The majority of the picture books I read are fiction, but today I want to highlight some of the best nonfiction STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) picture books I’ve come across. Many of these books help readers understand big, abstract concepts, like time and space; others help to understand quantity; some have to do with biology or nature; and one is about music (not sure it totally fits under the STEAM umbrella but it’s too good to leave off).

I have a separate list of picture book biographies in the works, so if those are your jam, stay tuned.

Time

A Second Is A Hiccup by Hazel Hutchins & Kady MacDonald Denton

Just A Second by Steve Jenkins

Space

The Sun is Kind of a Big Deal by Nick Seluk

If Pluto Was A Pea by Gabrielle Predergast & Rebecca Gerlings

Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin

A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars by Seth Fishman & Isabel Greenberg

“These kids are eight years old. They are about five times as tall as this book, but only half as tall as this ostrich.” -Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin

Math

Lemonade in Winter by Emily Jenkins & G. Brian Karas

Is 2 A Lot? by Annie Watson & Rebecca Evans

Nature/Biology

How Big Were Dinosaurs? by Lita Judge

Nine Months by Miranda Paul and Jason Chin

Not A Bean by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez & Laura Gonzalez

Music

The Oboe Goes BOOM BOOM BOOM by Colleen AF Venable & Lian Cho

Lately I have been thinking about how to incorporate picture books into instruction for all ages – not just toddler/preschool storytimes – and some of these books do such a beautiful job breaking down mind-boggling concepts and making them manageable through scale, juxtaposition, and outside-the-box thinking and imagery.

Do you have favorite STEAM books to use with groups of older students? I’d love to add to this list. Leave a comment!