Here are children's books for teaching topics related to each category of science.
Scientific and Engineering Practices
Kim, C. (2023). Project Nature (A. Kim, Illus.). Picture Window Books.
In this engaging chapter book, young readers follow Jina Jeong, a girl who is passionate about nature, as she discovers that many children lack access to outdoor science and experiences. Determined to make a difference, Jina attempts to start a nature club. However, Jina's parents advised her to take small steps first, so she decided to go camping with one of her friends, Sofia. Through this adventure, Jina learns the importance of sharing nature's joy with others and the value of starting small to create meaningful interactions and relationships. This book is an excellent resource for encouraging inquiry, emotional awareness, and problem-solving. It also emphasizes the importance of children spending time in nature as a way to learn, grow, and connect with the world around them. (2.1a,b,f)
Wellington, M. (2022). Eggs from Red Hen Farm: Farm to table with mazes and maps. Holiday House.
This interactive picture book follows Ruby and Ned as they collect eggs from their hens and deliver them to various locations in their community, including the farmers' market, bakery, school, grocery store, and café. This narrative goes along with an interactive maze and map that guides readers through the journey, offering opportunities to learn about sequencing, mapping, and the farm-to-table process. The book's vibrant illustrations and interactive activities make it an enjoyable and educational experience for young readers. This book can be used in the classroom to learn about agriculture and encourage students to explore how food systems work and how people interact with their environment. (2.1a,b,d,e,f)
Sweeney, J. (2019). Me and the measure of things (K. Kath, Illus.). Dragonfly Books.
In Me and the Measure of Things, a young girl explores the concept of measurement by examining everyday objects and demonstrating how different units like inches, cups, and pounds are used to quantify them. Through colorful examples and simple text, the book makes abstract measurement concepts tangible for young readers. This book is an excellent resource for introducing students to measurement, offering opportunities for hands-on activities where students can measure objects and compare different units of measurement. This book can also spark curiosity in students for things they can measure while encouraging students to ask questions, plan investigations, analyze data, and use mathematical thinking. (2.1b,e,f)
Wright-Frierson, V. (2002). An island scrapbook: Dawn to dusk on a barrier island. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
An Island Scrapbook is a beautifully illustrated nonfiction book that follows a person's observations throughout a day on an island. Using journal-style entries, watercolor sketches, and detailed notes, the book captures the diverse plant and animal life found in coastal habitats. There are observations of tides, weather, and environmental changes. This book can teach students how to record their observations and encourage them to think and work like scientists. Teachers can use this to model how to record observations, ask questions, and investigate ecosystems using sketches and data. (2.1a,c,f)
Schwartz, D. M. (1999). If you hopped like a frog (J. Warhola, Illus.). Scholastic Press.
This book uses fun and exaggerated comparisons to help children understand scale and proportion. There is humor and imagination as the book explores what it would be like if humans could do things similar to animals, like jumping like a frog or being as strong as an ant, using math and science to explain each scenario. The lively illustrations make the comparisons more engaging while sparking curiosity. This book is a great read-aloud tool that encourages inquiry and estimation. Teachers can use it to help students ask scientific questions, make predictions, and compare data, such as human vs. animal abilities. (2.1a,c,d,f)
Drummond, A. (2016). Green city: How one community survived a tornado and rebuilt for a sustainable future. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Green City tells a true story of how the town of Greensburg dealt with the aftermath of a tornado. Through simple illustrations and comprehensible text, Drummond recounts how the community came together to design and construct energy-efficient buildings while reducing waste and using renewable resources. This book highlights real-world applications of environmental engineering and collaborative problem-solving. This book is a great tool for a classroom read-aloud for teaching students how science and engineering can address real-world challenges. It encourages students to think about sustainability, environmental impact, and how people adapt and innovate. This book supports SOL 2.1a,b,d,e,f as it encourages students to ask questions, define problems, design solutions, and communicate ideas which are key elements of the engineering design process.
Earth and Space Science
Walker, S. M. (2007). Soil (Early Bird Earth Science). LernerClassroom.
