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Books & Beyond

Nonfiction: Science Adventure

By Lisa T.
August 1, 2021

In recent years there’s been an explosion of fabulous informational books being published for kids. Stunning illustrations, humorous writing, fun highly illustrated fact-filled books, and gripping narratives are out there to tempt young readers.  Here are some of our recent favorites that explore the science of the earth, the solar system, the human body, and feats of endurance and ingenuity.

Click on the covers or titles to go to the catalog.  Does your child have a passion for a particular topic?  We’d love to help you find some just right books!

Books for Early Elementary

Crossings: Extraordinary Structures for Extraordinary Animals / Katy S. Duffield; illustrated by Mike Orodan.
An exploration of animal crossings around the world to help animals cross over, under, around, and through human construction.

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera / Candace Fleming; illustrated by Eric Rohmann.
Learn about the life of a typical worker bee as she emerges from her cell, does different jobs around the hive, and flies far and wide in search of nectar.

Look What I found in the Woods / Moira Butterfield; illustrated by Jesus Verona.
Set off on an outdoor adventure and find natural treasures, then learn more about the plants and creatures of the forest in this fact-filled guide to the outdoors.

Your Place in the Universe /Jason Chin.
Learn about scale and size from award winning illustrator and author Chin who helps children grasp the size of objects relative to their own size.

Books for Elementary kids

A Day in the Life of a Poo, a Gnu, and You by Mike Barfield; illustrated by Jess Bradley.
Join the hilarious exploration of a day in the life of nearly 100 things on Earth. Find out how a Japanese knotweed destroys everything in its path, and why no two snowflakes are ever the same.

The How and Wow of the Human Body: From Your Tongue to Your Toes and all the Guts in between / Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz; illustrated by Jack Teagle.
A funny, highly illustrated journey through the human body.

Outdoor Scientist: The Wonder Of Observing the Natural World  / Temple Grandin with Betsy Lerner.
From renowned scientist and autism spokesperson, comes a book about exploring the world around us, asking questions, and making sense of what we see.

Tracking Pythons : The Quest to Catch an Invasive Predator and Save an Ecosystem  by Kate Messner.
Delve into the science of pythons, their role as invasive predators, and a group of scientists tracking Burmese pythons in Florida.

Books for Middle Schoolers

How We Got to the Moon: The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity’s Greatest Adventure by John Rocco.
What did it really take to get to the moon? Explorers of all ages will want to pore over  this comprehensive chronicle detailing the grandest human adventure of all time!

 All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai boys’ Soccer Team / Christina Soontornvat.
A suspenseful informative account of the amazing 2018 Thai cave rescue of the Wild Boars soccer team and the sophisticated engineering operation that saved the lives of 13 young people.

Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood by Gary Paulsen
The award winning author of Hatchet shares the story of his turbulent childhood, his escape into military service, and the life-changing impact of an encouraging librarian who handed him his first book.

Race to the Bottom of the Earth:  Surviving Antarctica by Rebecca E. F. Barone.
The gripping tales of the race between Captain Robert Scott and Roald Amundsen  to reach the South Pole in 1910, and one hundred and eight years later, Captain Louis Rudd’s grueling, treacherous quest to complete the first solo crossing of Antarctica.