5 Earth Sciences STEM Picture Books

Please welcome my guest author today, Jody Jensen Shaffer, whose earth sciences book, A Chip Off The Old Block inspired this STEM book list.

A Chip Off The Old Block by Jody Jensen Shaffer, illustrated by Daniel Miyares

A pebble is on a quest to find out if he resembles any of his famous relatives. There’s Uncle Gibraltar, Aunt Etna, and Great-Grandma Half Dome to live up too. His rock star relatives inspire him to keep rolling to find the rock-star within. This is a really fun and funny picture book to learn about geology. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

We are giving away a signed copy of A Chip Off the Old Block. Please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom to enter.

p.s. Jody’s newest picture book is It’s Your First Day of School, Busy Bus! which came out July 3rd! You can find it on my Starting School Picture Book List!

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Whether you’re looking for Earth science picture books that are written in prose or poetry, illustrated or with photographs, fiction, nonfiction, or something in between, you’ve come to the right place! Current children’s literature is replete with examples of each kind, and this article barely scratches the surface (ahem) of all the great offerings. From Jason Chin’s award-winning, illustrated nonfiction title to Stacy McAnulty’s talking Earth to April Pulley Sayer’s photo-illustrated title, there are plenty of great Earth science books to get excited about. What they share in common is a love of and appreciation for our home, planet earth.

5 Earth Sciences STEM Picture Books

Grand Canyon by Jason Chin

Author-illustrator Jason Chin’s Grand Canyon is a gorgeously-illustrated Earth science book about Grand Canyon that takes readers from the formation of the canyon 5 million years ago through the canyon today. Readers follow a girl and her father as they hike from the bottom of the canyon to the top. The text tells about the rock layers, plants, and animals they see or might have seen in times gone by, in each level of the canyon. Each page is ringed with nonfiction information and illustrations about the canyon, erosion, and other related topics, and extensive back matter expounds on those topics. Grand Canyon received a 2018 Caldecott Medal Honor, a 2018 Sibert Medal Honor, and a 2018 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award. [nonfiction picture book, ages 7 and up]

Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years by Stacy McAnulty

Narrated by Earth, with a little help by author Stacy McAnulty, Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years introduces readers to our solar system, moon, and how Earth came to be. A timeline shows readers important events in the life of Earth, including the introduction of dinosaurs, ice ages, and asteroid collisions. Readers learn about what’s inside planet earth and what’s on Earth’s surface, and we are encouraged to take care of Earth. Two pages of back matter give more details about Earth’s location in the solar system and some helpful resources for learning more. [nonfiction picture book, ages 4 and up]

Earth Verse: Haiku From the Ground Up by Sally M. Walker, illustrated by William Grill

This picture book is a combination of dreamy, soft illustrations and descriptive, nonfiction haiku about the earth. Readers learn about where Earth lies from the sun, about its mantle, the rocks and gems that make up its surface, and lots of other earth science facts. We see dinosaur fossils in rock, the power of weather on the earth and its people, canyons, volcanos, and icebergs. Earth Verse: Haiku From the Ground Up is Earth science in poetic language. [haiku poetry picture book, ages 7 and up] g

Thank You, Earth: A Love Letter to Our Planet by April Pulley Sayer

April Pulley Sayer’sThank You, Earth: A Love Letter to Our Planet is a letter to Earth, thanking her for everything from seaweed to spring. Brilliant photographs show patterns and colors in nature, animals, and landforms. Back matter encourages readers to send their own thank you notes to Earth by taking action to help our planet, including a list of organizations and resources. [nonfiction picture book, ages 4 and up]

Here We Are: Notes For Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers

Author-illustrator Oliver Jeffers’ beautiful book for his infant son, Here We Are: Notes For Living on Planet Earth, is an instruction manual for taking care of the earth and its inhabitants. Written in the first two months of his son’s life, Jeffers begins this book with Earth’s place in the solar system and moves into descriptions about the land, sea, and solar system that make up our planet. The narrowing continues as Jeffers includes people who come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and animals of all sorts. It ends with an encouraging word to be kind to everyone, because “You’re never alone on Earth.”  [picture book, ages 3 and up]

Signed copy of A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK Giveaway!

We are giving away a signed copy of A Chip Off the Old Block. Please fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter.

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Jody Jensen Shaffer is an award-winning poet and the author of more than 30 books of fiction and nonfiction for children, including PRUDENCE THE PART-TIME COW, A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK, IT’S YOUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, BUSY BUS! and more. Jody’s poetry has been published in great children’s magazines like Highlights, Ladybug, and Clubhouse Jr. Jody lives in Liberty, Missouri, and is a member of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. When she’s not writing, Jody can be found watching baseball or walking her rescue dog, Sophie. Visit Jody at jodyjensenshaffer.com or on Twitter @jodywrites4kids.

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My books:

 Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World

• • • Junior Library Guild Gold selection
    • Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
    • Starred review from School Library Journal
    • Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
    • 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
    • Green Earth Book Award longlist
    • Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids

 Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me