JoinOutstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12
Books Published in 2023
In the award-winning books below, you'll find not only traditional science content but also elements of engineering and design. We hope you'll enjoy exploring science through this collection of outstanding children’s books.
Winning Titles
Animals in Surprising Shades: Poems About Earth's Colorful Creatures
By: Susan Johnston Taylor, illustrated by Annie Bakst
Gnome Road Publishing
The coloration of a myriad of different animals is described through various poetry formats.
At Home with the Prairie Dog: The Story of a Keystone Species
By: Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, photographed by William Muñoz
Web of Life Children's Books
Dig into the prairie ecosystem, its flora and fauna, and the important role of the prairie dog through this book’s engaging text and captivating photographs.
Becoming Bionic and Other Ways Science Is Making Us Super
By: Heather Camlot, illustrated by Victor Wong
Owlkids Books
Using superheroes as a starting point, this book looks at the ways scientists have found to extend human capabilities and push us past the limits of the bodies we were born with.
Before Colors: Where Pigments and Dyes Come From
By: Annette Bay Pimentel, illustrated by Madison Safer
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Trace the sources of pigments and dyes throughout the natural world and discover how the beauty of color is used in art and culture.
Ben Rothery's Deadly and Dangerous Animals
By: Ben Rothery
Tilbury House Publishers
Have you ever heard of an assassin bug? The book encourages reconsideration regarding deadly and dangerous animals. Not always the biggest and strongest, some species use special features, speed, or intelligence to be labeled dangerous and deadly.
Bone Wars: The True Story of an Epic Battle to Find Dinosaur Fossils
By: Jane Kurtz, illustrated by Alexander Vidal
Simon & Schuster Children's / Beach Lane Books
A tragic and cautionary tale about two early paleo scientists who went from collaborating colleagues to competitive adversaries. While Marsh and Cope discovered over 100 species, the mess they created through their battles affected accuracy in dinosaur identification for decades.
The Clues Are in the Poo: The Story of Dinosaur Scientist Karen Chin
By: Karen Chin and Jane Kurtz, illustrated by Francisco Riolobos
Reycraft Books
Karen Chin, a curious and persistent (eventual) paleontologist took a meandering route to studying the “beings cleaning up the dinosaur world”. She now connects the past to the present studying dinosaur poo.
Creep, Leap, Crunch! A Food Chain Story
By: Jody Jensen Shaffer, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
RHCB / Alfred A. Knopf BFYR
This cumulative food chain story is told using lyrical text as animals move through the day “creeping, leaping, and crunching” in a forest ecosystem.
Evolution
By: Sarah Darwin / Eva-Maria Sadowski, illustrated by Olga Baumert
What on Earth Books
Captivating and educational, this children's book on evolution and natural selection is a delightful journey through Earth's history and origins of life.
Extra Life: The Astonishing Story of How We Doubled Our Lifespan (Young Readers Adaptation)
By: Steven Johnson
PYR / Viking Books for Young Readers
Sharing stories of real-life scientific discoveries over the last 100 years, the author explains how specific innovations and advancements, such as vaccines, contributed to the lengthening of our life span.
Find Out About Animal Camouflage
By: Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Jane McGuinness
Candlewick Press
Explores a variety of interesting creatures who have developed clever ways to survive.
Grizzly Bears: Guardians of the Wilderness
By: Frances Backhouse
Orca Book Publishers
Grizzly bears play an important role in their ecosystems. Author and scientist Frances Backhouse takes readers on a journey of discovering the biology and behaviors of grizzlies and invites us to consider ways we can coexist with these incredible creatures.
Her Eyes on the Stars: Maria Mitchell, Astronomer
By: Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by Liz Wong
Creston Books
Not only was Maria Mitchell the first American to discover a comet, she was also the first female astronomy professor who made many more discoveries, setting an example for the many generations of women that followed.
Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day
By: Dan Nott
RHCB / Random House Graphic
Key systems we rely on, such as the electrical and water systems and the internet along with other systems that we take for granted, how they developed, and how they are implemented in the world are explained in this graphic novel.
