Children's Literature

Forces: Physical Science for Kids

Author: Andi Diehn
Illustrator: Hui Li

Summary:

This children's book discusses what a force is, and the different types of forces that we experience in the world around us (such as gravity, magnetism, and push versus pull). Diehn gives examples of how force can be used and seen in the world around us, everywhere from a tug-of-war game between friends to riding a bike throughout town. Children will learn the basics of force in situations that they might have experienced.

Focus Questions:

What is a force?
What are some examples of force?
In our lives, what are situations we face that involve gravity?
In our lives, what are situations we face that involve push and pull?

Posted by: Emma Graczyk

Forces Around Us (Get Into Science)

Author: Jane Lacey

Summary:

From pushes and pulls to magnetism and friction, this book has clear information and fun illustrations to help students begin to explore the science that surrounds them in their everyday world.. It also has plenty of interactivity such as challenges to think about and activities to try. Each page is full of things for the reader to notice, talk about and try for themselves

Focus Questions:

What is force? Where do we see it in our world?
What can a force change?
What are Newton's Laws of Motion?
How important are force and motion in our daily lives?

Posted by: Lauren Pio

Pushes and Pulls

Author: Steffi Cavell-Clarke

Summary:

This nonfiction book discusses what a force is, different types of forces, as well as direction and gravity. I love his books because they are filled with kids who are investigating these topics. I think its awesome that our students will be able to see themselves in his books. This book also includes fun and simple experiments you can try after learning about the different concepts. I would say it's formatted like a textbook for kids.

Focus Questions:

What is the difference between push and pull?
What does a force do?
What is an example of a natural force?
How can pushing or pulling effect an object?
What does gravity do?

Posted by: Aubrey Jones

Motion

Author: Ellen Lawrence

Summary:

This book is apart of a collection called the FUNdamental Experiments. I could write a whole page just on them! This book in particular is an investigative text that is filled with information about forces and motion, as well as experiments to further that knowledge and understanding of those topics.

It is structured by introducing a topic, and then providing an experiment to further explain.

Focus Questions:

What are some things that cause motion?
How do pushes make things move?
How does force effect how far something moves?
What is friction?
Why do objects fall to the ground?

Posted by: Aubrey Jones

Forces and Motion

Author: Lesley Evans Ogden

Summary:

This book is great because not only is the physical book full of great information on all things forces and motion, it also has an online access that further enhances the learning experience. This book would be best for upper elementary because it does go into great detail. I think it would be too much information for younger students. It specifically discusses gravity and masses, frictional forces, speed vs. velocity. as well as gravity and planetary motion all in very in depth manner.

Focus Questions:

How are gravity and mass related?
What is the difference between speed and velocity?
How is speed measured?
How is gravity and planetary motion related?

Posted by: Aubrey Jones

Motion

Author: Darlene Stille

Illustrator: Sheree Boyd

Summary: This book explores in to the idea of motion such as movement, speed, force, and many others. It provides students with clear information that they can follow along with, as well as real-life examples. The inclusion of fun facts throughout the book differentiates this book!

Focus Question:

What causes change of motion?
How do things move?
What is friction and how does it work?
How does inertia work?

Posted by: Vanessa Turner

Give it a Push! Give it a Pull! A Look at Forces

Author: Jennifer Boothroyd

Summary: This book provides real-life examples of how force exists all around us and even within us, whether it is visible or not. This is an interesting book that teaches students about physical laws of force. There is an index, a glossary, and a game in this book which makes it a great resource!

Focus Questions:

What is a force?
What puts things in motion?
What's the difference between push and pull?
How do forces change the shape of something?

Posted by: Vanessa Turner

Standard:

3-PS2-1

Cross Cutting Concept:

Cause and Effect

Balanced and Unbalanced Forces

Author: Jenna Winterford

Summary:

What actions require force? What is a force? These questions and more are answered in Jenna Winterford's book. Throughout the nonfiction book, she talks about how forces help us with playing Tug-of-War, pedaling a bike, and jumping rope! She also tells us that we don't normally notice forces but that they are always surrounding us. By the end of the book, students will know what a force is and can design and build like an engineer.

Focus Questions:

What is a force?
What makes forces balanced?
What makes forces unbalanced?

