50 Books about Science and Scientists

Compiled by Merri V. Lindgren
© 2012 Cooperative Children's Book Center

Originally developed in 2003 as part of a 12-month series in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the Cooperative Children's Book Center, this bibliography was updated in 2012.

Click on underlined book titles to see the CCBC review of the book, and/or the cover image.
Complete list of CCBC bibliographies

What Will I Be? Scientists in the Making

French, Vivian. Yucky Worms. Illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg. Candlewick Press, 2010. 28 pages. Ages 4 - 8

Jackson, Alison. Thea's Tree. Illustrated by Janet Pedersen. Dutton, 2008. 32 pages. Ages 5-8

Mass, Wendy. Every Soul a Star. Little, Brown, 2008. 322 pages. Ages 10-14

McDonnell, Patrick. Me … Jane. Little, Brown, 2011. 40 pages. Ages 5-8

Park, Linda Sue. Project Mulberry. Clarion, 2005. 225 pages. Ages 9-12

Voake, Steve. Insect Detective. Illustrated by Charlotte Voake. U.S. edition: Candlewick Press, 2010. 28 pages. Ages 4 - 9

Science on Land

Atkins, Jeannine. Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: The Lives of Six Pioneering Naturalists. Illustrated by Paula Conner. Dawn Publications, 2000. 63 pages. Ages 8 - 11

Bardhan-Quallen, Sudipta. Up Close: Jane Goodall. Viking, 2008. 218 pages. Age 13 and older

Batten, Mary. Anthropologist: Scientist of the People. Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 64 pages. Ages 9 - 14

Bausum, Ann. Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs: A Photobiography of Roy Chapman Andrews. Photographed by American Museum of Natural History. National Geographic Society, 2000. 64 pages. Age 8 and older

Collard III, Sneed B. . The Prairie Builders: Reconstructing America's Lost Grasslands. Photographed by Sneed B. Collard III. Houghton Mifflin , 2005. 72 pages. Ages 7-10

Dash, Joan. The Longitude Prize. Illustrated by Dusan Petricic. Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000. 200 pages. Ages 11 - 16

Ehrlich, Amy. Rachel: The Story of Rachel Carson. Illustrated by Wendell Minor. Harcourt, 2003. 32 pages. Ages 5-9

Fleischman, John. Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story about Brain Science. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. 86 pages. Ages 10 - 14

Goodall, Jane. The Chimpanzees I Love: Saving Their World and Ours. A Byron Preiss Book / Scholastic Press, 2001. 80 pages. Ages 8 - 14

Heiligman, Deborah. Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith. Henry Holt, 2009. 268 pages. Ages 14 and older

McGinty, Alice B.. Darwin. Illustrated by Mary Azarian. Houghton Mifflin / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. 48 pages. Ages 8 - 12

Montgomery, Sy. The Tarantula Scientist. Photographed by Nic Bishop . Houghton Mifflin, 2004. 80 pages. Ages 9 - 14

Nelson, Marilyn. Carver: A Life in Poems. Front Street, 2001. 103 pages. Ages 12 and older

Sis, Peter. The Tree of Life: A Book Depicting the Life of Charles Darwin: Naturalist, Geologist, & Thinker. Frances Foster Books / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003. 32 pages. Ages 10 - 16

Thimmesh, Catherine. Lucy Long Ago: Uncovering the Mystery of Where We Came From. Houghton Mifflin, 2009. 63 pages. Ages 11 - 15

Turner, Pamela S.. A Life in the Wild: George Schaller’s Struggle to Save the Last Great Beasts. Melanie Kroupa Books / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. 103 pages. Age 10 and older

Walker, Sally M.. Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland. Carolrhoda, 2009. 144 pages. Ages 10 - 15

Science in the Water

Berne, Jennifer. Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau. Illustrated by Éric Puybaret. Chronicle, 2008. 32 pages. Ages 5-8

Burns, Loree Griffin. Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion (Scientists in the Field). Houghton MIfflin, 2007. 56 pages. Ages 8-12

Conlan, Kathy. Under the Ice. Kids Can Press, 2002. 55 pages. Ages 8 - 11

Farr, Richard. Emperors of the Ice: A True Story of Disaster and Survival in the Antarctic, 1910-13 . Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. 217 pages. Ages 12 and older

Osborn, Elinor. Project UltraSwan. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. 64 pages. Ages 7 - 10

Sheldon, David. Into the Deep: The Life of Naturalist and Explorer William Beebe . Charlesbridge, 2009. 40 pages. Ages 6 - 10

Turner, Pamela S.. The Frog Scientist. Photographed by Andy Comins. Houghton Mifflin / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. 58 pages. Ages 10-15

Webb, Sophie. Far From Shore: Chronicles of an Open Ocean Voyage. Houghton Mifflin, 2011. 80 pages. Ages 9-13

Yaccarino, Dan. The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau. Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. 32 pages. Ages 5 - 10

Science in the Sky and Beyond

Bishop, Nic. Digging for Bird-Dinosaurs: An Expedition to Madagascar. Houghton Mifflin, 2000. 48 pages. Ages 7 and older

Burns, Loree Griffin. The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe (Scientists in the Field) . Photographed by Ellen Harasimowicz. Houghton Mifflin / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. 66 pages. Ages 10 - 15

Hopkinson, Deborah. Maria's Comet. Illustrated by Deborah Lanino. An Anne Schwartz Book/Atheneum, 1999. 32 pages. Ages 4 - 7

Jackson, Ellen. The Mysterious Universe: Supernovae, Dark Energy, and Black Holes. (Scientists in the Field) . Houghton Mifflin, 2008. 60 pages. Ages 9-14

Skurzynski, Gloria. Are We Alone? Scientists Search for Life in Space. National Geographic, 2004. 92 pages. Ages 9-14

Turner, Pamela. Life on Earth--and Beyond: An Astrobiologist's Quest. Charlesbridge, 2008. 109 pages. Ages 10 and older

Science All Around

Cole, Joanna. The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge. Illustrated by Bruce Degen. Scholastic Press, 2010. 37 pages. Ages 7 - 10

David, Laurie and Cambria Gordon . The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. Orchard / Scholastic, 2007. 112 pages. Ages 9-12

Dendy, Leslie and Mel Boring . Guinea Pig Scientists : Bold Self-Experimenters in Science and Medicine. Illustrated by C.B. Mordan. Henry Holt, 2005. 213 pages. Ages 10-15

Jackson, Donna M.. Extreme Scientists: Exploring Nature's Mysteries from Perilous Places. Houghton Mifflin / Houghton Miffling Harcourt, 2009. 78 pages. Ages 11 - 15

Lehn, Barbara. What Is a Scientist?. Photographed by Carol Krauss. Millbrook Press, 1998. 32 pages. Ages 4 - 7

Pringle, Laurence. Billions of Years, Amazing Changes: The Story of Evolution. Illustrated by Steve Jenkins. Boyds Mills Press, 2011. 102 pages. Ages 9-14

Sayre, April Pulley. Secrets of Sound: Studying the Calls and Songs of Whales, Elephants, and Birds. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. 64 pages. Ages 8 - 11

Scieszka, Jon and Lane Smith . Science Verse. Viking, 2004. 40 pages. Ages 6-17

This list may be reproduced and distributed by educational and/or nonprofit organizations so long as credit is given to the Cooperative Children's Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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	Awards & Best-of-the-Year Lists CCBC Bibliographies & Booklists Charlotte Zolotow Award CCBC Online Presentations CCBC Podcasts CCBC Specialized Information CCBC - Net 50 Books about Science and Scientists Compiled by Merri V. Lindgren © 2012 Cooperative Children's Book Center Originally developed in 2003 as part of a 12-month series in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the Cooperative Children's Book Center, this bibliography was updated in 2012. Click on underlined book titles to see the CCBC review of the book, and/or the cover image. Complete list of CCBC bibliographies What Will I Be? Scientists in the Making French, Vivian. Yucky Worms. Illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg. Candlewick Press, 2010. 28 pages. Ages 4 - 8 Jackson, Alison. Thea's Tree. Illustrated by Janet Pedersen. Dutton, 2008. 32 pages. Ages 5-8 Mass, Wendy. Every Soul a Star. Little, Brown, 2008. 322 pages. Ages 10-14 McDonnell, Patrick. Me … Jane. Little, Brown, 2011. 40 pages. Ages 5-8 Park, Linda Sue. Project Mulberry. Clarion, 2005. 225 pages. Ages 9-12 Voake, Steve. Insect Detective. Illustrated by Charlotte Voake. U.S. edition: Candlewick Press, 2010. 28 pages. Ages 4 - 9 Science on Land Atkins, Jeannine. Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: The Lives of Six Pioneering Naturalists. Illustrated by Paula Conner. Dawn Publications, 2000. 63 pages. Ages 8 - 11 Bardhan-Quallen, Sudipta. Up Close: Jane Goodall. Viking, 2008. 218 pages. Age 13 and older Batten, Mary. Anthropologist: Scientist of the People. Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 64 pages. Ages 9 - 14 Bausum, Ann. Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs: A Photobiography of Roy Chapman Andrews. Photographed by American Museum of Natural History. National Geographic Society, 2000. 64 pages. Age 8 and older Collard III, Sneed B. . The Prairie Builders: Reconstructing America's Lost Grasslands. Photographed by Sneed B. Collard III. Houghton Mifflin , 2005. 72 pages. Ages 7-10 Dash, Joan. The Longitude Prize. Illustrated by Dusan Petricic. Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000. 200 pages. Ages 11 - 16 Ehrlich, Amy. Rachel: The Story of Rachel Carson. Illustrated by Wendell Minor. Harcourt, 2003. 32 pages. Ages 5-9 Fleischman, John. Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story about Brain Science. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. 86 pages. Ages 10 - 14 Goodall, Jane. The Chimpanzees I Love: Saving Their World and Ours. A Byron Preiss Book / Scholastic Press, 2001. 80 pages. Ages 8 - 14 Heiligman, Deborah. Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith. Henry Holt, 2009. 268 pages. Ages 14 and older McGinty, Alice B.. Darwin. Illustrated by Mary Azarian. Houghton Mifflin / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. 48 pages. Ages 8 - 12 Montgomery, Sy. The Tarantula Scientist. Photographed by Nic Bishop . Houghton Mifflin, 2004. 80 pages. Ages 9 - 14 Nelson, Marilyn. Carver: A Life in Poems. Front Street, 2001. 103 pages. Ages 12 and older Sis, Peter. The Tree of Life: A Book Depicting the Life of Charles Darwin: Naturalist, Geologist, & Thinker. Frances Foster Books / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003. 32 pages. Ages 10 - 16 Thimmesh, Catherine. Lucy Long Ago: Uncovering the Mystery of Where We Came From. Houghton Mifflin, 2009. 63 pages. Ages 11 - 15 Turner, Pamela S.. A Life in the Wild: George Schaller’s Struggle to Save the Last Great Beasts. Melanie Kroupa Books / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. 103 pages. Age 10 and older Walker, Sally M.. Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland. Carolrhoda, 2009. 144 pages. Ages 10 - 15 Science in the Water Berne, Jennifer. Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau. Illustrated by Éric Puybaret. Chronicle, 2008. 32 pages. Ages 5-8 Burns, Loree Griffin. Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion (Scientists in the Field). Houghton MIfflin, 2007. 56 pages. Ages 8-12 Conlan, Kathy. Under the Ice. Kids Can Press, 2002. 55 pages. Ages 8 - 11 Farr, Richard. Emperors of the Ice: A True Story of Disaster and Survival in the Antarctic, 1910-13 . Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. 217 pages. Ages 12 and older Osborn, Elinor. Project UltraSwan. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. 64 pages. Ages 7 - 10 Sheldon, David. Into the Deep: The Life of Naturalist and Explorer William Beebe . Charlesbridge, 2009. 40 pages. Ages 6 - 10 Turner, Pamela S.. The Frog Scientist. Photographed by Andy Comins. Houghton Mifflin / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. 58 pages. Ages 10-15 Webb, Sophie. Far From Shore: Chronicles of an Open Ocean Voyage. Houghton Mifflin, 2011. 80 pages. Ages 9-13 Yaccarino, Dan. The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau. Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. 32 pages. Ages 5 - 10 Science in the Sky and Beyond Bishop, Nic. Digging for Bird-Dinosaurs: An Expedition to Madagascar. Houghton Mifflin, 2000. 48 pages. Ages 7 and older Burns, Loree Griffin. The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe (Scientists in the Field) . Photographed by Ellen Harasimowicz. Houghton Mifflin / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. 66 pages. Ages 10 - 15 Hopkinson, Deborah. Maria's Comet. Illustrated by Deborah Lanino. An Anne Schwartz Book/Atheneum, 1999. 32 pages. Ages 4 - 7 Jackson, Ellen. The Mysterious Universe: Supernovae, Dark Energy, and Black Holes. (Scientists in the Field) . Houghton Mifflin, 2008. 60 pages. Ages 9-14 Skurzynski, Gloria. Are We Alone? Scientists Search for Life in Space. National Geographic, 2004. 92 pages. Ages 9-14 Turner, Pamela. Life on Earth--and Beyond: An Astrobiologist's Quest. Charlesbridge, 2008. 109 pages. Ages 10 and older Science All Around Cole, Joanna. The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge. Illustrated by Bruce Degen. Scholastic Press, 2010. 37 pages. Ages 7 - 10 David, Laurie and Cambria Gordon . The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. Orchard / Scholastic, 2007. 112 pages. Ages 9-12 Dendy, Leslie and Mel Boring . Guinea Pig Scientists : Bold Self-Experimenters in Science and Medicine. Illustrated by C.B. Mordan. Henry Holt, 2005. 213 pages. Ages 10-15 Jackson, Donna M.. Extreme Scientists: Exploring Nature's Mysteries from Perilous Places. Houghton Mifflin / Houghton Miffling Harcourt, 2009. 78 pages. Ages 11 - 15 Lehn, Barbara. What Is a Scientist?. Photographed by Carol Krauss. Millbrook Press, 1998. 32 pages. Ages 4 - 7 Pringle, Laurence. Billions of Years, Amazing Changes: The Story of Evolution. Illustrated by Steve Jenkins. Boyds Mills Press, 2011. 102 pages. Ages 9-14 Sayre, April Pulley. Secrets of Sound: Studying the Calls and Songs of Whales, Elephants, and Birds. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. 64 pages. Ages 8 - 11 Scieszka, Jon and Lane Smith . Science Verse. Viking, 2004. 40 pages. Ages 6-17 This list may be reproduced and distributed by educational and/or nonprofit organizations so long as credit is given to the Cooperative Children's Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison.