60 STEM Titles for 3-6 Year Olds

We often are asked by parents for “science books for preschoolers” and after a reference interview, we find that they are looking to teach their kids a variety of science concepts at a young age and finding books that are academic enough to satisfy the parents can be difficult. I created the list below filled with nonfiction titles, but also picture book titles that introduce some basic science concepts, but are still developmentally appropriate for a very young audience. I created a math list previously on this site (14 Picture Books to Introduce Math Concepts), so stop by that list for math titles (you won’t find them repeated here). These are just a few, there are more than I could ever put into a list, but find a few of these as a jumping off point! Enjoy!

Science

1. Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
2. Charlotte the Scientist is Squished by Camille Andros
3. Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard by Loree Griffin Burns
4. National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Why by Amy Shields
5. What Is a Scientist? by Barbara Lehn

Weather/Seasons

1. Best In Snow by April Pulley Sayre
2. Calendar by Myra Cohn Livingston
3. Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld
4. Leaves by David Ezra Stein
5. Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
6. Our Seasons by Grace Lin and Ranida T. McKneally
7. Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner
8. Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre
9. Water is Water by Miranda Paul
10. The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins

Animals

1. A Butterfly Is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston
2. Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
3. DK First Animal Encyclopedia
4. First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
5. I’m Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton 
6. Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animal Lives by Lola M. Schaefer
7. Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme by Marianne Collins Berkes
8. A Nest Is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston
9. Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore
10. Who Am I? by Steve Jenkins

Human Body

1. Bones by Steve Jenkins
2. The Busy Body Book by Lizzy Rockwell
3. DK First Human Body Encyclopedia
4. From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
5. I Hear a Pickle (And Smell, See, Touch, and Taste It, Too!) by Rachel Isadora
6. Inside Your Outside! By Tish Rabe
7. The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body by Joanna Cole
8. Me and My Amazing Body by Joan Sweeney
9. My Five Senses by Aliki
10. Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

Outer Space

1. If You Decide to Go to the Moon by Faith McNulty
2. Little Kids First Big Book of Space by Catherine D. Hughes
3. Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
4. The Sun Is My Favorite Star by Frank Asch
5. Zoom, Rocket, Zoom! By Margaret Mayo

Nature

1. Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schaefer
2. Grand Canyon by Jason Chin
3. Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
4. In a Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
5. Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole
6. Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner
7. A Rock Is Lively by  Dianna Hutts Aston
8. A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
9. The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
10. Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner

Technology/Engineering

1. 11 Experiments That Failed by Jenny Offill
2. Awesome Dawson by Chris Gall
3. Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman
4. Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building by Christy Hale
5. Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
6. If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen
7. Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty
8. Monkey with A Tool Belt and The Noisy Problem by Chris Monroe
9. Robots, Robots Everywhere! by Sue Fliess
10. Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty