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Children's Science Books:
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Good children's science books make learning fun
- Click to the science book awards.
- Click to science books reviewed on this site.
My philosophy is this: if your child shows an interest in a particular subject, it's time to go shopping. Provide the tools that'll allow and encourage that interest to grow.
Tool #1: Books (and Magazines)
To my mind, it's never too early to introduce a book on a particular subject. If your 4 year old likes working with you in the garden, a picture book on cool plants is in order. A book on the biggest trees or the craziest flowers even. Let learning take root and grow.
I've found at least a couple organizations that award prizes to the best science books for kids. These are excellent places to start.
A science lab at Lousiana State University...
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...took it upon themselves to create an award for best kids' science picture book. Awarded since 1998, the winning book needs to "teach its young reader at least one important scientific principle, or encourage the reader toward specific science-related pursuits or inquiry." And in case of a tie...
The book about plants wins. I guess the lab has its own preferences!
(See something you like? Use the Amazon search box to look it up.)
Giverny Award Winner
Best Children's Science Picture Book
2012
Eliza's Cherry Trees by Andrea Zimmerman & Ju-Hong Chen
2011
A Tree for Emmy by Mary Ann Rodman & Tatjana Mai-Wyss
2010
Redwoods by Jason Chin
2009
Forest Bright/Forest Night by Jennifer Ward
2008
The Prince of Butterflies by Bruce Coville
2007
The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson
2006
Daniel and His Walking Stick by Wendy McCormick
2005
Squirrel and John Muir by Emily Arnold McCully
2004
George the Giant Tortoise by Francine Jacobs
2003
The Hidden Forest by Jeannie Baker
2002
Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries by Don Brown
2001
Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D.B. Johnson
2000
A Log's Life by Wendy Pfeffer
1999
Sam Plants a Sunflower by Kate Petty
1998
The Water, Earth, and Air We Share by Molly Bang
SB&F (Science Books & Films) Online
The good folks at SB&F make a business of reviewing science books for children and adults. Each year they award prizes in a number of categories. They believe that much of what makes for good children's books makes for good children's science books.
(I couldn't agree more.)
In addition, they believe "high-quality science books must also be accurate and present scientific processes in a way that can be understood by a child without misleading oversimplification."
They have awards for a number of different categories, not just picture books for the young kids. (Though they have that too!) Here are the winners:
Children's Science Picture Book
- 2012: A Seabird in the Forest: The Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet by Joan Dunning
- 2011: The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Bruce Degen
- 2010: Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm
- 2009: Sisters & Brothers: Sibling Relationships in the Animal World by Steve Jenkins
- 2008: Where in the Wild? Camouflaged Creatures Concealed and Revealed by David Schwartz and Yael Schy
- 2007: An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Aston
- 2006: Stars Beneath Your Bed: The Surprising Story of Dust by April Pulley Sayre
Middle Grades Children's Science Book
- 2012: The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs: A Scientific Mystery by Sandra Markle
- 2011: The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe by Loree Griffin Burns
- 2010: The Frog Scientist by Pamela S. Turner
- 2009: How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientist and Kids Explore Global Warming by Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch Dawn
- 2008: Dinosaur Eggs Discovered: Unscrambling the Clues! by Lowell Dingus, Luis M. Chaippe, and Rodolfo Coria
- 2007: Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh
- 2006: The Prairie Builders: Reconstructing America's Lost Grasslands, written and photographed by Sneed B. Collard, III
Young Adult Science Books
- 2012: Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor Hanson
- 2011: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- 2010: Invisible Kingdom: From the Tips of Our Fingers to the Tops of Our Trash, Inside the Curious World of Microbes by Idah Ben-Barak
- 2009: Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys But Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life by Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang
- 2008: The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring by Richard Preston
- 2007: Tigerland and Other Unintended Destinations by Eric Dinerstein
Outstanding Science Series
- 2010: Let's-Read-and-Find-Out by Harper Collins
Children's Science Books Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2010: Author Robert Gardner
Popular Science Book for High School Readers
- 2006: Invisible Allies: Microbes That Shape Our Lives by Jeanette Farrell
Hands-on Children's Science Book
- 2011: The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science by Sean Connolly
- 2009: True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin
- 2008: Exploratopia by Pat Murphy
- 2007: Thomas Edison for Kids: His Life and Ideas: 21 Activities by Laurie Carlson
- 2006: The Amateur Naturalist by Nick Baker
Still more from SB&F
Before coming up with the SB&F awards, the site simply created a wide-ranging list of the best children's science books of the year.
If your child's science book interests are more specific, these are terrific lists. There are a growing number of years' worth of the best books in a number of scientific fields...
- Knowledge, Data Processing
- Energy, Environment, Natural Resources
- Education
- Pure Science
- Mathematics
- Astronomy
- Physical Sciences
- Chemistry
- Earth Sciences
- Paleontology
- Life Sciences
- Botanical Sciences
- Zoological Sciences
- Technology
- Medical Sciences, Psychiatry
- Engineering
There are too many books on the lists for me to reproduce here, so instead I'll point you directly to Children's Science Books and Films Online.
Tell 'em who sent you!
Great science books reviewed onsite:
- Alexander Fox and the Amazing Mind Reader
- The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins
- Fancy Nancy, Explorer Extraordinaire
- First Animal Encyclopedia
- Joyful Noise: Poems in Two Voices (about insects)
- Kitchen Science Experiments: How Does Your Mold Garden Grow?
- Me...Jane (Goodall)
- Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems
- Starry Messenger (about Galileo)
- What Color Is My World? (about African-American inventors)
- What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
And don't forget...
Children's science magazines. For a child with wide-ranging scientific interests, a science mag is the gift that keeps on giving. The best news is that some of the best children's magazines out there are science-based. And there are science magazines for every age.
Visit my magazines page for a list that links to my reviews of all the top children's science magazines.
Best Children's Books home.
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