# Best kids science books that aren't picture books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [November 16, 2025, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-kids-science-books-that-arent-picture-books/1024885 "2025-11-16T01:01:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2025, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-kids-science-books-that-arent-picture-books/1024885/1 "2025-11-16T01:01:41Z")
My seven year old is obsessed with reading, and is reading well above her grade level. She also likes science, so I was gonna get her a science book to read. But all the kids science books I see recommended are picture books (eg [this](https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-iguanodon-s-horn-how-artists-and-scientists-put-a-dinosaur-back-together-again-and-again-and-again-sean-rubin/f7d7050c39adc7a2?ean=9780063239210&next=t&next=t&affiliate=18570) or [this](https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/science-books-for-kids-2024/) ). I don’t think she’d be into them, she’s pretty much exclusively reading chapter books. What kids science books are worth reading that aren’t picture books. But also aren’t just school textbooks, something a kid might actually want to read in their spare time. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2025, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-kids-science-books-that-arent-picture-books/1024885/2 "2025-11-16T09:44:49Z")
Not a “kid” book — more of a “lay reader” book. But it’s highly accessible, written more as a discovery narrative with occasional equations: > **[Understanding Physics (Motion, Sound, and Heat / Light,…](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41819.Understanding_Physics)** > > While many of us understand complex theories of critici… My own kids have paged through my copy. (Yes, it’s technically decades out of date. But the fundamentals are still applicable.) ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2025, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-kids-science-books-that-arent-picture-books/1024885/3 "2025-11-16T14:02:43Z")
I’d recommend going to your local library and looking through the 500s in the children’s section. There should be plenty of titles that aren’t picture books. Also, the Eyewitness books have lots of pictures but aren’t “picture books” per se. The vocabulary tends to be fairly advanced. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2025, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-kids-science-books-that-arent-picture-books/1024885/4 "2025-11-16T14:12:54Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Not a “kid” book — more of a “lay reader” book I was also thinking of getting her a grown up popular science book but don’t want to put her off by getting something she’d find mind numbingly boring. I hear Simon Singh’s Code Book is used as an education tool. So I might get that… ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2025, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-kids-science-books-that-arent-picture-books/1024885/5 "2025-11-16T15:04:47Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > My seven year old is obsessed with reading, and is reading well above her grade level. She also likes science, so I was gonna get her a science book to read. I have a 7-y/o granddaughter who also reads above grade level and loves science. I did a search for 4th and 5th grade science books and found some likely prospects. I’ll discuss them with her mom (former elementary science teacher) and with luck we can find a few for her.