The season of giving is upon us again! And if you’re not sure what to get the kids in your life, we’re here to help. Lots of new STEM books for children and young adults came out this year, and we asked a few experts to tell us about their 2023 favorites.
Mahnaz Dar, young readers editor at Kirkus Reviews, based in New York, New York, and Jennifer Swanson, children’s book author and host of the podcast Solve It! for children, based in Jacksonville, Florida.
You can download a printable list of our guests’ recommendations to take with you on your shopping trip.
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Young Readers Editor at Kirkus Reviews
“This is a choose-your-own-adventure, richly illustrated book aimed at ages 6-9. You are part of a diving team, [and] you’re going to go looking for a giant squid in a submarine. … Sometimes it ends up finding the squid, sometimes not.”
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“It really puts the M in STEM. This is an infographic book about two characters who are friends. One of them learns that everything will soon be moving [story] is told through graphs and charts.
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“It’s kind of a double biography. Tells us about [astronomer] The life of Cecilia Payne, but also on the same page we will see how a star is born and how it develops.”
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“It really balances the sense of hope with the obvious sense of despair that we all have. … This is an example of good being done.”
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A small land
by Diana Sudika
“A Common Call to Action: Why We Should Respect and Love Our Earth and What We Can Do to Protect It.”
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“For a little girl who says, ‘I want to be a marine biologist, but … I’ve never seen anyone who looks like me.’ And then she gets a vision and sees herself as a grown-up marine biologist and gets inspired.”
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“Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans, rejoice—this comics/prose hybrid follows an aspiring young astrophysicist as he makes everything from the Big Bang theory to dark matter easily accessible to a middle-grade audience… but there are things like fart jokes, bathroom humor, sibling banter.”
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Practical Science: Matter, Geology and Motion
by Lola M. Schaefer
“They are very hands-on, interactive. They invite you to “click here” [or] ‘spin this’… they have them on different subjects.’
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“It uses examples that are very child-friendly, such as how to walk home [someone’s] house but using coding.’
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“Relying on inspired visual metaphor and compelling text, this lavishly illustrated work is an opening example of animal reproduction.”
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“Filled with humor and whimsy, this story of how Charles Darwin set out to discover what makes earthworms so special will inspire budding scientists to try their own hands at experiments.”
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“By turns quirky, insightful, and even a little philosophical, this picture book will make readers look at trees with a newfound respect.”
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“Packed with information, this fascinating picture book follows a regal jumper as she evades predators and hunts for prey – even proven arachnophobes will be enchanted!”
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Co-host of Solve It! for children and author of Spacecare: A Kid’s Guide to Surviving Space and other science books for children
“Space is hot; everyone is excited about it! This is such a unique take on it. It’s also poetic, so you get a combination of STEM with poetry, so it’s very accessible and fun.”
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“I wish I had this when my kids were little. It’s so easy to understand, but it also gives you real experiences to talk about, like if you only have X amount of money, how do you choose what to buy?’
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“It goes through the history of vaccines, but then it also goes through how they work in your body. In a conversation with the author, she also said that the important part of this is that we remember what vaccines have done for us in history.
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“[Recommended] if you are a star trek fan! [Nichols] was a civilian, so to speak, not a scientist, but helped bring women into the scientific program.
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“It’s a biography about Grace Hopper, but it introduces you to coding and how it started.”
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“This magnificently illustrated book gives the reader a uniquely intriguing glimpse into the life of a container ship as it travels from place to place, through rough seas, winding rivers and busy ports. Perfect for the kid who has a lot of questions about transportation.”
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“Fantastic comparison of [how] the biggest things in the world (trees) come from the smallest things (seeds). The illustrations are gorgeous and captivating and depict the vibrancy of nature in the wild.”
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“Beautifully illustrated and packed with tons of fun facts, this book brings you face-to-face with some of the most awe-inspiring prehistoric animals to ever roam our planet.”
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Jennifer Swanson also mentioned A Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and Gambian Women Recyclers by Miranda Paul; Science Comics: A Graphic Novel Series published by First Second Books; Strange Birds: Meet Nature’s Strangest Flock by Laura Gehl; and How to catch a dinosaur by Adam Wallace.
Mahnaz Dar mentioned briefly Rooting Plants: The Irresistible Charles S. Parker, Black Botanist and Collector by Janice N. Harrington.
From listeners like you
Here are some additional book recommendations from our fans and followers: