Looking to build literacy into your science lessons? These children’s books for middle school science are not only engaging—they’re also powerful tools for anchoring abstract scientific concepts in accessible, memorable ways. Below, you’ll find curated titles across astronomy, physics, and engineering, complete with descriptions and ideas for how to use them in the classroom, including NGSS-aligned connections.
Whether you’re introducing a new topic, reinforcing key concepts, or just hoping to inspire curiosity, these titles make a great addition to your curriculum.
1. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Description: A classic tale about environmental destruction, conservation, and the impact of industry.
Use in Class: Use this as a springboard for discussions on human impact on ecosystems and sustainability. Pair it with local environmental case studies.
NGSS Connection:
2. Compost Stew by Mary McKenna Siddals
Description: An engaging alphabet book about what belongs in a compost pile.
Use in Class: Use during a sustainability, recycling, or ecosystem unit. Pair with a composting lab or classroom compost bin.
NGSS Connection:
3. Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner
Description: Explores pond ecosystems, highlighting food chains and biodiversity both above and below the water.
Use in Class: Use to model ecosystem dynamics and relationships. Ask students to create food webs or investigate local aquatic ecosystems.
NGSS Connection:
4. The Water Princess by George Ella Lyon & Katherine Tillotson
Description: Based on a true story, this book tells of a young girl’s journey to collect water in Africa, emphasizing water scarcity and inequality.
Use in Class: Introduce global water issues, engineering solutions for clean water access, or Earth’s freshwater distribution.
NGSS Connection:
5. All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon
Description: A lyrical exploration of the water cycle and the importance of water conservation.
Use in Class: Support instruction on the water cycle. Students can trace where water comes from and where it goes using diagrams or simulations.
NGSS Connection:
Description: A humorous story of adaptation and unexpected survival on an island.
Use in Class: Use to discuss ecosystems, adaptation, and natural selection in an accessible way. Great for crosscutting concepts like cause and effect.
NGSS Connection:
7. If You Find a Rock by Peggy Christian
Description: A poetic, photo-illustrated celebration of different types of rocks.
Use in Class: Use to introduce types of rocks, their uses, and how they’re formed. Pair with a rock identification lab or nature walk.
NGSS Connection:
8. The Street Beneath My Feet by Charlotte Guillain
Description: A fold-out book that shows layers of soil, rock, and the Earth’s interior.
Use in Class: A visual and engaging way to teach Earth’s layers, rock cycle, and plate tectonics. Use it before building 3D models of Earth.
NGSS Connection:
9. What If You Had Animal Teeth? by Sandra Markle
Description: This engaging and funny nonfiction book explores what it would be like to have teeth like different animals—from beavers to sharks—while tying in facts about how those teeth help animals survive.
Use in Class: Use this book to teach about animal adaptations and structure-function relationships. Ask students to compare and contrast animal and human teeth and relate these traits to their ecological roles.
NGSS Connection:
MS-LS1-4: Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal structures are related to survival and reproduction.
10. Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak
Description: This book introduces brain anatomy and explains concepts like neuroplasticity and growth mindset in a developmentally appropriate way.
Use in Class: A great SEL and science crossover resource! Use this to start conversations about the nervous system, the brain’s structure, and how it changes with learning. Consider integrating it into a lesson about body systems or health science.
NGSS Connection:
MS-LS1-3: Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems.
11. A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
Description: A beautifully illustrated book that poetically and scientifically explores different kinds of seeds and their life cycles.
Use in Class: Use this book during a unit on plants or heredity. Pair it with an investigation into seed germination or a field journal project observing seed structures and growth.
NGSS Connection:
MS-LS1-4: Use argument based on evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic plant structures are related to reproductive success.
12. Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies
Description: This approachable book explains what microbes are, where they live, and the roles they play in ecosystems and human health.
Use in Class: Use to launch a discussion or lab on microbes, disease transmission, or the role of bacteria in decomposition and the nitrogen cycle. Great for tying into health science or ecology units.
NGSS Connection:
MS-LS2-1: Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
MS-LS1-1: Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells.
13. There’s a Skeleton Inside You! by Idan Ben-Barak & Julian Frost
Description: Through playful illustrations and interactive explanations, this book explains how bones, muscles, and skin work together to help humans move.
Use in Class: Use during your human body systems unit to teach how body systems interact—especially the skeletal and muscular systems. Pair it with a hands-on joint model activity.
NGSS Connection:
MS-LS1-3: Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems.
14. There’s No Place Like Space (Cat in the Hat Learning Library)
Description: A rhyming introduction to the planets and solar system presented in the familiar, playful style of Dr. Seuss.
Use in Class: This book works well as a lighthearted introduction to the solar system for younger middle schoolers or as a review. Use it to activate prior knowledge or introduce planet characteristics and order.
NGSS Connection:
15. Moon! Earth’s Best Friend by Stacy McAnulty
Description: Told from the Moon’s perspective, this book blends humor with factual content about lunar features, orbit, tides, and moon phases.
Use in Class: Use during a lesson on the Earth-Moon-Sun system. Have students create moon phase models or diagram tidal cycles after reading.
NGSS Connection:
16. The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield
Description: An autobiographical picture book from astronaut Chris Hadfield about overcoming fears and dreaming of space.
Use in Class: Use to introduce real-world science careers and inspire interest in space science. Great for building classroom culture and connecting SEL with science.
NGSS Connection:
17. Older Than the Stars by Karen C. Fox
Description: A poetic explanation of the Big Bang theory, particle formation, and how the universe came to be—beautifully illustrated and accessible.
Use in Class: Use to support a lesson on the origins of the universe and the formation of elements. Encourage close reading or pair with a concept mapping activity.
NGSS Connection:
18. My First Book of Planets: All About the Solar System for Kids by Dr. Bruce Betts
Description: A factual, kid-friendly book with simplified explanations and diagrams of planets and other celestial bodies.
Use in Class: Use for independent reading or science literacy stations during your astronomy unit. Great for research, note-taking, or vocabulary building.
NGSS Connection:
19. Life on Mars by Jon Agee
Description: A humorous story about an astronaut searching for life on Mars, oblivious to the alien following him.
Use in Class: Use this book to explore the difference between observation and inference, or to launch a Mars mission design challenge.
NGSS Connection:
20. Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss
Description: A whimsical tale where a king demands something new to fall from the sky, leading to the creation of “oobleck”—a sticky green substance with unusual properties.
Use in Class: Use this book to introduce or follow up a hands-on lab with non-Newtonian fluids. It sparks questions about states of matter and how some materials don’t behave as expected.
NGSS Connection:
21. Oscar and the Bird: A Book About Electricity by Geoff Waring
Description: A cat named Oscar learns about electricity, conductors, and circuits with help from a wise bird in this simple, dialogue-based story.
Use in Class: A great introduction to basic electric circuits for visual learners and ELLs. Pair with a hands-on activity where students build simple circuits.
NGSS Connection:
22. Move It! Motion, Forces, and You by Adrienne Mason
Description: An accessible book that explains motion, friction, gravity, and Newton’s Laws using relatable, everyday examples.
Use in Class: Use as a text companion during your forces and motion unit. Students can read and then identify forces in classroom demonstrations or daily life.
NGSS Connection:
23. Gravity by Jason Chin
Description: A poetic and visually striking book that explains gravity’s invisible yet powerful force in an accessible and conceptual way.
Use in Class: Use as an anchor text for a lesson on gravity or force diagrams. It’s a great prompt for student-generated questions and model-building.
NGSS Connection:
24. Roll, Slope, and Slide: A Book About Ramps by Michael Dahl
Description: A straightforward look at how inclined planes help move objects more easily, with kid-friendly language and examples.
Use in Class: Use during a lesson on simple machines or energy transfer. Pair it with a design challenge where students build and test ramps.
NGSS Connection:
25. The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
Description: A young girl sets out to build the “most magnificent thing” and discovers that failure and persistence are part of the process.
Use in Class: A fantastic introduction to engineering design and iteration. Use as a launchpad for a STEM challenge or to introduce design thinking vocabulary.
NGSS Connection:
26. What Do You Do With a Problem? by Kobi Yamada
Description: A philosophical and encouraging story about facing problems and discovering they may hold hidden opportunities.
Use in Class: Use to discuss the mindset behind scientific investigation. Students can journal about a time they made a mistake in science and what they learned.
NGSS Connection:
27. Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
Description: Curious Ada investigates the world around her with relentless questions and experiments—even when her ideas create chaos.
Use in Class: Great for modeling the practices of asking questions, forming hypotheses, and testing ideas. Use to kick off a unit on the scientific method or inquiry.
NGSS Connection:
28. 11 Experiments That Failed by Jenny Offill
Description: A hilarious look at “failed” science experiments with silly hypotheses and even sillier results.
Use in Class: Reinforces that failure is part of the scientific process. Students can write their own outrageous hypotheses and test them safely (or write them up as “thought experiments”).
NGSS Connection:
