Today’s post features STEM, a favorite topic I like to talk about as well as read whenever I can. Being a CYBILS Awards round 1 judge for the nonfiction categories provided me an opportunity to discover and read many such books. Here are 3 great STEM book series for young readers that I discovered through the same. All the books in two of these series were CYBILS nominations (Beginnings Science and STEM in Sports). One of these books – STEM in the Final Four – is a 2020 Cybils Finalist as well.

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Beginning Science – Ecology

Book Info

Title: Beginning Science: Ecology (Series of 6 Books)
Author: Grace Hansen
Length: 24 pages (Each)
Genre: Children’s Nonfiction/Ecology (3 to 7 years)
Publisher: Abdo Kids(December 15th 2019)
Source: eCopy from the publishers as part of Cybils Awards Round 1 reading

What They Are (from description)

Science subjects can be difficult to understand for young learners. These Beginning Science titles will focus on topics having to do with ecology. Each title will introduce the topic and explain it in the simplest language possible. Carefully chosen photographs (labeled when needed!) promote subject comprehension. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards.

Our Thoughts

It was a joy finding out that there are books teaching these concepts to the youngest readers; and in a way that they will enjoy and understand the same.

Each of these books uses an effective combination of visuals and text to explain basic concepts in an age-appropriate yet ‘STEMly’ (if you can think of it as such) manner. The visuals, including photos and diagrams, help provide clarity and context to the simple yet scientific definitions and brief explanations of the featured concept. I love that Hansen does not shy away from using words like enzymes within the book (not just for the titles!).

Reading these books in a specific order might help kids understand the concepts better, as they layer their learnings one over the other, from photosynthesis to the food web. A natural progression of reading these titles could be Photosynthesis –> Producers –> Consumers –> Decomposers –> Food Chain –> Food Web.

Backmatter as well the table of contents further add to the learning experience.

Books in ABDO’s Beginning Science – Ecology series:

• Consumers
• Decomposers
• Food Chain
• Food Web
• Photosynthesis
• Producers

In Summary

A must-add for classroom and school libraries; and definitely wonderful to have in every budding scientist’s bookshelf!

Get Them Here

Book Depository || BookShop || IndieBound

Note that the BookShop link is for a Library Binding edition set.

Team Earth

Book Info

Title: Team Earth Series (Series of 6 Books)
Author: Various
Length: 24 pages (Each)
Genre: Children’s Nonfiction/Ecology(9 – 13 years)
Publisher: Abdo Kids(December 15th 2019)
Source: eCopy from the publishers as part of Cybils Awards Round 1 reading

What They Are

Around the world, animals work with other living things to create unique and balanced ecosystems. Bees help plants make seeds. Birds scatter seeds so plants can grow. Gophers loosen the soil, letting water and nutrients easily reach roots. Cleaner fish keep other fish healthy by eating parasites. But today, some of these systems are at risk of disappearing. Team Earth investigates the amazing ways that animals help their environments and humans, and shows what people can do to protect them. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Core Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Our Thoughts

The books in this set include the titles: Pollinators, Seed Dispersers, Symbiotic Relationships, Ecosystem Architects, Scavengers, and Beneficial Insects.

Each book has large color photographs that are detailed and complement the straightforward and easy-to-read text, extension activities that kids can do by themselves or in groups, as well as cool-fact-filled sidebars.

For example, I learned that

• Pacu fish helps disperse seeds in Brazil’s Pantanal, which is the world’s largest freshwater wetland [Seed Dispersers]
• all pollinators fly (like lemurs and honey possums) [Pollinators]
• a scientist named Vernon Bailey stumbled across a 25,000 square mile prairie dog town (the underground burrow system of groups of prairie dogs); it was estimated that 400 million of them lived in this town [Ecosystem Architects]
• sloths and moths have a unique relationship through poop! [Symbiotic Relationships]

All six books (including the ones I did not mention above) have many such interesting facts in the text itself and in these asides. In addition, the activities included, as well as questions to the reader at various points of the narrative, will definitely incite young readers to be more curious, to ponder on the issues and on the world around us, and more importantly, to act.

Extensive backmatter includes a Fast Facts section, a Stop and Think section, a glossary, an index, an about the author, and additional online and other resources.

Books in ABDO’s Team Earth series:

• Beneficial Insects: Bugs Helping Plants Survive
• Decomposers and Scavengers: Nature’s Recyclers
• Ecosystem Architects: Animals Building Incredible Structures
• Pollinators: Animals Helping Plants Survive
• Seed Dispersers: Poop, Fur, and Other Ways Animals Scatter Seeds
• Symbiotic Relationships: Animals and Plants Working Together

In Summary

Another must-have in classrooms; and a great gift idea for budding young scientists.

Get Them Here

Book Depository || BookShop || IndieBound

Note that the BookShop link ise for a Library Binding edition.

STEM in Sports

Book Info

Title: STEM in the Greatest Sports Events (Set of 6)
Author: Various
Length: 48 pages (Each)
Genre: Children’s Nonfiction/STEM, Sports (8 – 11 years, and up)
Publisher: SportsZone (January 1, 2020 – paperback edition)
Source: eCopy from the publishers as part of Cybils Awards Round 1 reading

What They Are (from description)

From the Super Bowl to the Daytona 500, the greatest sports events are an impressive display of science, technology, engineering, and math. STEM in the Greatest Sports Events examines how weather can affect a game, shows off the cameras and computers behind the scenes, surveys the impressive design of the stadiums and arenas, and goes deep into the statistics that help fans better understand these events. Readers will gain a better understanding of each event while learning more about STEM.

Our Thoughts

All the books in this STEM-in-sports series, make STEM education fun by showing its various applications in our favorite sports. One of my favorite aspects of these books is that they focus on a broad array of STEM topics, discussing everything from mathematics to biology to psychology. The books are filled with interesting facts and are a fantastic way to help foster a love for STEM in younger children, as well as to further inculcate the love and learning for the featured sport.

For example, in STEM in the Final Four, Meg Marquardt, the author of the book, illustrates how statistics can influence your March Madness brackets, how superstitions affect a player’s mind, and how chemistry was used in the development of a certain deodorant. In STEM in the World Cup, I loved

I also loved how care was taken to ensure both men and women were portrayed in these books. This series is definitely a fun way to learn STEM concepts, and apply them to the sports we love to watch and play.

Books in ABDO’s STEM in the Greatest Sport Events series:

• STEM in the Daytona 500
• STEM in the Final Four
• STEM in the Stanley Cup
• STEM in the Super Bowl
• STEM in the World Cup
• STEM in the World Series

Get Them Here

Book Depository || BookShop || IndieBound

Note that the first two links are for Library Binding editions.

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Other STEM Books You Might Enjoy

• STEM Books from Andrea Beaty, David Roberts (5 – 7 years, and up)
• Coding Related STEM Books for young readers(9 – 12 years)
• And a few more fun books in this recent post as well

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, which of these books interests you? Any recommendations for me? And as always, I truly welcome your comments and suggestions as well