Common Core Science Books

UPDATE: Next Gen Science Standards were released in April, 2013.

NSTA Winning Titles by Reading Level (Lexile)

This week, the National Science Teacher’s Association and the Children’s Book Council announced the Outstanding Science Trade Books 2013 list. These titles represent the best of the science and science-related books (informational texts) of the year, making it a great Common Core reading list for 2013. With the Common Core’s emphasis on nonfiction, these titles should be high on your list of new books.

The NSTA’s list is presented as an alphabetized list. However, it’s more helpful for CommonCore use if the titles are organized by reading level. I’ve used the Lexile when available, or the AR (ATOS) rating. For a few titles, there are no reading levels available; these titles only have suggested age ranges or grade levels and I’ve added them in the appropriate slot. Some are listed in more than one grade level because cross-over in the Lexiles. For more on choosing appropriate texts for a lesson, see our Text Complexity Tool.

There are books for K-12, biographies, nature, weather, archeology, climatology, physics, forensics, astronomy, medical, microbiology, habitats, chemistry, botany, zoology and more–something for everyone. Some great read alouds, too.

Great NonFiction for 2013!

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On a personal note: Yes! You’ll find my title, Desert Baths on this list! It is one of the few on the list available as a Kindle; and maybe one of the very few available in Spanish, as Las ducas en el desierto. For more, click here.

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P-1st grade

• N/A P-1 ABC ZooBorns! Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland. Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane Books.
  Younger readers will love this book; lovely language and photos in an alphabet theme.
• 280L Eight Days Gone. Linda McReynolds. Charlesbridge.
  Brilliant poetry describes an out-of-this-world experience in space exploration.
• N/A P-1 My First Day. Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  Beautiful pictures make this book come to life for young readers; excellent information regarding early animal adaptation.
• N/A P-2 Seahorses. Jennifer Keats Curtis. Macmillan Children’s Book Group/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers.
  The uniqueness of the species will totally engage readers and the science will amaze.
• N/A P-2 Seymour Simon’s Extreme Earth Records. Seymour Simon. Chronicle Books.
  This book looks at very interesting environments; accurate and beautiful illustrations for both Earth and environmental curricula.
• NPL P-1 Open Wide! Catherine Ham. EarlyLight Books.
  This book is a great one to share! What fun! It provides a unique perspective on animal adaptations.
• N/A Poetry K-4 Out of This World. Amy E. Sklansky. Random House/Knopf.
  Points that are fun and scientifically accurate; this book enables the listener or reader to find evidence in poetry.

2nd-3rd 420-820L

• N/A Birds of a Feather. Bernadette Gervais and Francesco Pittau. Chronicle Books.
  Fun and interactive; tactile format allows a list of facts to become interesting.
• N/A Gr 2-4 Survival at 120 Above. Debbie S. Miller. Walker Books for Young Readers.
  Solid book from previous winner; this lesser known condition for survival will fit in with the Standards. The book has complex, elegant language to describe the science.
• N/A Gr 3-8 Super Nature Encyclopedia. DK Publishing.
  A great classroom supplement with beautiful photos supported by facts.
• AR3.1 Seababy. Ellen Levine. Walker Books for Young Readers.
  Good story of human support for an endangered species (sea otters) with limited interference in the habitat and a link to a live webcam.
• AR3.8 Track that Scat! Lisa Morlock. Sleeping Bear Press.
  Engaging story in a dual text with good nonfiction information; multiple meanings of words will fascinate readers.
• AR3.9 P-2 Saving Yasha. Lia Kvatum. National Geographic Children’s Books.
  Focuses on the scientific research that was needed to save the bear.
• 540L Hiss-s-s-s! Eric A. Kimmel. Holiday House.
  This book illustrates the need for responsibility in caring for a difficult pet and cultural sensitivity.
• 590L Animal Grossapedia. Melissa Stewart. Scholastic.
  Just gross enough that children will read it, with a good variety of examples and nice focus on vocabulary.
• 620L One White Dolphin. Gill Lewis. Simon & Schuster/ Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
  Presents complex scientific concepts in an interesting format that even non-traditional science students will love.
• AD 700L Leopard and Silkie. Brenda Peterson. Macmillan Children’s Book Group/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers.
  Sweet and simple version of an important story; relates being a citizen scientist to real ecological issues.
• 720L About Habitats: Oceans. Cathryn Sill. Peachtree Publishers.
  Double level book with unusual format; a simple story line and beautiful artwork. Great addition to this popular series. Read the review.
• AR 4.1 Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird. Stephanie Spinner. Random House/Knopf.
  Good literature bringing attention to the intelligence of animals and treatment of pets, and the story line emphasizes the ongoing nature of this research on animal behavior.
• 740L Eye of the Storm. Kate Messner. Walker Books for Young Readers.
  Good engineering and science fiction connections make this a good resource for the NGSS.
• 740L Gopher to the Rescue. Terry Catasús Jennings. Sylvan Dell Publishing.
  A good story that gives an unusual perspective on a current topic, showing succession after a fire.
• 790L Ladybugs. Gail Gibbons. Holiday House.
  A nice introduction with links to organic farming; good text elements like pronunciation guide and context clues for building reading skills. Read the review.
• 800L D is for Desert. Barbara Gowan. Sleeping Bear Press.
  Dual-level book, with rhyming couplets to read aloud. Many possibilities to link to social studies.
• AD 800L Body Actions. Shelley Rotner. Holiday House.
  A great introduction to body systems for children; easy to understand at that grade level.
• 820L Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World. Laurie Lawlor. Holiday House.
  What an inspiration for young girls who might become scientists. Beyond outstanding, 50 years after Rachel Carson’s landmark book. Illustrations, text, epilogue, and source notes add to the quality. Read the review.
• 860L Dolphin Baby. Nicola Davies. Candlewick Press.
  With very simple vocabulary, smooth flowing text, and sound science facts, this book will engage early readers.
• 870L Desert Baths. Darcy Pattison. Sylvan Dell Publishing.
  Great compare-and-contrast text of animals performing common tasks.

