Book Finder

Plants provide people and animals with food, shelter, and even the air we breathe. Plants help us live and grow, but how does a plant grow? This picture book introduces young readers to a variety of plant types, including ferns, carnivorous plants, mosses, and trees. This fact-filled book explains photosynthesis, different ways that plants reproduce, how seeds germinate and grow, which plants grow in different climates, and much more. 

A primer of essential STEAM words for very young children. From physics to biology, from astronomy to geography, from medicine to thermodynamics and beyond, this is the bright and simple introduction to 100 key words.

When 14-year-old William Kamkwamba’s Malawi village was hit by a drought, everyone’s crops began to fail. Without enough money for food, let alone school, William spent his days in the library … and figured out how to bring electricity to his village. Persevering against the odds, William built a functioning windmill out of junkyard scraps, and thus became the local hero who harnessed the wind.

Each book in this new series for younger readers contains spreads featuring fun, kid-friendly experiments with lift-the-flap conclusions. I’m a Scientist: Backyard introduces kids to the world of botany with a wealth of plant-based experiments.

A basic introduction to levers, wheels, and pulleys. As two children lift a lion, pull a panda, and deliver a basket of bananas to a baboon party, kids find out how these simple machines work. 

When the thing from outer space visits earth, it is taken first for a trick-or-treater and then for a robot. Buddy McGee takes the thing home — only to discover it is from outer space.

Created by a naturalist, this colorful explorer journal is loaded with fun, simple ways to use their senses to observe and discover nature’s secrets outside. Dozens of outdoor activities plus a guided Journal for drawings, stories, memories and recording discoveries.

A young girl explores Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, recording her thoughts, scientific facts, questions, and experiences in a nature journal decorated by her paintings of the native plants and animals. This book is a great way to introduce kids to scientific journals and the importance of close observation. 

Birds are everywhere — even the most urban neighborhood is a good place to look for birds and study their habits. This journal includes questions to prompt thinking and provides pages to write down observations, paste in photos, or add drawings. Also in the series: Nature Log Kids: A Kid’s Journal to Record Their Nature Experiences. 

Take an alphabetical journey through the natural world! Each letter features an object photographed in nature accompanied by a fun poem. Show your child how to become an alphabet hunter and by exploring nearby woods, parks, water, or your own backyard. 

A dazzlingly illustrated and child-friendly introduction to the complex topic of biodiversity and classification, and how all living things, from bacteria to the largest mammals, are related. The book provides detailed information about each of the “five kingdoms” and the different species that make up each kingdom. 

This picture book is a humorous introduction to sorting and classifying. Packy the Pack Rat comes home with a cart full of things — a locket, a book, an umbrella, a pinecone, and other random items. After his mother asks him to put it away, Packy begins sorting things with similar characteristics, such as color, shape, or where they were found. Children who like to collect may be inspired to bring order to their own treasures.

A young girl explores Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, recording her thoughts, scientific facts, questions, and experiences in a nature journal decorated by her paintings of the native plants and animals. This book is a great way to introduce kids to scientific journals and the importance of close observation. 

After Josh receives a strange rock from his uncle, he consults a rock shop owner expert to learn about his unusual gift. Josh notices that the store’s display window features stones arranged by size, and as his knowledge of geology grows, he sees the classification schemes in the window becoming more and more complex. 

Learn the units of measure (including the metric system) by comparing the lengths to fingers, arms, feet, and other body parts. You’ll find lots of examples of how we use measurement in everyday activities as well as hands-on activities, such as asking the reader to see how tall you are using units of measure from ancient Egypt.

Lisa has an important homework assignment — to measure something in several different ways. She has to use standard units like inches and nonstandard units like paper clips to find out height, width, length, weight, volume, temperature, and time. Lisa decides to measure her dog, Penny, and finds out … Penny’s nose = 1 inch long, Penny’s tail = 1 dog biscuit long, and Penny’s paw print = 3 centimeters wide … and that’s only the beginning! Lisa learns a lot about her dog and about measuring, and even has fun doing it.

Two friends practice their estimating skills on their way to a store that’s having a contest to figure out how many jellybeans are in the jar. 

In this hands-on science book, kids learn how to make a barometer, record their observations in a Weather Log, use graphs and charts, read the cloud and wind direction, and look to the sunset glow to make more accurate predictions. 

Read and find out about how to track animals by finding footprints and other clues. Does a cat use her claws when she walks? How does a rabbit run? What does a skunk smell like? Find out the answers in Big Tracks, Little Tracks, a perfect first book for children with a budding interest in animals and nature.

A story about a close-knit community of enslaved African Americans on a plantation in Texas, the day before the announcement is to be made that all enslaved people are free. Young Huldah, who is preparing to celebrate her tenth birthday, can’t possibly anticipate how much her life will change that Juneteenth morning. The story follows Huldah and her community as they process the news of their freedom and celebrate together by creating a community freedom flag. Each of the illustrations has been hand-sewn and quilted by the author and artist Kim Taylor.

Eight-year-old David and his family gather at Grandma’s house in Galveston, Texas, for a cherished family tradition: Grandma’s annual retelling of the story of Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The story is written in the same rhythm as The Night Before Christmas, and is a great read aloud choice.

A young Black child experiences the magic of the Juneteenth parade for the first time with their family as they come to understand the purpose of the party that happens every year — and why they celebrate their African American history! The poetic text includes selected lyrics from “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the unofficial Black National Anthem, and the vibrant art illuminates the beauty of this moment of Black joy, celebrated across the nation. This vibrant adventure through the city streets invites young readers to make a joyful noise about freedom for all.

This wordless picture book with Baker’s characteristically beautifully detailed collage illustrations conveys a subtle message about how we can bring positive change to our communities. Every double-page spread is a view through the same window, a view that changes over a generation. Children can share what they think is happening to the neighborhood based on the illustrations. 

A Siberian tiger cub named T.J., born at the Denver Zoo, is orphaned when he is only a few weeks old. The veterinary staff raises him, feeding him by hand until he is able to eat on his own and return to the tiger exhibit. The story is accompanied by four different types of graphs (picture, circle, bar, and line) that display information about the numbers and types of tigers in the wild, how much T.J. is eating, and his weight compared with other tigers. This is a good introduction to how charts and graphs are used in the real world.