Do you have a child who can’t get enough facts about animals or nature? That’s my son. Getting him interested in reading a chapter book can be tricky, but he has a magnetic ability to find books with animal facts and pictures. These aren’t always my favorite to read aloud, but the following books are ones I can get excited about reading together (and my girls enjoy as well).
Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animal Lives by Lola M. Schaefer chronicles how many times something will occur during the lifetime of one particular animal. It’s an interesting concept and wonderfully illustrated. What really caught my attention, though, were all the extra tidbits in the back of this book. There is, of course, extra information about each animal along with the math equation used to determine each number fact in the book (such as how many babies a male seahorse will carry in its lifetime or how many holes a woodpecker will make). Additionally, there is a section about averages and another about why the author loves math! If your kid loves animals and math, go get this book now!
An Island Grows is also by Lola M. Schaefer (hmmm, maybe I have a new favorite author). This book describes how an island is formed and populated in simple, rhyming verse. Again, I love the illustrations in this book. The book concludes with a section of additional information on the formation of islands.
Eye to Eye: How Animals See The World by Steve Jenkins focuses on the interesting differences between the eyes of various animals and how they function. The illustrations will certainly catch your eye, and the blurbs on each page are short and to the point.
Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen has long been a family favorite of ours. It is less of a fact book and more of an introduction to how animals on a farm interact with each other and their human owners. It’s written in a conversational tone that really keeps my kids (and me) interested.
A Butterfly Is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston is full of stunning pictures and quick facts about caterpillars, chrysalises, and butterflies. My kids and I love trying to match up the caterpillars at the front of the book with the butterflies at the end. The other books in this series are equally worth your time: A Seed Is Sleepy, A Rock Is Lively, An Egg Is Quiet, and A Nest Is Noisy.
Is your child ready to move beyond picture books in his (or her) quest for knowledge? Try David Macaulay’s books such as The New Way Things Work, The Way We Work, and Built to Last.
I bet you know another book that should be on this list! I’d love to hear about it!
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Sorry if you get two comments from me. I was trying to write the first one one-handed, and it disappeared midway through!
Anyway, I was going to say that we’ve read (and loved!) most of these, but I’m really excited to check out the series by David Macaulay. I think my six-year-old will love it!
Also, have you read Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies? It’s one of our favorite science-y picture books!
We haven’t read that one yet. Thanks for the recommendation, Amy! I hope yall enjoy the Macaulay books! 🙂
Thanks for the collection. These books would be perfect for my kids. Visiting from KLBH.