4th-5th 740-1010L

• AR 4.1 Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird. Stephanie Spinner. Random House/Knopf.
  Good literature bringing attention to the intelligence of animals and treatment of pets, and the story line emphasizes the ongoing nature of this research on animal behavior.
• 740L Eye of the Storm. Kate Messner. Walker Books for Young Readers.
  Good engineering and science fiction connections make this a good resource for the NGSS.
• 740L Gopher to the Rescue. Terry Catasús Jennings. Sylvan Dell Publishing.
  A good story that gives an unusual perspective on a current topic, showing succession after a fire.
• 790L Ladybugs. Gail Gibbons. Holiday House.
  A nice introduction with links to organic farming; good text elements like pronunciation guide and context clues for building reading skills. Read the review.
• 800L D is for Desert. Barbara Gowan. Sleeping Bear Press.
  Dual-level book, with rhyming couplets to read aloud. Many possibilities to link to social studies.
• AD 800L Body Actions. Shelley Rotner. Holiday House.
  A great introduction to body systems for children; easy to understand at that grade level.
• 820L Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World. Laurie Lawlor. Holiday House.
  What an inspiration for young girls who might become scientists. Beyond outstanding, 50 years after Rachel Carson’s landmark book. Illustrations, text, epilogue, and source notes add to the quality. Read the review.
• 860L Dolphin Baby. Nicola Davies. Candlewick Press.
  With very simple vocabulary, smooth flowing text, and sound science facts, this book will engage early readers.
• 870L Desert Baths. Darcy Pattison. Sylvan Dell Publishing.
  Great compare-and-contrast text of animals performing common tasks.
• N/A Gr5-9 The Book of Blood. HP Newquist. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  This will appeal to a wide audience and does a good job of describing many anecdotes about blood–even why the myth of vampires persisted in history.
• 890L Nature’s Patchwork Quilt. Mary Miché. Dawn Publications.
  The illustrations make this book on habitats stand out; great text for integrating language arts because of treatment of key words. Read the review.
• AD 890L Waiting for Ice. Sandra Markle. Charlesbridge.
  Touching, fact-based story about a bear observed in the wild. An important topic told in an accurate and interesting way.
• 910L The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. Penguin/Dial.
  The engineering and technology in the book’s story makes it a great STEM resource and an inspirational human story.
• 920L Bomb. Steve Sheinkin. Macmillan Children’s Book Group/Roaring Brook Press/Flash Point.
  Lots of science, with a thread of intrigue running through it that will keep secondary students going.
• 950L The Mighty Mars Rovers. Elizabeth Rusch. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  A timely topic; photographs of a working lab help students avoid misconceptions.
• 960L Temple Grandin. Sy Montgomery. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  The autobiography of the autistic expert on animal treatment will be inspirational to a subset of students as well as to all readers.
• 970L Saving Animals from Oil Spills. Stephen Person. Bearport Publishing.
  Timely and well-written, this story integrates science and society.
• 1010L Barnum’s Bones. Tracey Fern. Macmillan Children’s Book Group/Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers.
• AR5.1 Nic Bishop Snakes. Nic Bishop. Scholastic.
  The photographer “blows the reader out of the water” with his photos; this will get every reader interested and enable inquiry.
• AR5.9 I, Galileo. Bonnie Christensen. Random House/Knopf.
  Young students can be introduced to Galileo in this appealing book with great resources.
• AR5.9 The Beetle Book. Steve Jenkins. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  Interesting illustrations bring this book of beetles to life, and turns this field guide into a favorite for young insect lovers.
• AR6.1 What Color Is My World? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld. Candlewick Press.
  Integrated with technology, engineering and social studies, this book highlights unknown inventors. Useful for Invention units and STEM curricula. The variety of inventors and inventions will be appreciated.
• AR 6.9 Citizen Scientists. Loree Griffin Burns. Macmillan Children’s Book Group/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers.
  Great stories about young investigators and place-based science; inspirational.

