Earth and Space Science Picture Book Recommendations

Hi, my name is Becca and I love science themed picture books.

Ever since my daughter was born, I’ve been on the hunt for the best science themed picture books. I’m a sucker for a book that appeals to both little kids AND big kids, with beautiful illustrations.

I’ve found quite a few earth science themed ones that I love, that I’ve read to my high school students. When I’ve shared with other teachers that I do read-alouds with my high schoolers they often look at me like I’m crazy. And yes…. not every student loves them. But the vast majority will actively listen and look at all the pictures as I read and flip pages under the document camera. (They will especially listen if they know there is an assignment that will follow. If you need assignment ideas, check out this blog post).

The trick to pulling students in? Finding the right book. When looking for a picture book to read my high school students, I generally look for books that meet these criteria:

• Not too babyish. Yes, it’s a picture book. But it needs to include older themes or concepts that students can relate to, ponder, or learn from.
• Great illustrations.
• Not too long. For example, The Lorax is 72 text-heavy pages. Minds will be wandering by page 30.

Ready for my favorites? Let’s dive in!! Note: This blog post contains affiliate links.

INTRO TO EARTH SCIENCE RECOMMENDATION

Imagine you are an alien from outer space, and happen to come upon this planet called Earth. What is it like here? “If You Come To Earth” by Sophie Blackall attempts to explain what you need to know about life on our planet. Where do we live? How do we get around? What types of animals live here? While the emphasis is more on the life aspect of our planet opposed to the physical earth aspect, it is still a great option. Follow up by asking students- if you had to explain life on our planet to an alien- what would YOU say?

THE UNIVERSE BOOK RECOMMENDATION

Astronomy is the first unit I teach in earth science (I like going from big to small). That means we kick off the year with the big bang. “It Started With a Big Bang: The Origin of Earth, You, and Everything Else” by Floor Bal walks you through the last 14 billion years from the big bang, to today. Students will see how the moon formed, oceans grew, and life evolved into a “big tangled web.”

SOLAR SYSTEM BOOK RECOMMENDATION

If you don’t want to focus on all of space but just our solar system, give this one a try. “Earth! My First 4.5 Billion Years” by Stacy McAnulty is part of an adorable series. Pages like: “My best friend is the moon. We hang out all the time, even when you can’t see her. The moon needs 27 days, 7 jours, 43 minutes, and 12 seconds to go around me. I’ve timed her” just bring a smile to my face.

EARTH’S LAYERS BOOK RECOMMENDATION

Have your students ever thought about what is beneath their feet? And not just the top layer of dirt or pavement, but reallllly deep down? “The Street Beneath My Feet” by Charlotte Guillain is a fun one! The pages don’t turn like a traditional book, but instead unfold into one long page that dives down from Earth’s crust to its core, and back up again. The pictures and words are a little smaller on this one, so I would definitely recommend using a document camera.

PLATE TECTONICS BOOK RECOMMENDATION

I love highlighting female scientists in my classroom, and Marie Tharp deserves some recognition! “Ocean Speaks” by Jess Keating is the story of Marie Tharp overcoming all obstacles to map the ocean floor and discover the mid-Atlantic ridge. Not only was Marie banned from being on research ships as a female, but once she completed her maps nobody believed them to be correct. There was no way there were mountain ranges under the sea! But Marie was fierce and determined.

ROCKS AND MINERALS BOOK RECOMMENDATION

“A Dinosaur Made Me Sneeze” by Carla Mae Jansen is a silly rhyming book about the rock cycle. The story is about a boy named Martin sneezing at the dinner table, and explaining how the dust that made him sneeze came from a dinosaur. I love how it not only introduces the rock cycle, but shows how matter is all connected through time.

GEOLOGIC TIME BOOK RECOMMENDATION

“Old Rock (is not boring)” by Deb Pilutti shows a conversation between a rock, pine tree, spotted beetle, and hummingbird. The tree, beetle and hummingbird all tell old rock it must be pretty boring being in the same place all the time. Old rock gently explains how he flew out of a volcano, has traveled on glaciers, and seen mastodons roam. After reading this book, I asked students if they could go back in time, what would they choose to see? There were some creative answers!

So you read the book, now what? Check out this blog post on follow-up activities you can complete with high school students after a read-aloud.

I hope you enjoy a few of those titles! If you teach biology, go browse my biology book recommendations.

Rock on,