The Class 5 EVS book PDF is not a single file — NCERT publishes Environmental Studies for Class 5 as two separate textbooks, and both are linked below.
They are Looking Around, with 22 chapters, and Our Wondrous World, with 10 — and both books number their chapters from 1. So “EVS Chapter 5” cannot tell you which book to open, and a topic such as water appears in both. This page routes you to the right one before you download.
The two Class 5 EVS textbooks at a glance
Here are the two NCERT books and the way into each.
| Book | Chapters | Printed pages | Book page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Looking Around | 22 | 204 | Looking Around |
| Our Wonderous World | 10 | 184 | Our Wonderous World |
Which Class 5 EVS textbook PDF do you need?
The mistake to avoid first: a chapter number alone cannot tell you which book to open, because both Class 5 EVS textbooks number their chapters from 1. Looking Around runs chapters 1–22, and Our Wondrous World runs chapters 1–10.
Work through three checks, in this order:
- The book’s name. This is the reliable check — ask which textbook your school follows before downloading anything.
- The chapter title. Match the exact wording of the chapter, not the general topic, because the two books share themes.
- The chapter count. A chapter number above 10 has to mean Looking Around — it is the only one of the two books with 22 chapters.
Water is the clearest overlap. “Every Drop Counts” is Chapter 6 of Looking Around, while “Water—The Essence of Life” opens Our Wondrous World and “Journey of a River” follows it as Chapter 2.
Food is the reverse trap: both books carry it as Chapter 3 under different titles. “From Tasting to Digesting” belongs to Looking Around; “The Mystery of Food” belongs to Our Wondrous World.
Because chapter numbers restart in each book, the 22-versus-10 chapter split is the quickest way to tell them apart; together the two books run 388 printed PDF pages.
Once you know your book, open its own page — linked in the table above — for the full chapter list. The Looking Around book page, for instance, lists all 22 chapters at once.
What each of the two books teaches
Looking Around (22 chapters) is the story-led textbook. It starts from the child’s own senses — animal senses, tasting, digesting — and moves outward to community life, homes, forests and migration. In our count it carries 18 activities across its 22 short chapters.
Our Wondrous World (10 chapters) works differently: each long chapter is a unit of study around one big idea — water, rivers, food, school, the country, unique places, energy, clothes, nature and the Earth. In our count it packs 68 activities into those 10 chapters, which average about 18 pages each.
Both are current NCERT publications. Which one a school follows depends on its curriculum, so check the school’s book list rather than assuming one has replaced the other.
Related Class 5 EVS pages on this site
Start from the NCERT Class 5 books hub for the other Class 5 subjects, or browse the NCERT books directory for other classes. The two book pages — Looking Around and Our Wondrous World — carry the complete chapter list for each book.
Sources and data verification
- Where the figures come from: the NCERT Class 5 Environmental Studies textbook editions on this page — Looking Around and Our Wondrous World — as published on ncert.nic.in.
- What this page covers: chapters, printed PDF pages and activities per chapter for both books — 32 chapters, 388 pages and 86 activities in this directory’s count. It does not cover historical editions, the CBSE syllabus, or figure and table counts: this textbook prints its diagrams without captions, so no figure index is published here.
- Academic session: this listing is maintained for the 2026-27 session.
- Who settles what: NCERT settles textbooks, editions and PDFs; CBSE settles curriculum, syllabus and examinations. Textbook contents and the examinable syllabus are not always identical, so verify against the current official CBSE syllabus.
Our Wondrous World closes with Chapter 10, “Earth—Our Shared Home.” This final chapter spans 24 pages and includes five activities and six tables.
Both books are published free on the official NCERT textbook portal — https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php — where you can verify the exact editions linked on this page.
Common questions about the two Class 5 EVS books
How many NCERT EVS books are there for Class 5?
Two. NCERT publishes Environmental Studies for Class 5 as Looking Around, with 22 chapters, and Our Wondrous World, with 10 chapters.
My teacher said “EVS Chapter 5” — which book is that in?
The number alone cannot answer that, because both books number from 1. Chapter 5 of Looking Around is “Seeds and Seeds”; Chapter 5 of Our Wondrous World is “Our Vibrant Country”. Match the book name or the chapter title instead.
Are the Class 5 EVS book PDFs official and free to download?
Yes. NCERT publishes both books free on its official site, and the links in the table above take you to the official ncert.nic.in editions. No login or payment is needed.
Has Our Wondrous World replaced the Looking Around EVS book?
No. Both are current NCERT publications; which one a school uses depends on its curriculum. Check the school’s book list before downloading.
Do the two Class 5 EVS books cover the same syllabus?
They overlap in themes but organise them into different chapter structures. Textbook contents and the examinable syllabus are not always identical, so check the current official CBSE syllabus as well.
Reference: NCERT Class 5 Environmental Studies textbooks, official editions on ncert.nic.in.