Book Finder

Are you ready to go behind the scenes of our amazing sanitation system? From the history of toilets to the mystery of tap water, each book reveals what goes on after the flush and after the trash has been taken out.

Why do you see lightning before you hear thunder? What keeps the planets orbiting around the sun? What metal is a liquid at room temperature?  Using an accessible question-and-answer approach, key concepts in biology, chemistry, physics, earth and general science are explored and demystified. An engaging and fun way to understand how science surrounds us every day.

Each one-minute mystery (solutions included) exercises critical thinking skills while covering earth, space, life, physical, chemical, and general science. See the second book in the series, (opens in a new window)One Minute Mysteries: 65 More Short Mysteries You Solve With Science (opens in a new window).

As seasons change, days get shorter and colder. Animals adapt, children await snow, and there are holidays to celebrate. Straightforward text and crisp photographs document winter and introduce some of its characteristics in informative yet poetic narration.

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. And the women readers meet here certainly seem to support that notion. Have you ever seen a baby in a “snugli”? It was invented by a woman who wanted to keep her baby calm. How about “Scotchgard”? This woman came up with it to help wipe away stains. Meet these inventors and others who had good ideas, skill, and stick-to-it-ness.

Go ahead, dip in. There is something for everyone in this fascinating compendium of information. Organized by general topic, brief, illustrated essays are accessibly written to provide a taste of the topic. A glossary and complete index conclude the volume.

They may appear similar but can really be different. Think noodles and pasta are the same? What about a clementine and a mandarin orange? They’re similar but different. Readers will encounter seemingly same pairs and discover what makes them unique in this handsomely illustrated and fact-filled volume.

Get ready for an archaeological dig then go on to find out more about dinosaurs and how they lived. There are flaps to pull, pop-ups to surprise and lots of interesting detail in this browsing book that may inspire further research.

Factual information about dolphins — they “come in all sizes, shapes, and colors” and they can even whistle — combines with cartoon illustrations complete with conversation bubbles. An engaging addition to an informative series.

Fact and fiction combine in this handsomely illustrated, informative, and readable story of a small brown bat. We follow Otis over a period of time until the small brown bats hibernate. Additional information about bats, threats to them and a glossary are included.

The gorilla is fierce but a loving father. A porcupine is prickly but gentle. This handsome portrait of animals describes the most familiar trait and then relates behaviors that are very different. Soft monochromatic illustrations are juxtaposed to text that encourages readers to learn more about the animals presented and question common assumptions.

Most of the time animals want to be discreet. But sometimes they want to be noticed. In their signature use of collage, this team presents handsome portraits of a range of animals and information about each. Additional information about the subjects is included at the end.

If polar bears just disappeared, the world would be very different indeed. But what can young people do? They can  change some behaviors, study, learn, write. Similar to the approach in If Sharks Disappeared (opens in a new window), this book informs as well as inspires action.

“Think you know cute?” Think again if you haven’t met a quokka, pom-pom crab, or a minute leaf chameleon. Actual photographs of a range of critters are presented with solid information with a light touch added. Additional information and glossary are included.

The animals introduced here are not large and famous. Instead they are animals too small, too peculiar, or even too smelly to command much positive attention. But they are fascinating, presented here in lighthearted but accurate image and brief text.

A comic-book-style picture book takes you on a scientific journey side-by-side with Pluto, who speaks with other museum inhabitants — such as a dinosaur, a germ, and the Earth — and learns what exactly scientists are interested in.

After a whirlwind tour of how eyes work, children will lift the flaps to find out how animals as different as dogs, owls, and chameleons see the same scene.

As a Galápagueña, Valentina spends her days observing the natural world around her. This bilingual story was inspired by the childhood of Valentina Cruz, whose family was one of the first permanent inhabitants of the Galápagos. Valentina is now a biologist and naturalist guide who has dedicated her life to the conservation of the islands.

Striking images, models and illustrations offer a unique view of catastrophic weather conditions allowing readers to see into the eye of a cyclone, witness hailstones the size of tennis balls, and learn how a gentle mountain stream can become a raging surge within a few minutes.

Kimmy, a budding paleontologist, is thrilled that Mr. Tiffin is taking her class on a field trip to the natural history museum. Her confidence is shaken, however, when Jake asserts that girls can’t be scientists. However, wise Mr. Tiffin makes a point to show her the discovery made by a woman scientist. KImmy notes her favorite (and very real) female paleontologists at the conclusion of this engaging book.

Sharks often get a bad reputation from movies and television but they’re crucial to a healthy ocean. Find out more about these amazing creatures in this dramatic, engaging comic book that is well-researched and well-documented. If things technical and mechanical things are of greater interest, then try Science Comics: Robots and Drones: Past, Present, and Future (opens in a new window) by Mairghread Scott, illustrated by Jacob Chabot.

Ever wondered why or what makes you itch? There are lots of itchy answers ranging from mosquitoes to fungi among many other cringe-worth things. Find out in this fascinating, informative, well-sourced, and illustrated exploration.

Dinosaurs, endlessly fascinating, continue to be explored. Current information is presented in an intriguing format that includes a foldout timeline. More standard information is included such as an examination of what a dinosaur is, when they lived, when they ceased to exist, as well as some of the paleontologists who discovered them.

Hippos are denser than water and so sink in water. Plus, they can’t actually swim but push off to “sail through the water like otters.” Interesting factoids about these huge land animals are presented in cartoon illustrations complete with funny asides in conversation bubbles. Further resources are included at the end. The author approaches a furry animal in the same way in The Truth about Bears (opens in a new window).