals are
natural resources. These
resources are used to
make everything we use.
Renewable resources are
easily made and replaced
within a period of time
usually shorter than a
person’s lifetime.
Nonrenewable
resources cannot be
easily replaced as it
takes much longer
than a human lifetime
to make new.
Living things provide us with renewable
resources. Plants and animals make more of
themselves with or without human help.
Farmers plant fields of fruit, vegetables, and
grains that we eat. They save seeds to plant more.
Some people even grow some of their own food in
a garden.
Animals give birth to young and then the young grow
into adults to make more baby animals. Whether raised
on farms or found in the wild, animals provide us with
renewable resources.
It takes the Earth up to hundreds of thousands,
if not millions, of years to make some of the
nonrenewable resources we use. When those
resources are gone, or we can’t find anymore, we
must do without or use substitutes that we can
make (synthetics) from other resources.
We use three main nonrenewable fossil fuels for
energy: coal, oil, and natural gas. We drill and
quarry to find and use these resources.
This section may be photocopied or printed from our website by the owner of this book for
educational, non-commercial use. Cross-curricular teaching activities for use at home or in
the classroom, interactive quizzes, and more are available online.
Visit www.ArbordalePublishing.com to explore additional resources.
For Creative Minds
Can you identify which of these things come from renewable or nonrenewable resources?
Discuss with a friend or an adult what resources were used and how we get them.
Renewable or Not?
stone steps vegetables diamond ring
wood blocks stone tiles chicken nuggets
aluminum cans rubber tire wood lumber
corn chips plastic peanut butter
gasoline grape jelly turkey
Answers: Renewable: corn chips, peanut butter, grape jelly, turkey
Nonrenewable: plastic (recyclable), gasoline
Answers: Renewable: vegetables, wood blocks, chicken nuggets, rubber tire, wood lumber
Nonrenewable: stone steps, diamond ring, stone tiles, aluminum cans (recyclable)
Resource Conservation: Reduce, Reuse, or Recycle Electricity
It’s important to conserve resources, especially
nonrenewable resources.
Sometimes the easiest way to conserve a resource is by
reducing the need for it.
Sometimes, it’s very easy to reuse something for either the
same purpose or something new and different.
Cardboard, aluminum, plastic, and glass are all things that
are easily recycled.
Discuss your answers to the following questions with a
friend or family member.
As mentioned in the book, which of the following resources might be used to make
electricity?
Answers: All
wind
water
sun (solar)
coal
Describe what
it means to
reduce the
need for
something.
Describe what it
means to reuse
something.
What are some
ways you can
reduce water
usage on daily?
Describe
what it means
to recycle
something.
Describe how
you can recycle
a favorite toy
when you
outgrow it.
In what can you
carry a lunch
each day instead
of a plastic or
paper bag?
What are some
ways you can
reuse or recycle
clothes you
have outgrown?
What are some
ways you
can conserve
(reduce)
electricity in
your house?
What are some
ways you can
reduce use of
plastic water
bottles?
What are some
ways you can
reduce the need
for wrapping
paper?
How can you
reduce using
plastic bags
from the
grocery store?
Describe things
you can make
with paper towel
or toilet paper
holders.
Does your town
or city provide
recycling?
What are some
things that can
be recycled?
How would you
recycle things?
Thanks to Chip Lindsey, Senior Director of Education at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, for verifying the
accuracy of the information in this book.
Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are licensed through Adobe Stock Photos or Shutterstock.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Title: Renewable or nonrenewable resources : a compare and contrast book.
Description: Mt. Pleasant, SC : Arbordale Publishing, LLC, 2021. | Series:
Compare and contrast book | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021013711 (print) | LCCN 2021013712 (ebook) | ISBN
9781643519807 (paperback) | ISBN 9781638170181 (adobe pdf) | ISBN
9781638170372 (epub) | ISBN 9781643519999 (interactive, dual-language,
read-aloud ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Recycling (Waste, etc.)--Juvenile literature. | Renewable
natural resources--Juvenile literature.
Classification: LCC TD794.5 .R4445 2021 (print) | LCC TD794.5 (ebook) |
DDC 333.7--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021013711
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021013712
Lexile® Level: ____ Nivel de Lexile®
Bibliography/ Bibliografía:
Dews, Fred. “The Economic Benefits of Fracking.” Brookings, Brookings, 23 Mar. 2015, www.brookings.edu/
blog/brookings-now/2015/03/23/the-economic-benefits-of-fracking/.
“Fracking, Oil and Gas Development.” American Rivers, www.americanrivers.org/threats-solutions/energy-
development/fracking/.
King, Hobart M. “Coal: Anthracite, Bituminous, Coke, Pictures, Formation, Uses.” Geology.com, 2019, geology.
com/rocks/coal.shtml.
Kopp, Otto C. “Coal | Facts, Uses, & Types.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 18 Jan. 2019, www.britannica.com/
science/coal-fossil-fuel.
National Geographic Society. “Renewable Resources.” National Geographic Society, 31 May 2019, www.
nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/renewable-resources/.
“Reuse.” Kids Environment Kids Health - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, kids.niehs.nih.gov/
topics/reduce/reuse/index.htm.
Stark, Kevin. “Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Resources Explained.” KQED, 6 Sept. 2019, www.kqed.org/
science/renewable-and-non-renewable-energy-resources-explained.
Types of Coal Mining. 2011, feeco.com/types-coal-mining/.
U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Renewable Energy Explained - U.S. Energy Information Administration
(EIA).” Eia.gov, 2016, www.eia.gov/energyexplained/renewable-sources/.
“What Is Coal Used For?” Usgs.gov, 2012, www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-coal-used?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-
news_science_products.
Printed in the US
This product conforms to CPSIA 2008
Arbordale Publishing, LLC
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
www.ArbordalePublishing.com
Text Copyright 2021 © by Arbordale Publishing, LLC
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