Science 5 - Earth Systems Books

"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett is a whimsical tale set in the town of Chewandswallow, where food falls from the sky instead of rain or snow. The townspeople rely on the unusual weather for their meals, enjoying everything from soup storms to pancake blizzards. However, the food begins to grow larger and more unpredictable, creating dangerous weather conditions like giant hamburger avalanches. The story follows the residents as they adapt to these changes and eventually leave their town to find a new way of life. Filled with humor and imagination, the book introduces children to weather concepts in a fun and creative way. This fun and creative introduction to weather can have you asking the students why such weather doesn't exist as a means of the students demonstrating their understandings of weather.

Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/cloudywithchance0000barr

"Fly Guy Presents Weather" by Tedd Arnold is a fun and educational non-fiction book where Fly Guy and Buzz explore the fascinating world of weather. Through vibrant photographs and engaging text, the book introduces key concepts such as clouds, rain, snow, thunderstorms, and extreme weather events. Fly Guy adds humor and excitement as Buzz explains how weather works and why it changes. The book also includes fun facts and questions to keep young readers curious and engaged. It's a perfect introduction to weather science for elementary students.

Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/flyguypresentswe0000arno/

"I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011" by Lauren Tarshis tells the gripping story of an 11-year-old boy named Dexter who faces one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history. Dexter, an aspiring storm chaser, finds himself in the midst of a devastating EF5 tornado while visiting Joplin, Missouri. As the storm destroys everything in its path, Dexter must summon all his courage and resourcefulness to survive and help those around him. The book weaves heart-pounding action with real historical details about the 2011 Joplin tornado, teaching readers about the power of nature and the resilience of the human spirit. This blend of fact and fiction makes it an engaging and educational read for young readers.

Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/isurvivedjoplint0000tars

Even though "weather" might be in the title of all of these books, all of these books look at the recurrent patterns of weather that tend to repeat around the world at various times: climate. These books offer a wide collection of examples of climographs from around the world at different times of year.

Internet Archive: 

January - https://archive.org/details/weatherwatch0000knap_f0o0/

February - https://archive.org/details/weatherwatchvol20000knap

March - https://archive.org/details/weatherwatch0000grol

September - https://archive.org/details/september0000unse

October - https://archive.org/details/october0000unse

November - https://archive.org/details/isbn_0717294587

December - https://archive.org/details/weatherwatch0000knap

A nice combination of information with activities, this book first presents various pieces of information about the weather, and then give directions for some of the activities that students can take part in. 

Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/weather0000newl/

As its name implies, this is a book that contains many activities where student are designing and creating tools that they can use to measure various components of the weather. From thermometers to barometers to anemometers, Professor Figgy has many activities that get students engaged with building instruments that measure the weather. 

Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/professorfiggysw0000noon