6th-8th 925-1185L

• 980L Frogs! Laurence Pringle. Boyds Mills Press.
  The interactive format makes the book stand out; nicely illustrated and includes interesting ways humans have interacted with frogs and their unique adaptations.
• NC1110L A Warmer World. Caroline Arnold. Charlesbridge.
  Beautiful book with two levels: story line and facts about an important current issue and its effect on animals.
• 1010L Barnum’s Bones. Tracey Fern. Macmillan Children’s Book Group/Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers. Nice story of discovery, which illustrates that such projects take time, and the value of collection and observation.
• 1120L Alien Deep. Bradley Hague. National Geographic Children’s Books.
  Great example of scientists who kept asking questions; data rich text.
• 1070L Black Gold. Albert Marrin. Random House/Knopf.
  Easy to understand presentation of hard concepts; makes Earth science content understandable.
• 1090L Giant Squid. Mary M. Cerullo and Clyde F.E. Roper. Capstone Press.
  A great companion book for a zoology class, with example of inquiry, historical perspective nicely intertwined with very nice text features.
• 1100L Get the Scoop on Animal Poop! Dawn Cusick. Charlesbridge/Imagine Publishing.
  A totally new approach to food chains! Who thought poop could be outstanding? Just gross enough to fascinate.
• AR8.4 Wild Horse Scientists. Kay Frydenborg. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  History of the wild horses on Assateague Island; researchers illustrate the methods used.

9th-10th 1050-1335L

• NC1110L A Warmer World. Caroline Arnold. Charlesbridge.
  Beautiful book with two levels: story line and facts about an important current issue and its effect on animals.
• 1120L Alien Deep. Bradley Hague. National Geographic Children’s Books.
  Great example of scientists who kept asking questions; data rich text.
• 1020L Sneed B. Collard III’s Most Fun Book Ever About Lizards. Sneed B. Collard III. Charlesbridge.
  This book approaches the topic with humor; engaging and scientific; outstanding photos and great text from an author who has captivated readers for years.
• 1040L Scholastic Discover More: The Elements. Dan Green. Scholastic.
  Books on chemistry are rare; strong blend of math and science which will serve to be an excellent reference.
• 1150L Moonbird. Phillip Hoose. Macmillan Children’s Book Group/Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers.
  The voice of the author gives this book a special appeal (gave one reviewer goose bumps!); the science (especially sidebars) and the insight into how research is done were great elements. Great STEM resource.
• NC 1170L Life in the Ocean. Claire A. Nivola. Macmillan Children’s Book Group/Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers.
  Sylvia Earle sets an example for great ocean science; the book also contains many examples such as journaling.
• 1170L The Plant Hunters. Anita Silvey. Macmillan Children’s Book Group/ Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers.
  This collection of botanist biographies expands the range of career resources.
• 1180L Faces From the Past. James M. Deem. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  Great introduction to the science of facial reconstruction; outstanding illustrations.
• 1200L Invincible Microbe. Jim Murphy and Alison Blank. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion Books.
  Historical perspective on a microbe that made an impact on history; the long path to find a cure for this disease is still complex but students can learn a great deal from the process.
• 1200L Island. Jason Chin. Macmillan Children’s Book Group/Roaring Brook Press/Flash Point.
  Great example of change over time; well prepared method of introducing adaptations and evolution.
• 1240L Forensic Identification. Elizabeth A. Murray. Lerner/Twenty-First Century Books.
  Personal stories make this book relatable for students even though the topic is quite serious; a dense but valuable reference.
• NC 1260L The Polar Bear Scientists. Peter Lourie. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  Another outstanding example in a diverse series about actual researchers; modern practices of science are illustrated as the book discusses climate change and habitat loss.

11th-12th 1185-1385L

• 1200L Invincible Microbe. Jim Murphy and Alison Blank. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion Books.
  Historical perspective on a microbe that made an impact on history; the long path to find a cure for this disease is still complex but students can learn a great deal from the process.
• 1200L Island. Jason Chin. Macmillan Children’s Book Group/Roaring Brook Press/Flash Point.
  Great example of change over time; well prepared method of introducing adaptations and evolution.
• 1240L Forensic Identification. Elizabeth A. Murray. Lerner/Twenty-First Century Books.
  Personal stories make this book relatable for students even though the topic is quite serious; a dense but valuable reference.
• NC 1260L The Polar Bear Scientists. Peter Lourie. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  Another outstanding example in a diverse series about actual researchers; modern practices of science are illustrated as the book discusses climate change and habitat loss.