This nonfiction book includes real-world photographs and connects to things students have likely seen in nature, making the content relatable and meaningful. This book talks about material found in soil, including water, rocks, humus, and air, and how it can be found. Soil also provides phonetic spelling for students to learn new vocabulary. This book can be used during a unit on earth resources and how soil is needed for plants. (2.8)
Spilsbury, R. (2013). Look inside a tree. Heinemann.
Real photographs show how various organisms are dependent on trees, showcasing how animals and insects rely on trees for shelter, food, and other resources. This book helps readers understand the importance of trees in an ecosystem and how they contribute to the survival of many species. This book would make a great read-aloud when having a unit on Earth's resources, plants, and animals. (2.5a,b,c) I like that this book explains the uses of trees while teaching about different organisms. (2.8b)
Owen, R. (2012). How do you know it's spring? (Science Slam: Signs of the Seasons). Bearport Publishing.
This fun and light, illustrative book includes photographs of nature and living organisms. There is information on when spring begins and what plants grow during spring. This nonfiction book talks about how the weather is during spring, emphasizing the change of season. This seasonal change includes the births of animals, blooming flowers, and spring showers, connecting to students' everyday experiences. This book can be used during a unit on seasons, especially during springtime, where students can record observations they notice outside and discuss why there are changes to weather and the environment around them during spring. (2.4b and 2.6a,b and 2.7a,c)
Galbraith, K. O. (2011). Planting the wild garden (W. A. Halperin, Illus.). Peachtree Publishers.
With soft and calm illustrations, this nonfiction and poem book explores how seeds travel and grow in nature without human help. The book starts by explaining how people can plant seeds to grow many things like pumpkins, peas, and carrots, but in the wild meadow garden, seeds are planted by other forces. The wind and raindrops scatter seeds to new places in the meadow. There are other examples of how seeds are moved, like by a stream and by various animals, including rabbits, raccoons, and squirrels. This book can be read aloud during units on plant life cycles and weather. It's perfect for a real aloud and then an outdoor activity observing different plants and seeds, and discussing how they grow and move in nature. Planting the Wild Garden aligns with plant life cycles, how plants and animals are interdependent with their surroundings, and how weather impacts the land and other living organisms. (2.4b), (2.5a), and (2.7a,b,c)
Rustad, M. E. H. (2011). Fall weather: Cooler temperatures (A. Enright, Illus.). Millbrook Press.
This chapter and picture book introduce young readers to seasonal changes that occur in the fall, focusing on what people wear during fall and the fall equinox, and how to record the days. Through age-appropriate language and colorful and fictional illustrations, it explains how weather changes as seasons change and how living things adapt during the fall season (2.6a,b and 2.7a). This book can be used in September on a unit of weather and seasonal change. Students can record their observations that they learn from the book and record temperature changes. Its clear structure makes it accessible for guided reading and connecting to many seasonal activities and observations.
Zoehfeld, K. W. (2014). Secrets of the seasons: Orbiting the sun in our backyard (P. Lamont, Illus.). Knopf Books for Young Readers.
With light illustrations, this nonfiction book is informative and narrative styled, following a young girl and her friends and family as they explore the changes occurring in their backyards. The book explains how Earth's tilt and orbit around the sun create seasons. This book blends storytelling with factual information, helping children understand why weather and daylight vary as seasons change. This book is an excellent resource for introducing students to why we have seasons. This book can be used to add to a unit on seasons for students to have a foundational understanding of seasons. This book can pair well with a journal recording daylight times. (2.6a,b)
Goldstone, B. (2012). Awesome autumn: All kinds of fall facts and fun. Henry Holt and Co.
