Books to engage children with STEM

Titles which explore the wonderfully imaginative world of STEM in different and exciting ways, providing ideas and inspiration for the next generation of innovators

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are all too often perceived as being boring, rigid subjects with no room for creativity. The phrase​“My brain just doesn’t work that way!” is one you are likely to hear from adults and children alike.

Well, it turns out there is much more to STEM than long division and lab coats. In fact, these subjects exist all around us in our everyday lives.

Whether it’s coding in Minecraft, chemistry in baking or physics in football, one thing is clear – anybody can be a scientist.

The following list shares titles which explore the wonderfully imaginative world of STEM in different and exciting ways, providing ideas and inspiration for the next generation of innovators.

  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Hide & Seek

    by Eric Carle 

    2021 0 to 6 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive

    An interactive board book with cut-out finger trails and sturdy flaps that encourage youngsters to explore the forest in the company of the very hungry caterpillar.

  • Rosa’s Big Sunflower Experiment

    by Jessica Spanyol 

    2020 2 to 6 years 

    • Picture books
    • Disability

    Rosa and her friends are growing sunflowers. The industrious team of children fill pots with soil, tenderly plant seeds and then carefully label and position their plants. This is one of a series of books following Rosa and her friends as they undertake a range of simple but inspiring projects guaranteed to stimulate children’s interest in STEM subjects.

  • Rocketmole

    by Matt Carr 

    2019 2 to 9 years 

    • Adventure

    When a brave mole sets off alone for the moon, he changes things on Earth, too. Parents and children will enjoy the inspirational message: you can inspire others if you try hard enough to make your dreams come true, and adventures are always better with friends. 

  • Wake Up, Trucks!

    by Jodie Parachini, illustrated by Teresa Bellōn 

    2024 2 to 4 years 

    • Picture books

    This lovely, bright book with a fun rhyming text will delight little ones who love vehicles, diggers and trucks. There’s lots of detail here about all the fun things trucks do – focused on a building site as a type of workplace that will interest little ones, with the clear, understandable outcome of building houses.

  • Planet Awesome

    illustrated by David Litchfield 

    2018 4 to 9 years 

    • Funny
    • Non-fiction
    • Picture books

    A humorous, fabulously entertaining and lavishly illustrated introduction to astronomy, geology, natural history and ecology from the point of view of planet Earth herself.

  • Beneath

    by Cori Doerrfeld 

    2023 4 to 6 years 

    • Picture books

    Finn is in a horrible mood and doesn’t want to talk about it – he’d rather hide under the bedcovers. But, Grandpa persuades Finn to come for a walk outside – Finn can even stay under the blanket and use it like a comforting, protective cloak.

  • Meet the Weather

    by Caryl Hart, illustrated by Bethan Woollvin 

    2023 4 to 6 years 

    • Adventure
    • Non-fiction
    • Picture books
    • Poetry and rhyme

    An energetic, fun introduction to different types of weather, using rhyme and vibrant, bright illustrations.

  • Look Up!

    by Nathan Bryon, illustrated by Dapo Adeola 

    2019 4 to 9 years 

    • Funny
    • Historical

    Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola’s charming picture book gifts us with a gorgeous character in Rocket, a girl whose passion for all things space is as inspiring to the reader as her heroine Mae Jemison is to her. 

  • Sunday Fun Day: A Nature Activity for Every Weekend of the Year

    by Katherine Halligan, illustrated by Jesus Verona 

    2021 6 to 12 years 

    • Adventure
    • Interactive
    • Non-fiction

    Featuring 52 activities (one for every Sunday in the year), Sunday Fun Day is a compendium of craft, cooking, gardening and outdoor activities organised into Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Loads of useful ideas and lovely for families who love crafts. 

  • Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor

    illustrated by Gladys Jose 

    2022 6 to 12 years 

    • Adventure
    • Chapter books
    • Funny

    Inventor Leonora Bolt has never left the remote island she lives on with her pet otter and an eccentric housekeeper! When a young castaway washes ashore, she begins to learn all about the mainland – which is in terrible danger. Can Leonora and her friends save it?

