Through close readings of Pepe und der Oktopus auf der Flucht vor der Müllmafia (Quitterer, 2023) and Auf der Tonnenseite des Lebens (Leser, 2022), this study examines how the crises of the Anthropocene are narrated in texts written for young readers aged ten to fifteen. Drawing on posthumanist theories, the analysis interrogates how environmental responsibility and behaviour for a habitable present and future are framed and whether anthropocentrism is challenged. Despite their potential, both texts ultimately frame habitability in human-centric terms, with nature portrayed as passive and in need of saving. While offering valuable frameworks for encouraging young readers to question individualism and rethink habitual consumer behaviours, I argue that more radical narratives decoupling care from human exceptionalism and fully embracing the entanglement of human and nonhuman worlds are needed.