10 Top Science Books for Kids

Design

From layouts about the human body (including the color of our snot--you’re welcome for not having to dig up the answer to this question yourself) to sections exploring the deepest part of the ocean, this book is ready to equip readers with lots of fun facts ranging from silly to serious. Explorer profiles help children recognize some of the leading names in scientific fields. And if you have a bookworm that doesn’t like to sit still for too long, flip to the educational activities sections and get to work experimenting together. Spanning Human and Animal Biology, Botany, Oceanography, Astronomy, Physics, Geography, and more, National Geographic has the answers to your child’s most pressing questions.

Educational Value

Science, when presented well, fascinates and stimulates young minds to ask critical questions, examine what they’re told, and explore the world around them. This book will help children to understand the logic behind some of their most curious inquiries while encouraging them to keep on asking and learning throughout their lives.

Logic

The vocabulary is comprehensible but challenging for young readers. This isn’t a silly book of cartoons with a fact thrown in every few pages for good measure; this book is jam-packed with information that kids will find delightful and educational.

Design

With the National Geographic First Big Book of Why you’re no longer alone in providing the answers to many of their “why” questions. Shields already did this for you. The learning content is well-grounded in the immediate surroundings of preschoolers so this makes it a lot easier for them to connect the information that they have read to the things that they actually see and experience in and around the home. The My First Big Book of Why comes with many fantastic crafts, simple recipes, and very entertaining and educational hands-on games to complement the question-and-answer format that’s been written in a highly interactive manner. The answers themselves are all based on facts, written in a very engaging manner, and is designed specifically for the level of cognitive understanding of preschoolers. There are plenty of pictures, too, to help augment the learning of kids.

Educational Value

This book touches generally one a whole range of topics. There are some fun and unique craft ideas that combine science with crafts. This duo makes for an exciting introduction to the world around us. This book is great for children ages three to seven, providing an easy read as your child gets a bit older. There are vivid and detailed illustrations meant to engage and excite your little one.

Logic

The engaging and level-appropriate manner of the book’s writing makes it an excellent choice to introduce to preschoolers certain scientific principles that operate in the world around us.

Design

The Kitchen Science Lab teaches kids about the all-encompassing nature of science, that everything around us can actually be explained and tested using scientific principles. While these concepts may be vague at first, the various illustrations that complement the easy-to-read instructions help provide enlightenment and make learning scientific concepts a lot easier. This becomes a very handy tool in augmenting what has been learned in school. What really makes the Kitchen Science Lab very interesting is that it strongly encourages the entire family to try out these experiments. That way not only is your child learning, he or she is also bonding with the rest of the family, making learning more fun and encouraging.

Educational Value

This fun book has a slightly misleading title. At first glance, you may think it is a cookbook, which is a form of science some could argue. Upon further inspection it becomes clear, this is a book that does combine two concepts. However, you’ll soon realize it’s not the two you may expect. This book introduces arts and crafts with science to provide your child with a fun and engaging experiments. These experiments are designed to help give your child a better understanding of concepts related to chemistry, physics, and biology. This book is meant for children ages eight to twelve, but the experiments are safe enough that even toddlers can partake.

Logic

The use of ordinary ingredients as materials for scientific experiments makes learning biology, chemistry, and physics concepts a lot more interesting and engaging for children. This book explains science and other topics in a easy-to-understand and logical way. It will teach your child critical thinking skills which are important for the success in the educational process. By completing these experiments, you child will also be able to build his or confidence. This confidence can take them far in school, as when children develop critical thinking and confidence, they are able to push themselves further into succeeding.

Design

The book strongly encourages young children to expand their creative thinking about ordinary things – objects that we often take for granted at home. These can be household items or even objects in the kitchen or the bathroom. This type of science books for children motivates kids to ask questions and sets them out to seek the answers themselves. Each of the entries is presented in age-appropriate words and is coupled with real-life applications so that kids will be able to appreciate them better. The next time you perform some household chore, your kids will already be able to explain even in simple ways the purpose of such activity and the scientific reason for doing so. It may sound far-fetched but that’s exactly what The Curious Kid’s is all about.

