11 Impressive STEM Nonfiction Books for Ages 3 – 8 (New in 2019!)
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New STEM Nonfiction Books for Ages 3 – 8
Added to: The Best Counting Books for Kids
Pigeon Math by Asia Citro, illustrated by Richard Watson
MATH
Hilarious! Addition and subtraction never felt so fun!! Add to that flying pigeons and a determined narrator and you get…an increasingly exasperated narrator who is TRYING to tell the story about ten pigeons but it’s not working out! Why? Because the birds come and go, plus there’s a cat, and well, it makes for some great silliness and inviting math opportunities. Because the story starts out with ten birds but oh, dear– some fly off. So ten minus six is four, right? Kids will follow along, using the pictures to help them answer the math equations before the narrator does on the next page. Finally, the narrator gives up and ends it with ten pigeons at the end of the day who go to sleep…(Or do they?) Visual support, goofy humor, and plenty of kid-appeal make this a 100% must-own, must-read STEM picture book. I absolutely adore every single thing about this book from the narrator’s voice to the math-infused learning opportunities.
A Trapezoid Is Not a Dinosaur by Suzanne Morris
SHAPES
If you love funny books that are punny and that make learning fun, you’ll love this picture book. These shapes are putting on a play. They mistake the trapezoid for a dinosaur (an easy mistake, right?) and won’t let him participate. Because obviously there are no parts for dinosaurs in a play about outer space. The shapes brag their qualities (sides, angles, etc.) meaning kids will also learn the properties of each shape, too. Kids will laugh their way through this silly, educational story– don’t miss it.
Added to: Picture Books About Shapes
Five Minutes by Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Olivier Tallec
TIME
See the truth about five minutes…it is both too slow and it is too fast. Because time can be tricky! Five minutes is an eternity when waiting in a line. But it’s too short when looking at puppies. “Five minutes is too soon. // Five minutes is not soon enough.” Who else can relate? Won’t this book prompt lots of good discussions about time?
Not a Bean by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez, illustrated by Laura Gonzalez
DESERT ECOSYSTEM / SCIENCE
Atmospheric and playful, follow this counting story about a seedpod in the high desert sometimes mistaken as a Mexican Jumping Bean. But it’s not. Because a caterpillar burrows into the seedpod. Then as the seedpod dries and hardens, clicks and clacks and jumps. The book elaborates on the flora and fauna of the desert such as snakes, coyotes, and cacti. Many Spanish words are used throughout the story, too– dos saguaros, el sol, tres cascabeles, cinco cuervos. (A glossary in the back will help readers learn the Spanish words.) Eventually, a majestic moth burrows out of the “Not a Bean” and flies into the sky.
Whose Footprint Is That? by Darrin Lunde, illustrated by Kelsey Oseid
ANIMALS
There’s a lot to love about this book. The repeating question “Whose footprint is that?” gives kids a beat, a sense of what to expect. On the page of questions, readers will notice an illustrated clue (part of the animal) as well as read a written clue, “These are two footprints. They were made by hopping.” This picture and factual support are supportive young readers as they make deductions based on the clues. The entire experience of this book, the art as well as the content, makes nature exciting and appealing to young readers. Highly recommended.
Who Am I? A Peek-Through-Pages Book of Endangered Animals by Tim Flach
ANIMALS
What a treat! Here’s another guess-who-I-am picture book filled with gorgeous, full-color photographs of endangered animals. The author shows readers a peek-through glimpse of an animal along with a written description. Can you guess who this animal is even without the photograph? “I have a suit of armor and a super-long tongue for slurping up insects–yum!” Turn the page to see the answer– a pangolin! (I guessed incorrectly, how did you do?)
Evelyn The Adventurous Entomologist: The True Story of a World-Traveling Bug Hunter by Christine Evans, illustrated by Yasmin Imamura
STEM BIOGRAPHY
“But Evelyn went anyway” repeats throughout this story to show the pioneering courage of Evelyn Cheesman, a woman who didn’t let conventions of what girls could or couldn’t do stop her from living her passion. In the late 1800s, this daring English girl pursued her love for animals with a job running the London Zoo’s insect house. Not only that, she developed a singular focus on entomology, soon traveling the globe to discover new insects. And when she was told not to go places, you guessed it, …she went anyway. Not only is this about an adventurous, tenacious woman we all can admire but also the writing is superb and the lovely illustrations perfectly complement the narrative.
Added to: Best Picture Book Biographies, Growth Mindset Biographies, and The Best Biographies for Women’s History Month
The House That Cleaned Itself: The True Story of Frances Gabe’s (Mostly) Marvelous Invention by Laura Deashewitz and Susan Romberg, illustrated by Meghann Rader
STEM BIOGRAPHY (INVENTOR)
An awe-inspiring biography with excellent writing and lovely pastel illustrations! Frances’s jaw-dropping inventions for cleaning her house are quite inventive. She’s a really smart problem-solver, that’s for sure. When she gets fed up with her “job” doing all the housework, she creates a house with rooms that clean themselves. Imagine an automatic carwash inside the house with air jets and a slanted floor!! Although her ideas didn’t catch on, maybe one day another inventor will build on Frances’s ideas.
Added to: Best Picture Book Biographies, Growth Mindset Biographies, and The Best Biographies for Women’s History Month
The Astronaut With a Song For the Stars: The Story of Dr. Ellen Ochoa by Julia Finley Mosca, illustrated by Daniel Rieley
STEM BIOGRAPHY
The rhyming text narrates the story of Ellen, a girl who wants to be an astronaut — and she does. In fact, she becomes the first Latina in space where she even plays the flute when she isn’t studying the sun and its effects on our earth’s atmosphere.
Added to: Best Picture Book Biographies and The Best Biographies for Women’s History Month
STEM (SCIENCE / MATH / TECH / ENGINEERING) TOYS & GIFTSGiving STEM gifts for Christmas or any other holiday serves two purposes — first, these are fun gifts kids want and second, these are learning gifts, too.
