I will confess that I have been thinking and working on this post for MONTHS. The gist in my mind was science-y chapter and picture books that are NOT non-fiction, that make science fun and accessible, and excite a child’s imagination. Yep, it’s taken a while to find enough books that fit this criterion to make it to 10 but I think these are worthy of this list. What do you think? What non-fiction science-y books do you and your children like? Is there enough to actually make this a new children’s literature genre? Now THAT would be exciting!
Thank you to author Jacqueline Houtman for the Giveaway of The Reinvention of Edison Thomas. Please leave a comment with the reason why you want to win. The most compelling comment will win. The winner will be picked in one week.
Best Kids Books with Science Ideas
10. Science Verse by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith
My Kindergarten son LOVES Jon Scieszka’s books in general, and he really loves Math Curse so much that I bought him Science Curse. Yep, we have read this book about 85 zillion times. I am actually surprised he doesn’t tire of it but it rhymes that emulate famous poems but on science topics. Casey at the Bat turns into Scientific Method at Bat. Twas The Night Before Christmas gets twisted into the Big Bang theory. My son’s favorites are nursery rhymes. Mary Had A … Little Worm. Good Night, Sleep Tight mentions bedbugs and ticks. Jack Be Nimble jumps over “the combustion reaction of O2 + heat + fuel to form CO2 + light + heat + exhaust.” You get the picture, right? [picture book, ages 5 and up]
9. Magic School Bus series by Joanna Cole
These books are tried and true and the TV shows are great too. My kids get to watch these videos at school when there is a substitute teacher for P.E. who probably has no idea how to teach P.E. I can’t say that I mind though. There are so many Magic School Bus books that I had my children rank their Top 10 (yes, we own most of them). I have a post on our Top 10: Magic School Bus books here. [picture book, ages 5 and up]
8. Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak
I know, I know. Technically, this is a non-fiction book. But I have included it because my kids loved this book and it presents the brain and the function of learning and trying new things in an exciting and accessible way. This is an important growth mindset message to children too! [picture book, ages 6 and up]
7. Pop up books Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Dinosaurs, Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Sharks & Sea Monsters, Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Mega-Beasts by Robert Sabuda
My across-the-street neighbor is best friends with Robert Sabuda. He’s an “uncle” to her two sons and sounds like a really nice man. I have to remember to bug her to score me some books the next time she visits. I’m a huge fan of his and my kids LOVE his books. We have the Dinosaur and the Sharks book and I need to get (or score!) the Mythology book for my 5th grader. My Kindergartener has read these books about a thousand times. What is great about them is that the pop-ups are amazing but the book is so layered with interesting factoids that there is always something new to learn. The only thing that stresses me out is trying to make sure the elaborate pop-ups don’t get destroyed. I should have a zen moment and let it go, but these books are too gorgeous to destroy! They also make GREAT gifts! [pop-up picture books, ages 3 and up]
6. The Reinvention of Edison Thomas by Jacqueline Houtman
I met Jacqueline Houtman at KidLitCon 2010 and bought my own copy of a book which she graciously signed for me. Eddy (a.k.a. Edison Thomas) is a high-functioning autistic middle school student who has a lot of ideas for science inventions not unlike his namesake, Thomas Edison (who was also autistic). It’s much harder for Eddy to navigate the politics of friendship at middle school and to learn to identify kids who are truly his friends. As a reader, we get to see the world from the point of view of someone who is highly intelligent but with no social-emotional skills. At times, this is difficult to witness as we cringe when Eddy is bullied and teased, yet he has no idea what is happening. In this way, this book is a great read to help kids become more compassionate for autistic and special needs classmates. But we also cheer for Eddy as he learns about what makes a true friend. [middle grade, ages 8 and up]
5. A Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L’Engle
This classic is a must-read for everyone! It’s like the Godfather of science-y fiction. All other science-y fiction flows down from it somehow. My fifth grader read it and loved it but wasn’t as enthusiastic about the rest of the series. Oh well. All in good time. I’ll have her try again in a year or so. I have a post on it here. I loved it as a child and I love it still. Deeply and passionately. But I’m speaking to the choir, aren’t I?! [middle grade, ages 9 and up]
4. Camp Nerd series by Elissa Brent Weissman
The nice folks at Raab Associates sent me a copy of this book. I just finished it the other night (thank god because I was just lacking one more book for this list!). Gabe is a nerd who is about to get a stepbrother, Zack, as his father is getting remarried. He’s very excited to have a new sibling being an only child. The problem is impressing Zack. He reeks of coolness while Gabe is really, really smart. In fact, he’s so smart that he qualifies for a special sleepaway camp that requires an I.Q. test, a.k.a. Nerd Camp. Reconciling trying to impress Zack with being himself gets solved with a simple experiment. Question: Am I a nerd who only has nerdy adventures? Hypothesis: No. Gabe spends his time at Nerd Camp trying to build his case but in the end, realizes that there is no reason to be ashamed of being nerdy. And Zack agrees after Gabe saves him from a snake! [middle grade, ages 8 and up]
3. Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass
“Three young teens witness a total solar eclipse and are changed forever in this novel, told in alternating narratives, that weaves exciting astronomy facts into the teens’ personal lives. My students loved this book. I read it to them when we were studying astronomy at the beginning of the year, and they became fascinated with solar eclipses.
This book is also great because, in addition to weaving in excellent — and complicated — science content in a way that kids can understand, it looks at issues of inclusion (three middle schoolers from diff. walks of life, who would never have become friends under normal circumstances, put aside their differences and find they actually have lots in common!) and is nicely balanced in a way that both boys and girls can identify with. It’s a surprisingly non-gender-specific book. [middle grade, ages 8 and up]
And, it’s funny. My class and I really enjoyed it.” from MiddlingAZ
2. Doyle and Fossey Science Detectives series by Michele Torrey, illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman
Sterling Publishing sent me these two books to review: The Case of the Terrible T. Rex and The Case of the Crooked Carnival. There are many more in this excellent series that combines solving a mystery using principles of science. This combination alone is a sheer genius but what makes this series really special for me is that it is aimed at Just Starting Chapter Books kids.
There aren’t many great chapter book series for these newly independent readers so I LOVE this series in particular just for being in this genre! There is a decent amount of science concepts in each book and the books zip along at a nice pace, never wearing out the reader’s interest by overworking a scientific concept.
In The Case of the Terrible T. rex, I counted up these scientific ideas: scientific methodology, developing a hypothesis, pH testing to test acidity level, stratification of rocks, and radio frequencies. There are also great explanations and experiments in the back for would-be scientists to try out on their own. [chapter book, ages 7 and up]
1. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
I wanted this book so badly that I bid on some random fundraiser I found on Twitter and actually won! It’s a signed book but when it arrived, my family thought it was hysterical that the book was signed but via a sticker. That’s ok with me! This book is awesome! I loved it!
This Newbery winner also references A Wrinkle in Time. One could even say that this book was built on the shoulders of A Wrinkle in Time. My fifth grader had trouble following the plot line but time travel will do that to you! It is an amazing book that ignites the imagination of those who can wrap their heads around Einstein’s theory of relativity while still managing to combine several stories about coming-of-age friendships with a time-traveling love story/karmic mystery. Intrigued? I have a post on it here. [middle grade, ages 8 and up]
Kids Books with Science Ideas Honorable Mentions
The Secret Code Inside You: All About Your DNA by Rajani LaRocca MD, illustrated by Steven Salerno
Told in rollicking rhyme, this is the story of DNA, the secret code inside all of us that is split up into genes, that make proteins, that form your muscles, bones, and skin. This secret code comes from each of our biological parents that is the blueprint that makes each one of us unique and individual. Rajani LaRocca makes the secret code of DNA fun and easy to understand! [picture book, ages 4 and up]
One of a Kind: A Story About Sorting and Classifying by Neil Packer
How is a family tree like classifying in biology? Arvo (and the illustrations) show us how everything in his life can be classified. The groups can be immense or quite specific, and that is the beauty of classification … everything has its place! [picture book, ages 7 and up]
The Adventures of Munford series by Jamie Aramini
I am really excited to discover this early chapter series about Munford, a water drop, that combines history with science is — actually — a riveting easy chapter book series. When I read the premise, the main character is a drop of water, that floats around the world (and back in time), I was dubious. I read Munford Meets Robert Fulton and loved how this story combines 1) the story of young Robert Fulton and his story of perseverance 2) Munford as part of the cumulus/cumulonimbus cloud systems (5th-grade science!) 3) colonial America (more 5th-grade social science!) including Ben Franklin, Napoleon, and Robert Livingston. This series makes history and science come alive, all seen through Munford, a drop of water that can transform, naturally! into rain, snow, sleet, or steam. In this book, Munford becomes part of snot, gunpowder, part of a cloud, rain, poop, and more. [easy chapter book, grades 2nd-5th]
Flotsam by David Weisner
A wordless incredible Caldecott-winning picture book with many interesting twists and turns to pique the mind and imagination. And he does this with just illustrations! 3-time Caldecott Winning author-illustrator!
