STEM reading list

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See inside your body (3+ years)

This astonishingly inventive title allows young children to discover the inner workings of the human body in a gently humorous, yet wholly accurate way. Bright, original colour illustrations and diagrams display all the major organs of the human body and are accompanied by witty, clear and informative factual text. It contains over fifty flaps, which children can lift to reveal extra detail. Entertaining and authoritative, this is human biology for children at its very best - a book both educational and enjoyable.

Look Inside Space (3-5 years)

This is a great fun flap book packed with interesting information about space, and the amazing things that float through it - stars, moons, comets, and the planets of our solar system. Each double-page spread has a stunning colour illustration, and several flaps to lift to find out more about what's going on in the scene - such as what goes on inside the International Space Station, how astronauts visited the Moon and what they did there, as well as the history of astronomy, from Galileo to the Hubble Space Telescope.

How Do Vaccines Work? (3-8 years)

Getting a shot can stir up a lot of fear in little ones. This beautifully illustrated STEM book turns something scary into an engaging and informative story so kids can learn the science behind immunizations. This story will help ease anxiety and prepare them for their doctor's visit.

All The Science You Need To Know By Age 7 (5-7 years)

This beautifully illustrated book is a perfect introduction for young children. Budding scientists can explore the world around them, from plants and animals to magnets and mirrors - and try some hands-on experiments along the way. With Quicklinks to specially selected websites with videos and quizzes.

The Mysteries of the Universe (6-8 years)

The Mysteries of the Universe is a stunning space encyclopedia for young readers to explore, with reference pages packed with fascinating information, little learners will be captivated as they journey through the vastness of the Universe. From planets and asteroids to black holes and galaxies, every page of this enthralling space book reveals the secrets behind more than 100 celestial objects, and will inspire youngsters as they journey through the vastness of the Universe. Each celestial body is shown both photographically and illustrated, and children will love poring over the detailed close-up images.

Some more advanced reads (including some of my current favourites)

Seven Pillars of Science

John Gribbin, author of Six Impossible Things, shortlisted for the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize, presents a tour of seven fundamental scientific truths that underpin our very existence.

These 'pillars of science' also defy common sense. For example, solid things are mostly empty space, so how do they hold together? There appears to be no special 'life force', so how do we distinguish living things from inanimate objects? And why does ice float on water, when most solids don't? You might think that question hardly needs asking, and yet if ice didn't float, life on Earth would never have happened.

The answers to all of these questions were sensational in their day, and some still are. Throughout history, science has been able to think the unthinkable - and Gribbin brilliantly shows the surprising secrets on which our understanding of life is based.

Sapiens

Planet Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it. Us. We are the most advanced and most destructive animals ever to have lived. What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us Sapiens?

In this bold and provocative book, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here and where we’re going.
Sapiens is a thrilling account of humankind’s extraordinary history – from the Stone Age to the Silicon Age – and our journey from insignificant apes to rulers of the world.

A Brief History Of Time

From the Big Bang to Black Holes is a book on theoretical cosmology by English physicist Stephen Hawking. It was first published in 1988. Hawking wrote the book for readers who had no prior knowledge of physics.

Human Universe

Where are we? Are we alone? Who are we? Why are we here? What is our future?

Human Universe tackles some of the greatest questions that humans have asked to try and understand the very nature of ourselves and the Universe in which we live. Through the endless leaps of human minds, it explores the extraordinary depth of our knowledge today and where our curiosity may lead us in the future. With ground breaking insight it reveals how time, physics and chemistry came together to create a creature that can wonder at its own existence, blessed with an unquenchable thirst to discover not just where it came from, but how it can think, where it is going and if it is alone.

Aliens

Do Aliens Exist? And if they do - what would they look like? Where would they live? Would they be conscious beings? And what would happen if they found us?

These are the biggest questions we've ever asked - and here, Professor Jim Al-Khalili, theoretical physicist and host of BBC Radio Four's The Life Scientific, blasts off in search of answers. Coming with him are Martin Rees, Ian Stewart, Louisa Preston, Monica Grady, Sara Seager, Paul Davies and a crack team of scientists and experts who've made it their life's work to discover the truth.

So get ready to visit the ice boulders and hydrocarbon lakes of Saturn's moon Titan, meet the tiny eight-legged critters that could survive in space, and learn about the neuroscience behind belief in alien abductions. Along the way, you'll enter the mind of an octopus, work out the probability of us finding an alien civilisation and discover whether quantum computing might hold the secret to life itself.

The Red Planet

The history of Mars is drawn not just on its surface, but also down into its broken bedrock and up into its frigid air. Most of all, it stretches back into deep time, where the trackways of the past have been obliterated and there is no discernible trace of where they started from or how they travelled, only where they ended up.

From the planet’s formation 4.5 billion years ago, through eras that featured cataclysmic meteor strikes, explosive volcanoes and a vast ocean that spanned the entire upper hemisphere, to the long, frozen ages that saw its atmosphere steadily thinning and leaking away into space, planetary geologist Dr Simon Morden presents a tantalising vision of our nearest neighbour, its dramatic history and astonishing present.

Books are continuously being added here - Come back soon and find more!

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