Science books for a second grader

May 4, 2006 2:50 PM

Science-y books for my little brother (a very smart 8 year-old)

Most non-fiction children's books are unimaginably boring. My brother has told me that he wants to read about math and science, and I want to help him find some new books. He especially seems to like chemistry. It's ok if some of the topics are a little tough, because I'm willing to help him out, but the reading level should be between 2nd-5th grade (he's really good at reading). What are your favorite books for elementary schoolers?

posted by martinX's bellbottoms to Education (28 answers total)

The Way Things Work
posted by maxwelldemon at 2:51 PM on May 4, 2006

I second TWTW, but would also suggest PZ Myers' list of evolution/biology books, including a handful of books for kids. The NSTA has a list of science books for kids each year.
posted by tommorris at 3:09 PM on May 4, 2006

Caveat with these suggestions: I'm pitching them a bit high, as I found that a readable book on a hard subject was better than a book on a subject I found too easy. You may want to get yourself, maybe with him, to a good bookshop to have a flick through these first. I'd avoid books deliberately aimed at kids as they may end up being written in a style below him, or may be too simple or patronising. I may have gone too far in the other direction though, as I said.

I'm suggesting dictionary type books or other ones with short entries rather than long treatises, and then if something is too hard he can skip it, and they don't require a lot of concentration and can be dipped into.

• The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers
• The Periodic Kingdom: A Journey into the Land of the Chemical Elements (check this one before you buy, I can't quite remember the style or level)
• Eurekas and Euphorias : The Oxford Book of Scientific Anecdotes (maybe vet this to check the scientists in question didn't get up to anything too naughty for an 8 year old to read about)

and the astronomer in me says you should get a good encyclopaedia of astronomy with lots of good quality pictures, and just make sure he washes his hands before handling it ;-)
Can't think of any others off the top of my head but with this sort of thing in mind I'd get yourself to a good big bookshop.
posted by edd at 3:11 PM on May 4, 2006

Hmmm, on posting I think I have pitched it too high, but why not read them with him and talk it over as you go?
posted by edd at 3:12 PM on May 4, 2006

Anything by this guy.

Your brother will grow into it if he's not ready. My son enjoyed this dude enormously though his primary years.
posted by b33j at 3:23 PM on May 4, 2006

Have you looked at any of the books by David McCauley? I think for a bright 8 year old they'd be damned near perfect. Examples: Castle, Cathedral, City, Pyramid

...and, as others have said, The Way Things Work

If he's a good reader for his age, it might be worth trying him out on some of the collections of essays by Stephen Jay Gould such as "The Flamingo's Smile". But eight might be just a bit too young for that, yet. Maybe when he's ten.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 3:46 PM on May 4, 2006

A different possibility is books by Larry Gonick. They're really astounding; even I learned things from them, yet they're definitely pitched to a mass audience. I think a bright 8 year old could keep up with "The Cartoon Guide to Genetics", for instance, or "The Cartoon Guide to Physics" (except for the part where he gets into quantum mechanics, which may be a bit too deep).
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 3:50 PM on May 4, 2006

How Buildings Work: The Natural Order of Architecture
posted by thirteenkiller at 4:20 PM on May 4, 2006

Have you looked at this question? (I know it's about science mags, but getting a new issue every week/month would please most kids I know.)
posted by rob511 at 4:31 PM on May 4, 2006

Definitely look at the Uncle Albert books, by Russel Stannard. The idea of an 'Uncle Albert' (Einstein) sounds really patronising, but they're actually great. They cover advanced ideas (wave-particle duality, black holes' event horizons, quantum physics) in a fun, adventure-story way. Stannard doesn't patronise or speak down to the reader; he's an excellent writer who really engages with his readers.
posted by matthewr at 4:33 PM on May 4, 2006

Gerald Durrell's books, like "My Family And Other Animals"? They're not all about science/nature, but they're lots of fun, and they're about a scientifically-minded youngster who gets to observe some interesting animals. They would also lead on to his adult books, or to the books Durrell reads as a kid.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 4:49 PM on May 4, 2006

These are all fiction with a strong dose of pedagogy.. I was at least 20 when I read - and enjoyed - these, but they're intended for younger readers.

Math:
The Number Devil
Logic/Philosophy:
Sophie's World
The Solitaire Mystery
posted by unmake at 5:02 PM on May 4, 2006

Hie you to Isaac Asimov! Practically any of his essay collections will present a wide range of accessible, accurate, interesting science and math stuff, and Asimov has a brand-name advantage, in the sense that your little brother will be able to count on finding more Asimov stuff, and he'll be able to count on its reliability. Also, Asimov wrote a ton of popular science stuff, so your local library will have tons of it available.
posted by cgc373 at 5:24 PM on May 4, 2006

Wolfram -- A New Kind of Science

He won't be able to read a lick of it, but it was always those kinds of books that I got as a child that pushed me beyond myself.
posted by mrmojoflying at 5:46 PM on May 4, 2006

Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything.
posted by jellicle at 5:49 PM on May 4, 2006

Science Verse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

is a lot of fun!

