Book Finder

A look at the fascinating natural world of plants. Real-life photographs of flowers, fruits, seeds, leaves, and more offer a unique “eyewitness” view of the natural history of plant anatomy and growth. See the biggest flower in the world, where a seed develops, what the inside of a plant stem looks like, how a flower attracts insects, what a plant’s reproductive organs look like, how a dandelion spreads its seeds, and much more.

Why did the ancient Greeks put coins in the mouths of dead people? What does one million dollars actually look like? Before the notes and coins of today, feathers, stones, and even shells have all been used as money! Explaining everything from the ingots of the 19th century to the smartcards of today, Eyewitness Money is your guide to the amazing history of currency. 

A photo essay tracing the history and development of aircraft from hot-air balloons to jetliners includes information on the principles of flight and the inner workings of various flying machines.

Why do beekeepers use smoke machines when collecting honey? Can a bee really sting only once? Why do bees “dance”? Get an introduction to the life cycle, social organization, and history of one of the world’s most useful insects. Learn how bees make honey, what a beekeeper does, and products that contain beeswax — everything from lipstick to waxes for buffing surfboards. 

Beginning and ending with discussions of the water cycle, Hiscock explains that the three rivers gather water from throughout the middle of the U.S. and form the world’s third largest tidal basin. The book focuses on the 1993 floods in the Midwest, showing how unusual weather patterns affected rainfall, what happened when the rivers overflowed their banks, and how people prepared for the flooding and handled it after it came.

Caution! Construction zone ahead! Anyone who has ever stopped to watch a big building going up — and who hasn’t? — will enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at an amazing construction project.

When Ms. Frizzle drives the Magic School Bus full speed ahead into the ocean, the class takes a submarine expedition that’s anything but ordinary. With a well-meaning lifeguard in tow, the class takes a deep breath and learns about hot water vents, coral reefs, plant and animal life on the ocean floor, and more!

Some people collect stamps. Other people collect coins. Carol Otis Hurst’s father collected rocks. Nobody ever thought his obsession would amount to anything. They said, “You’ve got rocks in your head” and “There’s no money in rocks.” But year after year he kept on collecting, trading, displaying, and labeling his rocks. The Depression forced the family to sell their gas station and their house, but his interest in rocks never wavered. And in the end the science museum he had visited so often realized that a person with rocks in his head was just what was needed.

What do you smell with? How can you see? What’s that you hear? Me and My Senses introduces children to the five senses and teaches the basics of how they work.

A gentle, poetic good-night book, with diverse parents and children — plus 16 different, slightly anthropomorphic animals- — settling down to sleep. The book that shows the ways different types of animals sleep, depicting Chinese golden monkeys, deer, sea otters, elephants, hummingbirds, and other creatures.

Learn about various nocturnal animals and their nighttime activities, including the opossum, brown bat, and tree frog.

A giant meteor blasts an enormous crater into Earth’s surface, causing the end of what scientists call the Age of Dinosaurs. Gail Gibbons presents the most recent and up-to-date theories about the history of dinosaurs and dinosaur discoveries. She discusses the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods and the non-bird dinosaurs that lived during each time. Each dinosaur is explored in just the right amount of detail for young paleontologists, as this book brings these magnificent creatures to life again.

Telling time becomes clear and easy for young readers in this bright and lively introduction to measurements of time. From seconds to minutes, hours to days, exploring what time is and discovering why we need to tell time, helps young readers understand more than ‘the big hand is on the one and the little hand is on the two’. Megan Halsey’s playful illustrations depict imaginative digital and analog clocks that range in design.

This DK Level 1 Reader describes the daily life of a musician through the eyes of a violinist and her daughter.

Shining light on all kinds of fascinating facts about our moon, this simple, introductory book includes information on how the moon affects the oceans’ tides, why the same side of the moon always faces earth, why we have eclipses, and more.

This nonfiction book explains the origins of many foods, including chocolate, french fries, bread, and salt.

The story of a little dormouse and his frantic search for a safe place to hibernate.

This book provides a good introduction to basic science concepts like photosynthesis, gravity, and the sun’s effect on weather in an easy-to-understand format. Science vocabulary such as “nuclear fusion,” “electromagnetic energy,” “photosphere,” are explained in both text and illustrations. The book includes 10 comic-strip-style panels of “Did You Know?” interesting facts.

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.

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. 

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.