How Birds Sleep
By: David Obuchowski, illustrated by Sarah Pedry
Astra Books for Young Readers/Minerva
Fly around the world to discover how different birds sleep in this beautifully illustrated book.
How to Spacewalk: Step-by-Step with Shuttle Astronauts
By: Michael J. Rosen and Kathryn D. Sullivan, illustrated by Michael J. Rosen
Candlewick Press / MIT Kids Press
Retired astronaut, Kathryn Sullivan, walks the reader through the step-by-step experience of being an astronaut, including moving in zero gravity and conducting experiments in space.
If the Rivers Run Free
By: Andrea Debbink, illustrated by Nicole Wong
Sleeping Bear Press
Delve into how humans can impact rivers. This story is told in a rhyming text.
Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider
By: Jessica Lanan
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group / Roaring Brook Press
Discover the world of Jumper as she hides, leaps, and hunts her way through the garden in this wonderfully illustrated book about a backyard jumping spider.
Masked Hero: How Wu Lien-teh Invented the Mask That Ended an Epidemic
By: Shan Woo Liu, illustrated by Lisa Wee
Candlewick Press / MIT Kids Press
A familiar topic and an unfamiliar person. Written by his great-granddaughter, Doctor Wu Lien-teh’s biography provides a window into his life, highlighting a familiar modern-day problem – stopping an epidemic using masks and isolation!
Mission: Arctic: A Scientific Adventure to a Changing North Pole
By: Katharina Weiss-Tuider, illustrated by Christian Schneider
Greystone Books/Greystone Kids
Have you ever wanted to explore the mysterious Arctic Circle? Mission: Arctic takes readers on an incredible adventure aboard the research vessel Polarstern as it drifts with the sea ice and researchers discover some important information about our changing climate.
My Indigo World: A True Story of the Color Blue
By: Rosa Chang
Astra Books for Young Readers/Minerva
The process of using the indigo plant to obtain the elusive color of blue for textiles is explained by the author to include the science behind the dyeing process.
Old Enough to Make a Difference: Be inspired by real-life children building a more sustainable future
By: Rebecca Hui, illustrated by Anneli Bray
Abrams Books / Magic Cat
Each of us has the power to make a difference. Meet twelve young and inspiring entrepreneurs who have become change-makers in their communities by starting businesses that are making a positive impact in our world.
Paper World: Human Body
By: Ruth Symons, illustrated by Gail Armstrong
Candlewick Press / Big Picture Press
This book takes the reader on an immersive adventure of the human body using big flaps and stunning paper-cut art on each page to learn about the body’s mighty muscles, fast-firing nerves and the intricacies of the brain.
The Pie That Molly Grew
By: Sue Heavenrich, illustrated by Chamisa Kellogg
Sleeping Bear Press
This book reveals a story, told in a rhythm, about the journey of seed, the joy of sharing a pumpkin pie, and the details in between all because Molly sowed a seed.
Queen of Leaves: The Story of Botanist Ynes Mexia
By: Stephen Briseño, illustrated by Isabel Muñoz
The Innovation Press
Ynez Mexia found her passion for botany at age 51. This biography is told through parallel narratives (loneliness, adaptation, scars, and shooting up strong) of the wax palm, a species she re-discovered, and her life journey.
Rooting for Plants: The Unstoppable Charles S. Parker, Black Botanist and Collector
By: Janice N. Harrington, illustrated by Theadore Taylor III
Astra Books for Young Readers/Calkins Creek
Botanist Charles S. Parker’s life is a story of an African American that made significant contributions throughout his life, demonstrating determination, perseverance, curiosity, bravery, and so much more, encouraging us to remember that science is for everyone.
Santiago Saw Things Differently: Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Artist, Doctor, Father of Neuroscience
By: Christine Iverson, illustrated by Luciano Lozano
Candlewick Press / MIT Kids Press
Explore the life of Santiago Ramon y Cajal and discover how his passion for art transformed the way we understand the nervous system.
