My Collection of Science Trade Books for Kids

There are so many great trade books out there for children!  Here is just a small sample of my collection of books that have a strong connection to elementary science skills.


1.  

Seashells by the Seashore

By Marianne Berkes

This book includes beautiful watercolor illustrations and is written in the form of a poem.  A young girl is walking along the beach picking up seashells, naming and counting them as she goes.  The seashells come in a wonderful variety of colors, shapes, and patterns.  After the poem, there is a short elaboration about how seashells are made and the difference between two groups of seashells.  The author goes on to provide a picture and brief description about each of the seashells mentioned in the poem.




2.

Tammy Turtle A Tale of Saving Sea Turtles

By Suzanne Tate

This is a factual based tale about a Loggerhead sea turtle and her journey from the time she hatches from an egg up until when she ventures onto the shore to lay her own eggs, just has her mother had done.  The author stresses the importance of the role of humans in the turtle’s survival and the ways in which humans help and protect sea turtles.






3.

The Moon Book

By Gail Gibbons

Gail Gibbons is a fabulous author of children’s non-fiction books.  Her book, The Moon Book, is very informational and includes great illustrations with captions that include interesting and important facts.  The information that she provides is very in-depth.  The book discusses the different phases of the moon, the characteristics of the moon, and how astronauts explore and learn more about the moon.






4.

Imaginative Inventions

By Charise Mericle Harper

This book has a very unique presentation and topic.  With its vibrant illustrations and poetic style, the author uses rhyme to discuss popular inventions such as bubble gum, roller skates, and potato chips.  Each poem talks about the origins of each invention and how it came to be.  This is a great book to encourage children to think like inventors and use their imaginations and creativity.










5.

Let’s Keep Our Oceans, Rivers, and Lakes Clean

By Richard Covey & Diane Pappas

This book is an expository text told through fictional characters referred to as the Kid Guardians. The Planet Earth Patrol is an entire series written to inform kids about important environmental issues and the different ways they can help to protect our planet.  This book, in particular, discusses water pollution and the ways pollution effects our environment.    




6.

Erosion

By Virginia Castleman

This book is an expository text with a large variety of text features.  Each chapter discusses different variation of soil erosion and the effects that erosion has on our environment.  High quality pictures and captions are used to create a very reader-friendly text for children in grades 3 through 8.  The text also includes websites for children to check out to extend their learning on the subject along with project or activity ideas to try at home.  This book is bursting with great information about the erosion process for children who are interested in the topic or just enjoy reading non-fiction.
I recommend any of the books from the Reading Essentials in Science series from Perfection Learning.  This series contains over 100 books on a variety of science topics.  There is also a series from the same company for children in Kindergarten through 3^rd grade called Reading Essentials Discovering and Exploring Science.    




7.

I Wonder Why The Wind Blows and Other Questions About Our Planet

By Anita Ganeri

Children are naturally curious about the world around them.  The I Wonder Why series contains books on multiple topics with questions that many children seem to be fascinated with.  This text, in particular, answers many questions about Earth and various landforms.  With each question, the author provides very explicit answers and facts along with detailed illustrations.










8.

“Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” Said the Sloth

By Eric Carle

This book is another one of Eric Carle’s fabulous works.  He introduces many exotic animals of the rainforest, in particular, the sloth.  The story takes the reader through the daily routine of a sloth.  The other animals in the rainforest question the lethargic and sluggish ways of the sloth, but he responds to the criticism with a very insightful explanation to his lifestyle and personality.  This book provides information about the rainforest habitat and the animals that live there through a genuine and fictitious story about a sloth.




9.

A Butterfly is Patient

By Dianna Aston

This book uses beautiful and realistic paintings of nature and butterflies.  Each page includes a descriptive phrase about a butterfly along with a passage of information about the lifecycle of butterflies beginning as caterpillars and growing into unique and beautiful butterflies.  Each page includes a labeled painting of the various types of butterflies.  The text is very informational, but the paintings by themselves, are just as interesting. 








10.

Snowflake Bentley

By Jacqueline Briggs Martin

This book tells the tale of Wilson Bentley and his fascination with snowflakes and crystals.  He used his camera to take pictures and investigate the structure and startling beauty of snowflakes.  Throughout this story, Bentley thinks like a scientist and experiments and explores nature with his camera.