Posted by: Abby Jankowski

Newton and Me

Author: Lynne Mayer

Illustrator: Sherry Rogers

Summary: A dog Newton is ready to go have some fun with his owner. As they are out playing with multiple things, they discover the world of force and motion. This book is told in rhyme and includes activities so students will for sure enjoy it!

Focus Questions:

What is force?
What is motion?
What is a real life example of force and motion?
Can we change to force and/or motion of something?
What can cause motion?

Posted by: Vanessa Turner

NGSS Standards

4-PS3-3 Energy Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.

Motion Force

Author: Bold Kids

Summary:

This book goes into forces and gravity and what the difference between them is. It then goes into what is inertia and how we see inertia in our daily lives. It also mentions how forces can disturb the motions of objects, including people.

Focus Questions:

What is force?
What is motion?
What is inertia?
How does force affect our lives?

Posted by: Peyton Saunders

Science Practices:

Developing and Using Models, Planning and Carrying Out Investigations,

Explore Forces and Motion

Author: Jennifer Swanson

Summary: This book is great for students to learn about force and motion and the roles it plays on our planet. It teaches them about the push and pull of objects and how force acts upon them. Not to mentions introduces students to gravity, buoyancy and pressure!

Focus Questions:

What is pressure?
What is gravity?
What is buoyancy?
What affect does force have on objects?

Posted by: Peyton Saunders

Science Practices:

Developing and Using Models, Planning and Carrying Out Investigations,

Hands-On Science: Forces and Motion

Author: Jack Challoner

Summary:

This book has so many fun hands-on activities that incorporate forces and motion and help keep students engaged as they learn about science. Readers will get to try so many experiments that come with full color instructions that come with background information, studies and results that help students deepen their understanding.

Focus Questions:

Where do we see force in our daily lives?
Where do we see motion in our daily lives?
How can we use experiments to see force and motion?
How can we plan investigations to show force and motion?

Posted by: Peyton Saunders

Cross cutting concepts:

System and System models, structure and function and cause and effect

A Crash Course in Forces and Motion with Max Atrium, Super Scientist

Author: Emily Sohn

Summary:

This book is a real fun and exciting alternative to boring science text that students typically would read. This is in a comic book format and the main character discovers gravity through bungee jumping and inertia through roller coasters! Perfect for science students who also have a love of comics and is an interesting way to explain a science topic to students.

Focus Questions:

What is gravity?
What is inertia?
How does this adventure show force and motion in play?
What other examples of forces and motion can you think of?

Posted by: Peyton Saunders

NGSS Standards

4-PS3-3 Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.

4-PS3-4 Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.*

Investigating Forces and Motion

Author: Jane Weir

Summary:

This book talks about all the great things that we can when using force and motion. Using pictures and facts, students will be able to explore how forces and motion works. It has an index and goes over the concepts of gravity, inertia and acceleration.

Focus Questions:

What is gravity?
What is inertia?
What is the difference between acceleration and deacceleration?
What is kinetic energy?

Posted by: Peyton Saunders

Science Practices

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations, Engaging in Arguments Using Evidence, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Gravity Is a Mystery

Author: Dr. Franklyn M. Branley Illustrator: Edward Miller

Summary:

This book is a great introduction about gravity and the reason behind some of the things on Earth. It goes into the meaning of "What comes up must come down" through the eyes of a scientist and his dog.

Focus Questions:

What is gravity?
What causes an apple to fall from its tree to the ground?
What does the phrase "what goes up, must come down" relate to gravity?
What pulls objects down?

Posted by: Peyton Saunders

NGSS Standards

4-PS3-3 Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.

4-PS3-4 Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

Forces Make Things Move

Author: Kimberly Bradley Illustrator: Paul Meisel

Summary:

This book goes over the concepts of gravity, friction and the pushes and pulls of them. It can be broken down to have better in-depth discussions with readers. The text is simple and has cartoons to not complicate things while teaching the topics. It uses examples both from student's classroom and home.

Focus Questions:

What is force?
What is gravity?
How does force work on objects around you?
How are gravity and force interconnected?

Posted by: Peyton Saunders

NGSS Standards

4-PS3-3 Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.

4-PS3-4 Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

Move It! Motion, Forces and You

Author: Adrienne Mason

Summary:

This book follows science curricula and has plenty of engage hands-on activities to teach students about motion and forces. It deals with students' exploration into why and how things move.

