It’s summer break and my daughter and I love spending our free time reading. While she prefers mysteries, the science teacher in me loves to steer her in the direction of STEM books. Here are some of our all-time favorites so far. All of these are appropriate for the classroom or home use.
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Early Elementary STEM Titles
Follow Elephant who is trying to build the tallest tower. This book is great for developing counting skills and discussing the concept of engineering with your youngest students. This book is best for preschool through kindergarten.
This is the story of a young girl who decides that she is going to make the most magnificent thing. Despite the fact that she always makes things, she fails over and over again to make the most magnificent thing. This book is a great introduction to the engineering design process and a fantastic way to discuss perseverance. This book is best for preschool through second grade.
Charlotte is a pro at all things tech. Then she receives a doll as a gift. When she figures out that the doll has a hidden battery pack and a world of possibilities opens up. This book integrates tech and engineering in an exciting adventure. This book is best for preschool through grade 3.
Izzy is an inventor/engineer who often creates contraptions that don’t quite work as planned. Then, she finds a crow with a broken wing and is determined to help out. While this book is great for grades 1-3, it would be great for your first-grade class to pair with 1-LS1-1, then standard that introduces students to the concept of structure and function.
This is the story of the Mars rover’s adventure on Mars from the perspective of the rover. It is a beautifully illustrated book and is great for your students who are interested in space.
Upper Elementary STEM Titles
Did you know that Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were friends? Neither did I. This book highlights the friendship that led them both to greater success. This book is best for students in grades 3 and 4.
Inventions that Could Have Changed the World… But Didn’t
This book tells the story of inventions that would have been revolutionary, but for one reason or another, they didn’t work out. This is a funny, intriguing and engaging story that shows that things don’t always go as planned. This book is best for students in grades 3-6.
This book takes place in 1888. Inga, an 11-year old orphan, is chosen to work as a mother’s helper for a family that lives in a blacksmith shop. Though Inga is supposed to be helping to maintain the household, she has other ideas. This book is the second book in the Floyd County Chronicle Series so there are more books if your readers love this as much as we did. This book best for students in grades 3-7.
My daughter loves coding and mysteries, so the first book in the Girls Who Code book series was perfect for her. This series tracks the story of girls in a school coding club and their adventures in coding. This book is perfect for students in grades 3-6.
This is an amazing story, and an obvious choice… but I just couldn’t leave it off of my list. You likely already know this story of four African-American mathematicians who worked for NASA. This is the same story but written to make it more accessible for younger audiences to understand. While this book is recommended for students in grades 3-7, I would say that it is probably best for students in grades 5 and up, unless you have students who are up for a challenge.
This series was written, in part, by Bill Nye the Science Guy, so you know it will be engaging and adventurous. Jack lives with his foster siblings, Ava and Matt, who are absolute geniuses. The trio ends up working in a lab, traveling to a science competition in Antartica, and getting involved in the mystery of a missing scientist. These books are best for students in 4th-7th grade.
What STEM books would you recommend for elementary school students? I would love to add them to my list. Add your suggestions in the comments below.
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