This vibrant nonfiction book is packed with fascinating facts and photographs that highlight the unique features of autumn. This book shows what clothes you should be wearing in autumn and explains how the days get shorter due to the equinox. From falling leaves to harvesting foods and animal behaviors, the book covers a wide range of science relating to seasons. With engaging visuals and simple-to-understand text, it helps readers explore how animals and plants adapt to seasonal changes. This book is a great tool for students to use to learn more about what and who are affected by autumn. It can support lessons on weather changes and how these seasonal changes affect the growth and behavior of living things (2.6a and 2.7a,b,c). There are examples of holidays in autumn as well as fun activities for students like leaf rubbings, hand turkeys, and pressed leaves. This book is great for teaching students about seasons while providing many hands-on activities.
Life Science
Pettiford, R. (2016). Coral reef food chains (Who eats what?). Pogo Books.
With simple language and vivid photographs, this nonfiction book shows the coral reef and the animals that live there. There are descriptions of the images with definitions of vocabulary. The book includes informative facts on the food chain in the coral reef, explaining which animals eat what. There are charts that show examples of producers, predators, consumers, and decomposers. The real-life examples help students understand the roles in a food chain. This book is great for a read-aloud or when doing activities that include organisms in a food chain. (2.4a,b and 2.5a,b)
Slade, S. (2010). What if there were no sea otters?:A book about the ocean ecosystem (C. Schwartz, Illus.). Picture Window Books.
These colorful and fun illustrations create a fun experience for readers. This nonfiction book explores how sea otters live and explains the topic of living things and how there are different food chains, with otters belonging to more than one. The book talks about what sea otters eat and their predators. If sea otters were to go extinct, there would be many changes to the ocean ecosystem, and there are helpful tips for keeping our oceans clean and safe. This book is valuable for teaching students food chains and webs as a read-aloud and sort, and can spark discussions on environmental responsibility. (2.4a,b and 2.5a,b)
Porter, E. (2013). What’s sprouting in my trash?: A book about composting. Capstone Press.
This informative book provides real photographs and facts while using everyday examples for students. This book introduces students to composting by showing how discarded food and plant matter can decompose and become rich soil. It explains the role of living organisms like worms and bacteria in this natural process. What's Sprouting in My Trash helps children understand how living things depend on their environment and each other, especially in the cycle of decomposition. This book supports instruction on life cycles and the interdependence in nature. It can be used alongside a classroom composting project or plant growing activity, helping students see how decayed plant matter supports new plant life, completing a life cycle. (2.4a,b and 2.5a,c)
Aston, D. H. (2014). A seed is sleepy (S. Long, Illus.). Chronicle Books.
This beautifully illustrated nonfiction and poetic book introduces young readers to the fascinating world of seeds. It explores the many shapes, sizes, and behaviors of seeds, describing where they hide, rest, travel, grow, and eventually transform into many different types of plants. The poetic language used allows students to learn about seeds through a calming environment, while conveying scientific facts about plant life cycles and seed functions. This book is ideal for introducing plant life cycles because it starts at the beginning, helping students recognize seeds as the foundation for plant growth and development. (2.4b) Teachers can start by reading this to the classroom and connecting this to a planting project where students can plant seeds and record the growth of the plant throughout the year.
Griswold, D. (2022). My zoo: A book of feelings (E. Resifeld, Illus.). Magination Press.
With creative zoo metaphors, the colorful and fun illustrations display that each animal represents a different feeling, such as an angry roaring lion, an embarrassed lizard, and a scared lemur. This book shows how animals respond to their environment in a simple and fun way for readers to understand and relate to. This book can be used for incorporating social-emotional learning in science instruction. Teachers can use it to spark discussions on how emotions influence behavior and how humans and animals respond to their environment. There can be an activity where students create their own "emotional animal" and explore what that animal eats and lives on. This book offers a more personal and meaningful approach to understanding life systems and cycles by helping students make emotional connections to the behaviors and responses of living things, including themselves.
Spanyol, J. (2020). Rosa's big sunflower experiment. Child's Play International.
In Rosa's Big Sunflower Experiment, Rosa guides readers through the steps of planting, observing, and caring for sunflowers as they grow. Told in a friendly voice with cheerful illustrations, the book introduces scientific vocabulary and observational skills while following the sunflower's life cycle from seed to bloom (2.4b). Rosa records changes, makes predictions, and asks questions. This book can be used as a read-aloud, and then implemented as a sunflower experiment where students plant their seeds and track their growth.