The Green Glass Sea series by Ellen Klages
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate series by Jacqueline Kelly
Congrats to Dee who won the book giveaway.
Jacqueline will be emailing you to see what you want to be inscribed in the book!
Thank you for participating!
p.s. Related posts:
Funny Science-y Math-y Chapter Books for ages 7 and up
Earth Sciences STEM Picture Books & Signed Book GIVEAWAY!
10 Books to Encourage a Love of Science in Babies & Toddlers
Arctic Egg Science: Books, Experiment, and Videos
Science of Owls and Bats Through Picture Books
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Awesome list! I would LOVE to win. Ask my son what he wants to be when he grows up and the answer is usually a scientist. (It’s even in print – in 2nd grade his class published a book of dreams and that was his.) He has ADHD so the Edison Thomas book would be a great fit, since there’s a lot of evidence that Thomas Edison likely had ADHD.
To Dee,
Congrats on winning The Reinvention of Edison Thomas. I hope you son enjoys it!
With the recent push of the STEM fields and more money being used to do more with K-12 curriculum, especially with minority students and girls, it makes me wonder what I would be doing had these fields been touted when I was growing up. I was interested in Math and fairly good at it; those skills actually came in handy later in life when I started teaching Special Education. However, I can’t help but wonder what I’d be doing today if Science was more interesting to me as a kid. I am very fortunate that my girls pretty much like every subject; the oldest (9) enjoys Math and the youngest (7) has been a science/nature buff since she was about 3! She was describing the different types of dinosaurs by age 4. I was amazed. I encourage them to try different things and have different interests because I want them to understand that there are no limits. This would be a great book for them because they love reading and learning as much as they can about everything!
To Education CEO,
I agree that it is so important to make sure your children get exposed to science in a way that is engaging. I heard that if children don’t show interest by late elementary school, they write off science/math careers for ever. Science, when done correctly, should be innately interesting because it’s all about exploring and asking questions.
Nice list – thanks! Have some, some read some from our library, will look out for the others.
Another addition to these could be the Horrible Science series.
And Sabuda is your neigbour’s uncle? Please touch his feet for us if/when you meet him. We have almost all of his works (they are not just books right?!) and yes the mythology one is fabulous!
And read all your posts – though I don’t always comment. Youa re on my blog roll – hope that is fine.
To Choxbox,
Thank you so much for your comment and your books suggestions. I know, Sabuda is my neighbor’s best friend from childhood. He is a bit of a recluse so he’s never traveled to my street, but here’s hoping! Thank you also for adding me to your blogroll! I really appreciate it (and you reading my blog!!!)
Check out Flotsam. Great science book for asking questions!
To Craig,
It took a while but I finally bought a copy of Flotsam for my library. AND, all three kids pore over it. I love, love, love David Weisner. Great idea. I will add to the list! Thank you!!
Two of my favorite sciency fiction books are The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages and The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly.
To Jacqueline,
Thank you for the book suggestions. I shall add to the list!
This is a great list, I’d love to win this for my 2nd grader. She is interested in Math and Science and I would love to keep her interested and help guide her to be confident that girls can excel and succeed in Math and Science! I know she can do anything she puts her mind to. Thanks.
Awesome list! Checking Amazon as we speak!
To Sarah,
Thank you!
Came across your blog when I did a google search for Thomas Edison – I am a bit of an Edison admirer. Noticed that you have referred to him and thought you might be interested in this free eStory of his life for June only. I enjoyed it myself and just want to share it. You can get it for free at http://www.amazingpeopleclub.com
Erik W.
To Erik,
Thanks for the link about Thomas Edison. The book featured here is actually a coming of age book about a boy with special needs who happens to be named after Thomas Edison though with the name switched around.