STEM Resources
Science
Johnny Boo and the Happy Apples
Top Shelf Productions
2009
39 pages
Graphic Novel
Description: Johnny Boo is a ghost in this series of graphic novels. In this silly version Johnny Boo is looking for some happy apples to give him big muscles, but he encounters some troubles and a monster on his way.
STEM: The concept of muscles and eating to gain muscles is something that kids will relate with. STEM ideas include talking about nutrition and the human body.
3-D Earth
Dorling Kindersley Limited
2012
71 pages
Nonfiction
augmented reality
Ages 10-15
Description: 3-D Earth is a nonfiction book that covers Planet Earth, the Dynamic Earth, Minerals & Rocks, Weather & Climate, and Life. When used with a phone or ipad the book has augmented reality segments that highlight different areas of the book and offer an interactive experience including sucking up a cow in a tornado.
STEM: This book could be used in the science classroom to discuss an earth units. This book could also be used to discuss technology and changes in how books are designed and used.
Weather
Scholastic
2013
80 pages
Nonfiction
includes free digital book
Ages 8 to 10
890 Lexile
Description: This illustrated guide to the weather contains information on the water cycle, extreme weather, and weather's effect on human life. This guide is very structured and is designed to be easy for kids to follow along. The free digital book includes more information and videos to explain different concepts.
STEM: This book could be easily used to talk about weather topics in the science classroom. The digital format also allows teachers and librarians the chance to talk about how digital books are made and used with students, making it also a choice for technology topics.
The Higher Power of Lucky
Simon & Schuster
2006
134 pages
Realistic Fiction
Newbery Medal
Age 9 to 11
1010 Lexile
Description:
Lucky is looking for her higher power to solve the problem of having only a guardian rather than a parent. Written in a very distinctive voice this book is also very excellent in the audiobook version. Note: listen to this story in its entirety before sharing with students.
STEM Connection: The weather in this story is almost its own character. Could easily be used as a read aloud with any units on deserts or weather.
Deadly! The Truth about the Most Dangerous Creatures on Earth
Candlewick Press
2012
61 pages
Nonfiction (Comic Features)
Ages 8 to 10
1230 Lexile
Description: Written partially in a comic feature and partially in narrative this story tells the tale of animals who prey on other animals. This narrative isn't just full of facts, but also gives information about how these animals fit into their ecosystems.
STEM Connection: This book could be used with a number of Science topics about animals, but also has a lot of facts and numbers that could be used in a mathematical way also.
Why You Shouldn't Eat Your Boogers
G.P. Putnam's Sons
2007
112 pages
Nonfiction
Ages 8 to 12
Description: This book is divided into information about the human body with gross facts about each part of the body inside and out. The section headings are all very short making it easy to just read a small section of this book or the whole thing.
STEM Connection: This book would go with a science unit about the human body.
Technology
Locomotive
Atheneum Books
2013
64 pages
Historical Picture Book
Caldecott Medal
Sibert Honor Book
Ages 4 to 10
840 Lexile
Description: Locomotive is a book in 2nd person about traveling on a train in the 1800's. Details about the trip are interspersed with facts about trains and details about where they go.
STEM Connection: Locomotive is a great jumping off point for talking about technology and how it changes. The locomotive in this story is a steam engine and could be compared and contrasted with modern day trains. The side line view that the end of the book offers makes an easy transition to compare and contrast older and more modern day trains. The many detailed pictures would also make this a great map study assignment as well where students could place the pictures on the appropriate sections of the United States.
Home on the Range
Marshall Cavendish Children
2010
54 pages
Talking Animal Fiction
Ages 5 to 8
440 Lexile
Description: Home on the Range features two dogs named Down Girl and Sit who go to a cattle ranch and meet a dog called Git Along. During the story the dogs are very concerned about the lack of modern conveniences.
STEM Connection: Students could talk about the modern technology that they would miss if they were on a cattle ranch. Students could also identify what types of technologies are the favorite of animals they know.
Bink & Gollie Best Friends Forever
Candlewick Press
2013
80 pages
Realistic Fiction
Ages 5 to 7
420 Lexile
Description: Bink & Gollie get into more activities in this sequel. Gollie thinks she is royalty, Bink tries to make herself taller, and the two try to decide what to collect to make themselves famous.
STEM Connection: Bink & Gollie go through many different scenarios here. Students could find as many different examples of technology as possible in the pictures.
Engineering
The Graveyard Book
Harper Collins Publishing
2008
307 pages
Newbery Honor Book
Ages 10 and up
820 Lexile
Description: The graveyard book is about a boy who survives a murderer as a toddler and toddles into a graveyard. Bod grows up among the ghosts in the graveyard until he must confront the murderer one more time.
STEM: The graveyard is a very prominent scene in this book. Students could research and learn about the engineering involved in different kinds of graves.
Zen Shorts
Scholastic
2005
40 pages
Caldecott Honor Book
Ages 4 to 8
540 Lexile
Description: Zen shorts is a book of short stories told by a rather large panda bear named Stillwater. The stories are told in a to evoke a sense of wonder and thoughtfulness in their reader.
STEM: Students could talk about where the panda bear comes from and where he is located in this story. This would be a jumping off point where kids could talk about the architecture of China where panda bears are from.
Cathedral
Sandpiper
1981
80 pages
Caldecott Honor Book
Ages 10 to 14
1120 Lexile
Description: Probably the seminal nonfiction about architecture for kids in grade school, most libraries will have this book in their collection. The story holds up as still an important detailed look at a specific type of building.
STEM: After reading this story kids will enjoy learning about the Notre Dame Cathedral and its history, including the plans to tear it down that were squelched by the story The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This could be followed up by the mathematical features of gothic architecture.
Math
A Long Way Away
Little, Brown and Company
2013
40 pages
Ages 3 - 6
Description: In this story by Frank Viva a small creature, a comet maybe, goes through the galaxy past stars, aliens, moons, and many other places until he ends up under the ocean. Read from the other direction he goes from the ocean up to his home in space.
STEM: In this story their is a long journey. Although the setting is mostly fanciful kids could calculate the distance from the bottom of the deepest ocean to many places in space.
Kid Pickers
by Lily Sprengelmeyer
Macmillian
2013
106 pages
Ages 8 - 10
1030 LexileDescription: Kid Pickers is about how kids can become real life pickers like the tv show American Pickers. The chapters are broken up into the history and purpose of picking including the importance of personal history.
STEM: Students could talk about the financial aspects of picking including the value of items, simple economics such as the market for objects, and watch the program Antique Roadshow to talk about financial information.
Chasing Vermeer
Scholastic
2004
254 pages
Realistic Fiction
Ages 8 - 12
770 Lexile
Description: This art mystery covers the area of Hyde Park, Chicago and the Art Museum in downtown Chicago. The theft of a Vermeer painting are part of the mystery. The Audiobook is also recommended, but must be paired with Vermeer paintings for maximum understanding.
STEM: One of the characters in this book, Calder, always carries around Pentominoes. Students will want to play with pentominoes after reading this book. Since this story is also set in a real place a map of Hyde Park would help students trace the path of Petra and Calder.
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
Henry Holt and Company
1999
227 pages
Realistic Fiction
National Book Award Winner
Ages 10 to 14
700 Lexile
Description: Toby Wilson befriends Zachary Beaver, the fattest boy in the world during a difficult summer where his mother leaves him and his father retreats emotionally. A powerful story of the Vietnam era and sleepy summer afternoons.
STEM Connection: Toby's father has a worm business and sells worm for a profit. Toby's father also completes some other summer jobs such as mowing lawns and working in the local diner. Students can talk about other summer work activities and project future earnings based on their work.
8 class pets + 1 squirrel divided by 1 dog = chaos
Holiday House
2012
67 pages
Talking Animal Fiction
Ages 8 to 10
740 Lexile
Description: Each of the short chapters in this book is led by a different animal. Each animal is affected by the squirrel Twitch who enters the school followed closely behind by the principal's dog. All the animals speak in a different voice that relates to their character.
STEM Connection: The title here is very mathematical and would allow kids to make their own mathematical equations in the same vein. Other mathematical classes could talk about class pets and the amount of food they eat, the amount it costs, and the amount of items they need.
Growing Patterns Fibonacci Numbers in Nature
Boyds Mills Press
2010
32 pages
Nonfiction
Ages 9 and up
910 Lexile
Description: This book details patterns that are found in nature. This basic book shows math that is found in plants and is told in a continuous sequence.
STEM Connection: Younger children could identify simple patterns in the leaves, but older children could talk about more detailed math concepts like the golden ratio.