Physical Science
Lawrence, E. (2013). Motion (FUNdamental Experiments). Bearport Publishing.
A colorful and fun nonfiction book investigating motion through questions and providing hands-on activities students can do while illustrating a figure acting out the experiment, and the materials needed. The book helps students explore concepts such as push, pull, force, and friction using easy-to-understand language. This book is ideal when covering motion in class, and students can do the hands-on activities in stations. Motion supports VA Science SOL 2.2a,b,c by focusing on the different types of forces that cause motion to change and 2.1b by providing experiments and questions for students to plan and carry out investigations.
Bradley, K. B. (2005). Forces make things move (P. Meisel, Illus.). HarperCollins.
Using simple instructions and colorful illustrations, this nonfiction book provides real-world examples and facts about the basic science of force creating motion. Different examples of forces like push, pull, friction, and gravity are described through everyday activities like running a race, pushing a toy car, and even rolling cars through different places like carpets and slippery ice. Earth's gravity is shown, and how in space, gravity is different. This book would be a good read aloud and an activity for pushing and pulling with different objects and floors. Forces Make Things Move is a good resource for teaching a unit on forces, and the overall message is that forces are all around us, and that is what gets things moving. (2.2a,b,c)
Cobb, V. (2003). I face the wind (J. Gorton, Illus.). HarperCollins.
This nonfiction book engages students by starting with a question about experiencing wind. There are examples of what wind does to humans and objects. This connects to force and how it pushes people, even though we cannot see the wind. There are multiple questions throughout the book where students can infer and test out experiments. I Face the Wind can be used for a read-aloud during a unit on force and motion, as wind is a force that moves many things. (2.2a,c) This book can also be used when teaching weather while building a foundational understanding of wind through inquiry-based learning. (2.1e,f) (2.7b)
Branley, F. M. (2007). Gravity is a mystery (E. Miller, Illus.). HarperCollins.
Through simple explanations, everyday examples, and colorful illustrations, this informative nonfiction book explains what gravity is and how it affects everything on Earth, even if we cannot see it. There are examples of how gravity can pull you or even hold you, like when sitting down. The book also talks about how gravity factors into weight, so how much something weighs will impact how much gravity pulls. Gravity Is a Mystery includes how gravity looks on Earth, the moon, and planets. There is a gravity activity students can do at the end of the book after a read aloud. This book would be read during a unit on force and motion where students can learn about gravity in everyday life as well as other planets. (2.2a,b,c)
Adler, D. A. (2019). Solids, liquids, gases, and plasma (A. Raff, Illus.). Holiday House.
Playful illustrations depict kids using different forms of matter. There is a dog that teaches the readers about the matter, the four forms, what each is, and how you can classify them. The nonfiction book explains how matter can change forms through changing temperature. (2.3c) There are multiple moments throughout the book that highlight how matter is everywhere, and even looking at air means looking through matter. Anything that takes up space and has weight is matter. There is a glossary at the end defining key vocabulary words like gas, liquid, matter, plasma, and more. This book is perfect when teaching a unit on matter, and it pairs well with hands-on experiments where students can identify and categorize materials by their state. (2.3a,b)
Smith, L. A. (1999). Meg and Jim's sled trip (C. V. Piontek, Illus.). Flyleaf Publishing.
This fictional story features Meg and Jim heading out on a snowy adventure with their sled. With realistic illustrations, the siblings ride down the hill, and they are interacting with their surroundings. Readers can witness basic principles of motion, such as pushing and pulling, and friction, and how this interacts with the sled. Students can observe how the sled moves down the hill fast and stops when hitting a snow drift. This book is great for introducing force, motion, and energy to students who may be unfamiliar with those terms (2.2a,b,c). Many students may have experience with sledding or sliding, so the story creates a connection to their everyday lives, sparking curiosity and interest in learning these science concepts.