  • Once Upon a Raindrop

    by James Carter, illustrated by Kazuko Nomoto 

    2018 6 to 9 years 

    • Non-fiction
    • Poetry and rhyme

    Why is the moon so dry when the Earth has oceans and rivers and snow and ice? This rhyming and poetical picture book brilliantly introduces the concept of the water cycle and the value of water in our lives.

  • Big Bad Wolf Investigates: Fairy Tales

    by Catherine Cawthorne, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie 

    2024 6 to 9 years 

    • Funny
    • Non-fiction
    • Picture books

    Could the Big Bad Wolf really blow down a straw house? A funny look at familiar fairy tales through the lens of STEM.

  • How to Launch a Tech Start-Up: Robotics, Gaming and Other Tech Jobs

    by Michelle You, illustrated by Sol Linero 

    2024 6 to 9 years 

    • Non-fiction
    • Picture books

    This considers likely future occupations in the technology industry for today’s children and explains the tech world in an accessible and helpful way.

  • Kay’s Incredible Inventions

    by Adam Kay, illustrated by Henry Paker 

    2023 9 to 12 years 

    • Funny
    • Historical
    • Non-fiction

    A funny, informative collection of inventions, both useful and failed, across the centuries from a best-selling author and illustrator pair. 

  • A Dinosaur Ate My Sister

    by Pooja Puri, illustrated by Allen Fatimaharan 

    2021 9 to 12 years 

    • Adventure

    Genius inventor Esha Verma is on the brink of winning the Brain Trophy, when she accidentally sends her sister back to the age of the dinosaurs. Funny and fast-paced STEM adventure.

  • How To Spaghettify Your Dog… and other science secrets of the universe

    by Hiba Noor Khan, illustrated by Harry Woodgate 

    2023 9 to 12 years 

    • Non-fiction

    It could be said that physics is the science of absolutely everything: clouds to cars, time to rainbows and rain to sandwiches. But, as a subject, it can seem a bit complicated – or, can it?

  • Epic Animal Journeys: Navigations and Migrations by Air, Land and Sea

    by Ed J Brown 

    2023 9 to 12 years 

    • Non-fiction

    Migrating animals are found in all areas of the animal kingdom: birds, fish, reptiles, crustaceans, amphibians, mammals and insects. But why do they do it, and how does it work? There’s so much to learn, from the varying migration routes of different birds (gannets can cross oceans easily as they can take breaks to swim, float and fish for food, and storks rely on thermal column or rising air) to the yearly habits of whales, who migrate from the freezing waters of the Arctic and Antarctic to warmer waters to give birth.

  • In the Key of Code

    by Aimee Lucido 

    2019 9 to 12+ years 

    • Coming-of-age
    • Poetry and rhyme

    Emmy is in a new city and new school and has just discovered computer coding. But why are people in class keeping secrets? This verse novel brilliantly combines poetry, music and coding with a coming-of-age story and a celebration of girls in STEM. 

  • Science is Lit: Crazy Chemistry and Epic Experiments

    by Big Manny, illustrated by Subi Bosa 

    2024 9 to 12 years 

    • Interactive
    • Non-fiction

    A super-fun and highly educational book which makes science accessible, cool and shows children that they don’t need fancy equipment to have a lot of fun with experiments.

  • Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths

    by Maisie Chan, illustrated by Anh Cao 

    2021 9 to 12+ years 

    • Funny

    Danny Chung doesn’t do maths he does do art. When his grandmother arrives from China, hilarious adventures including bingo and lychees show him that maths and art are closely connected.

  • Engineers Making a Difference

    by Dr Shini Somara, illustrated by Manuel Sumberac and Adam Allsuch Boardman 

    2023 12+ years 

    • Non-fiction

    A fascinating and accessible introduction to the variety of engineers across the globe making a difference in their jobs. Sure to inspire all secondary school pupils.

  • Unlocking the Universe

    by Stephen & Lucy Hawking, illustrated by Jan Bielecki 

    2020 12+ years 

    • Historical
    • Non-fiction