Focus Questions:

What is motion?
What is force?
Where do you see force and motion in your life?
How does force work?

Posted by: Peyton Saunders

NGSS

PS2.A: Forces and Motion

PS2.B: Types of Interactions

When objects touch or collide, they push on one another and can change motion.

K-PS2-1.

Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.

Oscar and the Cricket: A Book about Moving and Rolling

By Geoff Waring

Description:

Oscar the Cat and his friend Cricket learn the science behind how Oscar's favorite toy, a red ball, moves! This book uses kid-friendly, easy-to-understand visuals and language to explain some of Newton's laws. The back of the book contains a page in the back recapping all of the concepts explained, as well as the vocabulary to go with it. This book is a fantastic way to introduce young learners to physical science!

Focus Questions:

What kind of objects need a big push to move?
What about objects that only need a small push?
What happens when you give an object a big push?
Why couldn't the ball roll as well on the grass?
- What makes it different than the path?
What are some different ways to stop an object from moving?

Posted by Gracie Bostwick

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Author: William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

Illustrator: Elizabeth Zunon

Summary: This is an excellent book for teaching children about wind power and how it relates to motion and electricity. In the book, William village was hit by a drought, and they began to lose crops because there was no electricity. He ended up spending time in the library looking for ways to restore electricity, which led him to build a windmill. This is a fantastic book that uses real-life examples to inspire children to overcome difficulties.

Posted by: Vanessa Turner

Standards:

K-PS2-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object
K-PS2-2 Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull.
3-PS2-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
3-PS2-2 Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

Waves: Physical Science for Kids

Author: Andi Diehn

Illustrator: Shululu

Description:

This very fun book offers real examples of what we see and experience as motion, energy, and waves throughout our lives. It disusses activities as simple as floating in a lake, or riding a rollercoaster and how those motions relate to energy and waves. The book also offers some experiments that students can either try at home, or you can try as a whole class. This is a great introduction to this big concept of energy, or it could be used as an assessment for students as there is some vocabulary that the students can tie in throughout the book.

Focus Questions:

What is energy?
Where do we see energy in our lives?
What are different forms that energy can take?

Posted by: Samantha Coleman

Cross-cutting concepts:

Cause and effect
Systems and system models
Structure and function
Stability and change
Interdependence of science, technology, and technology

The Science of Forces

Author: Steve Parker

Description:

This book is a part of the same series as "The Science of Sound" by Steve Parker. Similar to that book this one offers vocabulary for students to explore and help explain the phenomena that is forces. It also offers experiments for students to try in the classroom that have to do with the forces and objects that depend on force and motion. Just as the book about sound and light this book includes a history of devices and ideas that were discovered that have to do with force. This one isn't as much of a read-aloud, but as more of a guide to inquiry in the classroom.

Focus questions:

How do forces work in our world?
What do you do that involves using force?
What is motion?

Posted by: Samantha Coleman

Everything is Energy (including you!)

Author: Tim McConville

Description:

This book is the relization that everything is energy as a family in the story is traveling to Nepel. There are examples from earthquakes to transportation services. This book uses simple tools to show students how energy travels and transfers through objects.

Focus Questions:

What is energy?
Can energy be created or destroyed?
What are examples of energy around you?

Posted by: Shannon Kelley

Energy: Physical Science for Kids

Author: Andi Diehn

Description:

This book is a part of a picture book series that gets kids excited about science. This one in particular explains what energy is and how everything moves, or may not move. From movement in people when they are running and skipping to the way heat and lights work, this book elaborates on the importance of eneregy in the world around them.

Focus Questions:

What are different types of energy?
Can you demonstrate an example of energy?

Posted by: Shannon Kelley

Wile E. Coyote's Physical Science for Super Geniuses in Training

Author: Mark Weakland

Description:

Wile E. Coyote is one creative predator as he thinks of different scietific ways to catch Road Runner. This book is a great example of demonstrating that there are more than one way of completing a task in science and everyday life. At the same time Wile fails at some of his experiments, but uses them to learn and do better the next time.

Focus Questions:

How was Wile a scientist using the idea of physics to help him?
How did Wile learn from his failed experiments?

Posted by: Shannon Kelley

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