Educational Value

With more than one hundred fun activities this great book is full of informational and engaging ideas meant to keep your little one occupied for hours. The book is organized into chapters so you can easily reference their favorite subjects. Easily identifying sections containing their favorite topics provides a greater likelihood your child will get lost in all the fun. There is so much to be explored in this book, the best is yet to come. This book provides your child with the opportunity to design their own experiments. This will help to reinforce their understanding of these concepts. Simulating the trial and error experience scientists often face will give your child an exciting look into a possible future career.

Logic

Encouraging children to ask questions and letting them find the answers on their own using some of the principles of science, math, engineering, and technology is fantastic for their education and critical thinking skills. This book, in particular, is great at encouraging kids to think outside of the box. With over 100 different ideas and experiments, it pushes your child to develop his or her own process for completing things and inspire them to learn more. This book also is highly rated for its engagement with a wide variety of kids. The other nice part about this book is the fact that is doesn’t just focus on science, it incorporates many other STEM practices like engineering and math. This book is a great way to give your child a jump start on pursuing a STEM-related career path.

Design

The book presents the human anatomy in a head-to-toe manner, elaborately presenting each body part complete with stunningly artsy images and discussing the function of each in the maintenance of life. Each entry takes children on a mini journey from cells to tissues to the different body organs. They’ll learn the function of body organs as well as make appropriate predictions as to what might happen if these organs become ill and the dysfunction that follows. These types of children's science books are especially beneficial to those who may have an inclination towards medical, healthcare, and biological sciences as it provides an excellent foundation to understanding how the body is organized and how everything works with a purpose.

Educational Value

This book is a great way to help your child explore our bodies and learn how they function. The pages are meant to be colored by your child to give them a fun activity in addition to a cool learning tool. There is an explanation of how DNA is different from person to person. There are explanations of the functions of systems in the body such as nervous and skeletal. There is also an explanation for how many bones can be found in the body.

Logic

The presentation of an otherwise complex set of body organs and their functions in a manner that is easy to understand is exceptional. This book does an excellent job is breaking the body down into their specific functions and quadrants, so children understand what goes where and why it goes there. In order to truly engage your child, the pages and body parts are meant to be colored in. This helps with children remembering the different body parts and their specific function. This book also provides kids with an introduction into the body, potentially piquing their interest in medicine-related fields. These critical thinking skills will come in handy in med school!

Design

For your child, it can be the most exciting thing for them. With eye-popping pictures in stunning full color and very fun and informative description of each stone, gem, and rock, the Rocks and Minerals truly are one of the best and truly educational children's science books that specifically introduces kids to the wonderful, albeit often misunderstood world of geology. Reading through the learning material is never a bore since Tomecek made sure that it’s infused with humor that kids will truly appreciate. It makes learning an otherwise boring subject more fun.

Educational Value

This book is as beautiful as it is informative. It introduces your child to images of rocks but also includes a general explanation. Additionally, it covers rock formations and volcanoes. This can really reinforce for your child the concepts of what minerals comprise our world. The soil found in your yard, the sand found at the beach, there are so many places to discover rocks and minerals this book will enhance your child’s exploration experience. The book is easy to read and understand making it a great introductory book for your child.

Logic

The fun and entertaining approach to the presentation of an otherwise very boring and dull subject is outstanding. It should also be helpful for adults who don’t understand what rocks and minerals are.

Design

It’s presented in a very comprehensive manner, taking into consideration the developmental level of children who are going to use the book. Many of these experiments can be performed by school-aged children, on their own without any supervision from mom or dad. This should help foster a sense of independence while also helping in the development of an appreciation for the scientific problem-solving process. Some of the experiments are best performed with the whole family, though. This is especially beneficial in strengthening family ties and for fostering a sense of cooperation among family members. It also teaches kids that the family is there to support one another even in scientific pursuits. The book is filled with graphic illustrations as well as easy-to-follow instructions on how to perform these 101 experiments.

Educational Value

This fun and comprehensive book offers so much fun to be had. To support team spirit and promote family bonding time are experiments that can be performed together, some that even require assistance. However, if you're looking to keep your child occupied while you get some housework done or what have you there are a number of experiments meant to be performed independently. There are step by step instructions making each experiment easy to understand, even though they may require a little help. This is an informative and educational tool meant to keep your child engaged and stimulated for hours.

Logic

The number of kid-friendly and family-friendly scientific experiments included in the book makes it one of the best resources for building appreciation for science not only among kids but the entire family as well. The other wonderful part of this science book is the number of different experiments there are. If you and your child want to do an experiment about the weather, this book has it. Environmental experiment? Yup, it has that too. Just for fun experiment? Of course, this book has that, too. This book teaches the whole family important science and critical thinking skills, while also making it fun and enjoyable.

Design

It integrates crazy challenges and fun facts with brainy new nuggets to temper the otherwise very complicated nature of cerebral, brainstem, and cerebellar functioning. Kids are taught on the different structures that make up the human brain including the functions of each part. And as we have already said, by the time they’re done reading, they’d appreciate the popular adage among scientists that the human brain is indeed the most awesome super-computer of all.

Educational Value

This book introduces your child to the functions of the brain. There are bright and vivid pictures that include detailed explanations of each part of the brain and how it functions. There also activities meant to give your brain a break which can be incredibly useful. For those days when your child seems to be too stimulated and unable to focus their attention, these activities will help them take a step back and rest. This book is full of fun facts and other brain challenges for help provide stimulation for healthy brain development.

Logic

The Brain Games makes for an excellent companion to the children’s version of National Geographic Channel, making it a lot easier and more engaging for children to appreciate the true beauty of the human brain.

Design

The experiments are designed with parents in mind, providing a plethora of activities that require no more components than what can normally be found in a household. Build a volcano and learn about lava flow. Explore weather patterns with a wind catcher. Discover the difference between voltage and amperage with a lemon battery. Whichever experiments you decide to create you can feel confident knowing that your child will be gaining the knowledge that will help them succeed in the future while also fostering their innate desire to create. Encourage your child’s inner inventor and watch as their fascination with the sciences grows.

Educational Value

28 different activities await your budding scientist that are guaranteed to not only provide an afternoon full of familial bonding and hands-on fun but will also foster their creativity as they explore the real-world applications of these time-honored experiments. This book is designed to stand the test of time by focusing purely on science and provides multiple levels of difficulty to entice kids from elementary age up to teens. Each experiment is designed with STEAM education principles in mind and carefully details the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of each activity.

Logic

These are the kinds of experiments that are perfect to fill an idle rainy day afternoon using only simple tools that you already own. This book is especially fun because it takes old and outdated experiments and puts a new, interesting twist on them. Kids will enjoy learning about these experiments, and even parents will find these updates entertaining and educational. This book has experiments that have been around forever because it focuses purely on the science - not the frivolous nuances.

Design

This version has been fully updated to keep up with current technology. When technology is so prevalent in life, its functionality can slip beneath the sphere of our notice and understanding very easily. For example, we all know what email is of course. We know how to send an email and read email but have you ever wondered how, exactly, email works? How does your computer know how to disassemble that cat picture you found on Facebook into ones and zeros, transmit those ones and zeros across thousands of miles, and then reassemble them in your grandmother’s inbox? What in the world could remote controls and rockets have in common? What exactly is 4K? These are just a few of the questions that this book can explain in simple, easy to understand terms so that both you and your child can have a better understanding of the fascinating machines that function around us all the time.

Educational Value

This book can answer many of the questions your child may have about the inner workings of the machines around them. The cartoon-like art style and simplistic explanations provide an ideal way to explain very complex concepts such as e-mail in a way that children can understand. This understanding can help foster an interest in other areas of science, technology, and engineering. This book would make an ideal add-on to any STEM-based homeschooling course as well.

Logic

This book can help answer the plethora of ‘How’ and ‘Why’ questions that our children throw at us by providing easy to understand explanations behind many of the complex concepts we deal with in modern life.