18 Awesome STEM Books That Make Science and Technology Fun for Kids

by Melissa Taylor

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STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering, and math — are a crucial part of a child’s education both now and in the future. These STEM books are filled with great stories and cool project ideas that can help lay a foundation for any mixture of STEM disciplines. We hope the books recommended here spark excitement, teach something new, and make STEM accessible to your children.

  • STEM Books for Kids Ages 4 - 8

  • Math Curse

    by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith

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    Everything is a math Problem with a capital “P” thanks to Mrs. Fibonacci the math teacher! It starts at 7:15 AM when a girl wakes up and remembers it takes 10 minutes to get dressed, 15 minutes to eat breakfast, and 1 minute to brush her teeth so ... 1) if her bus leaves at 8:00 AM, will she make it on time? 2) how many minutes in 1 hour and 3) how many teeth in 1 mouth? This hilarious, math-disaster of a day continues with more math than you can imagine … but will it ever end?

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  • How Machines Work: Zoo Break!

    by David Macaulay

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    Pop-ups, lift-the-flaps, and levers encourage kids to get involved in this STEM adventure story about two animals, Sloth and Sengi, who try to escape the zoo using simple machines. While reading the story, you’ll also discover information on each machine — machines such as a teeter-totter, a pulley, scissors, and a bike.

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  • Fairy Science

    by Ashley Spires

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    Fans of Ada Twist, Scientist will love this magical book! Esther is a fairy who does not believe in magic — she believes in science. When a forest tree stops growing, she uses the scientific method to discover why. Esther's curious nature is sure to inspire your own little sprites.

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  • What's the Weather?

    by Fraser Ralston and Judith Ralston

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    Never before has learning about the weather been so fun and informative! Written by a TV weather personality and her meteorologist husband, this easily accessible nonfiction book is jam-packed with information about the water cycle, clouds, storms, extreme weather, and so much more.

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  • Once Upon a Star

    by James Carter and Mar Hernandez

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    James Carter takes readers way, way back to the origins of the universe in this poetic exploration of the Big Bang. How did the planets form? Where’s our place in space? Just what, exactly, makes up the solar system? Once Upon a Star answers these questions, and others we might not even think to ask!

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  • The Simple Science Activity Book

    by Jane Bull

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    With integrative STEAM books like The Simple Science Activity Book, young artists don’t have to choose between arts and crafts and science and technology. Rather, with unique activities that combine the creative and analytical — studying the states of matter while building an ice sculpture, for instance — budding artists will discover their science and engineering sides, too!

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  • Tomie dePaola’s The Quicksand Book

    by Tomie dePaola

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    Tomie dePaola mixes his trademark humor and chuckle-inducing illustrations with the fascinating science of quicksand. While Jungle Girl sinks further into a pit of quicksand, Jungle Boy offers super helpful insights about how quicksand works, complete with charts and graphs. Will he stop yapping in time to help Jungle Girl out?

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  • Count on Me

    by Miguel Tanco

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    There are so many beautiful ways to see the world. For the bright young girl at the center of this book, that way of seeing is through math. As she pauses to appreciate things like the curve of a slide or the many shapes her cat can make, readers sense the inherent (and underappreciated) vibrancy of the math all around us.

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  • Ask a Scientist

    by Robert Winston

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    World-renowned scientist Robert Winston (who you may recognize from his wacky experiments on The Late Late Show with James Corden) answers 100 quirky yet vital science questions from real-life kids. Do dogs cry? Could you jump off the world? Winston responds to these inquiries with logical aplomb.

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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2023.