Science topics written (like MATTER ) in familiar rhymes (like I'm a Little Teapot).
a reader review :
a quick look at a variety of chemical, biological, and physical sciences that introduce kids to common terms and (if they read it enough) may even accidentally teach them a fact or two
posted by TheLibrarian at 6:34 PM on May 4, 2006

Every week at my local library, I host a "weird science" class for grade-school children. I have had a tremendous success with the class, and love introducing the kiddos to the wonders of the world around them.

I always perform a few experiments to get them all crazy excited, and I also try to throw in some random "gross tidbits." Here are some books that I have found helpful.

Grossology

Anything by Bill Nye - try this one.

The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book

Janice VanCleave's Chemistry for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work

Janice VanCleave's Microscopes and Magnifying Lenses: Mind-boggling Chemistry and Biology Experiments You Can Turn Into Science Fair Projects

Cool Chemistry Concoctions : 50 Formulas that Fizz, Foam, Splatter & Ooze

Oh, Yuck: The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty


As you can see, many of these books have something to do with science experiments... I'm a big believer in hands-on learning activities - especially ones that will get a kid excited about science.

For some cool info and experiments online, try Steve Spangler. He has some really cool experiments that are fun and easy. Try the "Mentos Fountain" - it's AWESOME. I have performed it several times, and it never fails to get the "DO IT AGAIN!!!!" response.
posted by bradth27 at 7:02 PM on May 4, 2006

Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman! and Uncle Tungsten are good books that show scientists have a lot fun.


If he likes chemistry seriously get him a pocket spectroscope (you can get a cheap one that's perfectly usable for all but actualy scientific work) and a copy of Uncle Tungsten!
posted by phrontist at 7:26 PM on May 4, 2006

I really can't emphasize Uncle Tungsten enough. Really. Go buy it now!
posted by phrontist at 7:27 PM on May 4, 2006

they are fiction, but sci-fi -- i read The Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher when I was 9, and thought they were incredible
posted by Satapher at 7:58 PM on May 4, 2006

b33j: Anything by this guy.

This might be a little off-topic, but you can
download Dr Karl's Triple J (weekly?) radio show if you like him. From what i've heard, he maintains pretty much the same style as he does in his books.
posted by nml at 8:22 PM on May 4, 2006

I'd recommend nearly any DK Eyewitness book. They grow really well with kids -- they seem to keep being able to get things out of them through high school (and, to be honest, I'll grab one to get a nice precis on something). At my library, every kid from preschool through fifth grade checks them out. They have a lot of small illustrative pictures with a paragraph to go with each little picture. They language is fairly high level, but because it's broken up in so many pieces (and you can so easily skip any that aren't what you're after) they work for a lot of kids. Here's their chemistry one. Perhaps also, Invention, Time & Space, Building, Future, Crime & Detection, Rocks & Minerals, and Weather.
posted by Margalo Epps at 8:33 PM on May 4, 2006

"Simple Science Experiments" by Hans Jurgen Press. My cousin gave it to me many years ago when I was in elementary school, and you can get it really cheap on Amazon now.
posted by fvox13 at 11:36 PM on May 4, 2006

If he's into physics at all, I was introduced to The Dancing Wu Li Masters in a summer program for bright youngsters at age 11 or so (an eight-year-old who's very advanced at reading will have no trouble reading books written in language for adults--it's concepts that will occasionally escape a child who reads, not vocabulary), and highly recommend it. A Brief History of Time is also awesome and can be read and enjoyed without a full grasp of all the concepts.
posted by Cricket at 12:10 AM on May 5, 2006

Definitely pick up Martin Gardner's Aha! Insight and Aha! Gotcha books. They're illustrated math and logic books with funny little comic strips about math puzzles, logic, paradoxes and brainteasers. The comics are on the front side of a page, and on the back side of each page is a longer text explanation of the math behind each puzzle.

These were sooooo great as a kid, and even now, as an adult. I started reading them because of the drawings and comics, but as I got older, I read more of the text. I'm not sure they are reprinted anymore, so you'll have to get them used, but it's so worth it!
posted by hooray at 7:51 AM on May 5, 2006

Ditto Larry Gonick; Gary Larson's There's a Hair in My Dirt would make a pretty good book for a bright 8-year-old.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 8:26 AM on May 5, 2006

heck yeah Hair in my Dirt!
posted by Brainy at 11:03 AM on May 5, 2006

Jay Hosler does a good job of explaining Darwin's theories in his well-drawn and imaginative graphic novel The Sandwalk Adventures. He also tackles honeybees in Clan Apis.
posted by JDC8 at 1:30 PM on May 6, 2006