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17 Children’s Books on Science Every First Grader Should Read
Science is more than laboratory experiments and long words; science is everywhere we look. As educators, it’s our job to make science enjoyable for first graders so they will be interested in learning more about it, and one of the easiest ways to help make science fun for children is to introduce scientific topics in different ways.
Reading books is a smart way to introduce different scientific aspects to children because it piques their curiosity in new information, and it sharpens their reading skills. By reading children’s books on science, you will be able to introduce first graders to a new world of scientific information and exploration.
Science Books For 1st Graders
If you are looking for science books that will hold a first grader’s attention while sneaking in real learning, the picks below are a great place to start. Each one pairs an engaging story with solid science content, so kids stay curious without feeling like they are sitting through a lecture.
1. Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
Based on real-life scientists Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie, Ada Twist, Scientist is about a young girl who is always looking to understand the why behind how things work and performs her own science experiments to better understand. This book will help children understand that it’s okay to ask questions if they don’t understand something and that even scientists learn new things. Ada is a classmate of Rosie (Rosie Revere, Engineer), Iggy (Iggy Peck, Architect), and Sofia (Sofia Valdez, Future Prez), and all of the Questioneers series is perfect for little minds to learn about science and politics. After reading Ada Twist, you can encourage first graders to choose a few scientific subjects they are interested in and conduct experiments to gain a better understanding.
2. How to Code a Sandcastle by Josh Funk
How to Code a Sandcastle is a wonderful way to introduce first graders to the world of coding. As Pearl and Pascal work to build a sandcastle, they decide to break the large task of sandcastle construction into small steps, and they make it happen by using coding concepts like sequences and loops. This book provides first graders with enough coding concepts to give them a general overview but keep them engaged by following the sandcastle’s creation.
3. Groundhog Weather School: Fun Facts about Groundhogs and Weather by Joan Holub
Not only is this book great for Groundhog Day, but Groundhog Weather School: Fun Facts about Groundhogs and Weather introduces first grades to several weather topics including different seasons and how nature is affected by the weather. First graders will enjoy the story about groundhogs being students at weather school and won’t even realize all of the scientific information they are learning as well.
4. Pete the Cat and the Supercool Science Fair by James Dean
What first grader doesn’t love Pete the Cat? In Pete the Cat and the Supercool Science Fair, Pete the Cat competes in his school’s science fair with a volcano, but after he arrives at the science fair, he is scared his volcano isn’t as good as some of the other entries. First graders will enjoy reading about one of their favorite characters as he participates in scientific activities, and it will encourage them to actively participate in scientific activities like Pete the Cat. You could use Pete the Cat’s volcano as a precursor to create your own volcano and learn about chemical reactions.
5. The First Men Who Went to the Moon by Rhonda Gowler Greene
Exploring Apollo 11’s historic mission, The First Men Who Went to the Moon tells the journey of the 3 astronauts (Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins) who traveled to the moon and became the first people to walk on the moon. This book is full of facts that will delight young science explorers who are interested in space exploration.
6. The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body by Joanna Cole
A first grade classic, The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body will entertain first graders as they learn about the journey Ms. Frizzle and her students take inside a human body. The book talks about different parts of the human body, like the intestines and bloodstream, as Ms. Frizzle and her gang make their way through the body. This story is ideal for first graders because it will hold their attention while they learn new information about how their bodies work.
7. Ask a Scientist by Robert Winston
Ask a Scientist is a compilation of answers from questions that children asked, and the questions and answers cover a wide range of scientific subjects including the human body, chemistry, and nature. This book is great for first graders because it will spark their curiosity in a number of new subjects, and it shows them that asking questions is smart because that is how we make new discoveries and learn new information.
If your first grader is the type to ask a hundred questions a day, the next list is one to bookmark. These are living science books, a different approach that leans even further into story and wonder, but with that same curiosity-sparking quality.
Living Science Books for First Grade
If you follow a Charlotte Mason or literature based approach to homeschooling, you may already know the term. A living book is one written by someone with real passion or firsthand knowledge of their subject, told in story form instead of dry facts and definitions. The goal is for a child to feel something about what they are learning, not just memorize it.
This makes a real difference for first graders. Young kids learn best through story, so when a living science book wraps real content inside an engaging narrative, the information tends to stick without ever feeling like a lesson. The picture books and read alouds below are some of our favorite living science books for early elementary, gentle on text, rich in real content, and easy to fold into your homeschool day.
1. Among the Pond People by Clara Dillingham Pierson
Among the Pond People is a classic collection of animal tales that introduces young readers to the creatures living in and around a pond, from frogs and minnows to dragonflies and turtles. Each story is told from the animals’ point of view, with gentle lessons woven into their everyday adventures. First published in 1901, this living book lets first graders absorb real facts about pond life through story instead of straight facts, making it an easy and enjoyable read aloud for nature study.
2. Among the Meadow People by Clara Dillingham Pierson
Among the Meadow People follows the daily lives of meadow creatures like crickets, butterflies, and grasshoppers, told in the same warm, story driven style as its companion books. Kids learn what each animal eats, how it survives, and how it gets along with its neighbors, all without realizing they are absorbing real science. This is an especially good pick for spring and summer nature study.
3. Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner
Over and Under the Pond follows a mother and child paddling a canoe across a pond, while the lyrical text reveals everything happening beneath the surface, from diving beavers to growing tadpoles. The book pairs gorgeous illustrations with real information about pond ecosystems, plus a glossary of the animals featured. It is a perfect modern companion to the older living books on this list, lyrical enough to feel like a story but full of accurate science.
4. The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess
In The Burgess Bird Book for Children, Peter Rabbit and Jenny Wren introduce readers to dozens of common North American birds through friendly, story style interviews. Each chapter reveals real details about a bird’s appearance, habits, and calls, written by a lifelong naturalist who knew his subject well. This is a wonderful way to start a backyard bird study with your first grader.
5. The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess
The companion to the Burgess Bird Book, this title introduces young readers to North American mammals through the same charming storytelling style. Kids get to know animals like foxes, woodchucks, and otters as characters, while picking up real facts about their habits and habitats along the way. It pairs well with any homeschool unit on animals or habitats.
6. Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling C. Holling
Paddle-to-the-Sea, a Caldecott Honor winner, follows a small wooden canoe carved by a boy in Canada as it travels through the Great Lakes all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Detailed illustrations and side notes teach real geography and natural history along the journey. It runs a little longer than some picture books, so it makes a great read aloud over several sittings.
7. Pagoo by Holling C. Holling
Pagoo tells the life story of a hermit crab living in a tide pool, packed with accurate details about ocean life, tides, and the many creatures that share Pagoo’s home. Like Holling’s other books, it blends a real narrative with genuine science, making it an excellent choice if your homeschool is studying oceans or tide pools.
8. An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston
An Egg Is Quiet uses poetic, rhythmic text to explore the wide variety of eggs found in nature, from tiny hummingbird eggs to giant ostrich eggs. The illustrations show each egg true to size, and the book introduces more than 60 real examples along the way. It is a beautiful, fact filled pick for any first grader curious about how animals are born.
9. A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
A Seed Is Sleepy follows the same lyrical, fact rich style as An Egg Is Quiet, this time exploring how seeds travel, sprout, and grow into plants. The detailed watercolor illustrations make this a gorgeous addition to any spring or gardening unit, and the gentle, poetic text makes it an easy first grade read aloud.
10. A Nest Is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston
A Nest Is Noisy rounds out the series by exploring the many kinds of nests animals build and the surprising amount of activity that happens inside them. Like its companion titles, it blends real science with lyrical text and detailed illustrations, making it an easy, beautiful way to introduce first graders to animal behavior.
Learning Science and Nature Through Picture Books
Picture books are not just for story time. They are one of the most effective tools you have for teaching science to a first grader, and there is real research to back that up. Studies on early science education have found that picture books can simplify abstract concepts by pairing them with illustrations kids can actually picture in their minds, something dense science textbooks rarely do well at this age.
Because most parents (and even classroom teachers) do not always feel confident teaching science, picture books offer a low-pressure way in. The story carries the science, so you do not have to be the expert. Research has even shown that simple storybooks can help young children grasp surprisingly advanced ideas, like why animals look the way they do or how living things change over time, and that kids can recall and apply what they learned months later.
The takeaway for your homeschool is that picture books are not a lesser way to teach science. They are a legitimate, well-supported method, especially for first graders who are still building reading stamina and benefit from visual context. Pair a picture book with a related hands-on activity, like drawing what you read or acting it out, and you have a complete science lesson without ever opening a textbook.
What Do First Graders Learn In Science?
First grade science usually introduces kids to the basics of how the natural world works, without diving into anything too technical. Every homeschool approaches this a little differently, but these are some of the most common science topics covered at this age:
Living and Nonliving Things
First graders start learning how to tell the difference between things that are alive and things that are not, and what living things need to survive, like food, water, and air.
The Five Senses
Kids explore how they use sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch to learn about the world around them, often through simple hands-on experiments. If you want a ready-made way to dig into this topic, our Explore the Senses curriculum walks you through a full four week study, perfect for K-2.
Plant and Animal Life Cycles
This is a favorite topic for many first graders, covering how plants grow from seeds and how animals like butterflies and frogs change as they grow. Our Strawberry Life Cycle Worksheets are an easy way to bring plant life cycles to life, and the Sea Turtle Life Cycle Lapbook makes a fun hands-on project for animal life cycles.
Weather and Seasons
Kids learn to recognize the four seasons and how weather changes throughout the year, often by keeping a simple weather journal or chart. If you want some great reading to go along with this topic, check out our list of weather books for kids.
Animal Habitats
First graders learn about different environments animals live in, like forests, oceans, and deserts, and how animals are suited to where they live.
States of Matter
Kids get an introduction to solids, liquids, and gases, usually through everyday examples like ice melting or water boiling.
Simple Forces
This covers basic concepts like push and pull, and how forces make things move, stop, or change direction.
The Sun, Earth, and Sky
First graders learn basics about day and night, the sun’s role in our solar system, and simple observations about the sky.
For first graders, their young minds are just beginning to absorb valuable information and discover their own interests, and reading children’s books on science is the perfect way to make science fun and help children discover what parts of science fascinate them.