Sew Sister: The Untold Story of Jean Wright and NASA's Seamstresses
By: Elise Matich
Tilbury House Publishers
Jean Wright’s biography is a captivating, untold story of unlikely heroes and problem solvers at NASA. She was a part of a team of women who sewed the blankets that protected the space shuttle and their crews.
Shining Star: Vera Rubin Discovers Dark Matter
By: Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Susan Reagan
Astra Books for Young Readers/Calkins Creek
This story about Ver Rubin describes how she was “starstruck” when young, and persevered during a time when few women pursued to astronomy to become a world-renowned astronomer who discovered the existence of dark matter.
Sisters in Science: Marie Curie, Bronia Dluska, and the Atomic Power of Sisterhood
By: Linda Elovitz Marshall, illustrated by Anna and Elena Balbusso
RHCB / Alfred A. Knopf BFYR
This book unveils the extraordinary bond between Marie Curie and her older sister Bronia Dluska and how they helped each other reach their academic dreams, leaving an enduring legacy of determination and brilliance.
Snow Man: A True Story
By: Jonah Winter, illustrated by Jeanette Winter
Simon & Schuster Children's / Beach Lane Books
The Snow Man, a story of dedication, perseverance, and outright toughness, illustrates a lifetime of data collection in the Colorado Rockies by citizen scientist Billy Barr.
A Star Explodes: The Story of Supernova 1054
By: James Gladstone, illustrated by Yaara Eshet
Owlkids Books
By connecting astronomy, cultural relevance, and a historical perspective of Supernova 1054 – the Crab Nebula – the reader learns about this explosive event through descriptive narrative and stunning watercolor images.
A Stone Is a Story
By: Leslie Barnard Booth, illustrated by Mac Martin
Simon & Schuster Children's / Margaret K. McElderry Books
This journey of a stone over time is described, thus helping the reader to make connections to where the rock finds itself in or on the Earth and the rock cycle.
Tell Me About Space
By: Lisa Varchol Perron, illustrated by Jennifer Falkner
Simon & Schuster Children's / Little Simon
A sturdy board book explores space via the format of a young child’s curiosity.
We Are Branches
By: Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes
HarperCollins/Clarion Books
From a butterfly wing to a river flowing to the ocean. Branches are all around us and nature’s way to connect.
We Are Starlings: Inside the Mesmerizing Magic of a Murmuration
By: Robert Furrow and Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Marc Martin
RHCB / Random House Studio
Told from the point of view of the flock, readers will learn the how and why of starlings’ harmonious movement as they fly together twisting and turning across the sky.
We Need to Talk About Vaginas
By: Dr. Allison K. Rodgers, illustrated by Annika Le Large
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group / Neon Squid
This insightful book provides a thorough and inclusive exploration of anatomy, puberty, and reproduction tailored for young women and offers essential knowledge for a crucial stage of life.
Whale Fall: Exploring an Ocean-Floor Ecosystem
By: Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Rob Dunlavey
RHCB / Random House Studio
In this beautifully illustrated children's book, the life cycle of a whale becomes a mesmerizing tale and explores how the death of a whale becomes a thriving ecosystem.
Why Do Elephants Have Big Ears?: Questions ― and Surprising Answers ― About Animals
By: Steven Jenkins & Robin Page
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Illustrated with colorful paper collages, this book provides unique facts and answers the “why” about a variety of animals from across the world.
The Woman in the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Helped Fly the First Astronauts to the Moon
By: Richard Maurer
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group / Roaring Brook Press
This book tells the story of Margaret Hamiton, who led one for the most crucial parts of the early space program: writing the software that guided the astronauts to the Moon and back.
Zero Waste: How One Community Is Leading a World Recycling Revolution
By: Allan Drummond
Macmillan Children's Publishing Gorup / Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
The small community of Kamikatsu, Japan has a very big goal: Zero Waste. Told through the eyes of two grandchildren, we learn how one community is using innovative ideas to minimize their trash and to maximize green living.