Readable Science compiled by Karen Rackliffe and Penny Gardner
100 Scientists Who Shaped the World
Extraordinary Women Scientists
Guinea Pig Scientist: Bold Self-Experimenters in Science an Medicine
The Ocean of Truth: Sir Isaac Newton
Gutenberg: Master of Modern Printing
Johannes Kepler Giant of Faith and Science
Galen and the Gateway to Medicine
Faraday: Pioneer of Electricity
Always Inventing: Alexander Graham Bell
Women Invent: Two Centuries of Discoveries
Wheels of Time: Henry Ford
Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman
 

American Heritage Student Science Dictionary
Illustrated Dictionary of Science (Usborne)
365 Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials
Science Arts: Discovering Science Through Art Experiences
The Way Science Works
Everything Kids’ Science Experiments

PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Theodoric’s Rainbow --Stephen Kramer
Field Guide to Snowflakes
Snowflake Bentley--Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Rocks in His Head--Carol Otis Hurst
Geology Crafts for Kids
The Practical Geologist: Introductory Guide
Field Guide to Geology
Geology Underfoot: Southern California ; Appalachian Trail; Minnesota
Roadside Geology of: Arizona; Northern and Central California; Colorado;
New York; Vermont & New Hampshire; Oregon; Texas; Utah; Virginia;
Yellowstone Country; and others
The Fossil Book
Janice Van Cleave’s Rocks & Minerals: Experiments
Galileo and the Universe --Steve Parker
Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth Is a Planet
Tycho and Kepler
Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to the Solar System --Terence Dickinson
The Stargazing Year --Charles Calia
The Grand Tour: A Traveler’s Guide to the Solar System --William Hartmann
Exploring the Night Sky--Terence Dickenson
Stars, A New Way to See Them
Find the Constellations
Starry Messenger--Peter Sis (about Galileo)
How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning
Archimedes and the Door of Science --Jeanne Bendick
How Do You Lift a Lion --Robert E. Wells
How Science Works --Judith Hann (Reader’s Digest; ages 8-14)
Lego Crazy Action Contraptions: A Lego Inventions Book
Construction: Building the Impossible
Physics: The Easy Way
Thinking Physics: Understandable Practical Reality
Mad About Physics: Braintwisters, Paradoxes, and Curiosities
Basic Machines and How They Work
Instant Physics: From Aristotle to Einstein and Beyond
Understanding Relativity: Simplified Approach to Einstein’s Theories
Relativity Visualized
Who’s Afraid of Schrodinger’s Cat: The New Science Ideas
The Man Who Made Time Travel (longitude)
The Longitude Prize
Hiroshima--John Hersey (Jr. High and up)
From the Earth to the Moon: The Annotated Jules Verne --Walter James Miller
Volcano...Mount St. Helens --Patricia Lauber (Newbery winner)
Yellow and Pink --Steig (all ages) evolution vs creation in picture book format
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Chemistry
The Chemistry Problem Solver
Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood
A Guide to the Elements --Albert Stwertka (jr.high through adult)
Exploring Chemical Elements and Their Compounds --David Heiserman
Microbe Hunters--Paul de Kruif
Chaos: the Making of a New Science --James Glick (HS); Genius about Feynman
Enigma--Robert Harris (HS, about a mathematician in WWII)
Chemical History of a Candle , Experimental Research in Electricity--Farraday (HS)
The Discovery of Subatomic Particles
Einstein’s Dreams
Dance for Two
What Is Quantum Mechanics: A Physics Adventure
Chemistry Imagined: Reflections on Science
Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland/Explores the Atom
Kon-Tiki --Thor Heyerdahl (adventure)
Eureka! It’s an Automobile --Jeanne Bendick
The Kid’s Science Book --Robert Hirschfield (hands-on fun)
The Kid’s Nature Book --Susan Milord, 365 activities and experiences
Science Crafts for Kids --Gwen Diehn, 50 things to invent and create
The New Way Things Work
Encyclopedia of Planet Earth (Usborne)
 

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE
How We are Born, How We Grow, How Our Bodies Work and How We Learn --Joe Kaufman (K-6)
Square Foot Gardening --Mel Bartholomew (all ages)
Kids’ Wildlife Book
One Small Square: Backyard
A Weed is a Flower: George Washington Carver
Life and Times of the Peanut
Life and Times of the Ant
Life and Times of the Honeybee
Girls Who Looked Under Rocks--Jeannine Atkins (story of Anna Comstock and other naturalists)
Marine Biology Coloring Book
Zoology Coloring Book
Botany Coloring Book
Physiology Coloring Book
The Sky’s the Limit: Discoveries by Women and Girls--Catherine Thimmesh
How Nature Works --David Burnie (Reader’s Digest) full of hands on ideas
How the Earth Works --John Farndon (Reader’s Digest) hands on ideas
Dragon Bones & Dinosaur Eggs
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story about Brain Science
Medical Detectives--Berton Roueche
Fantastic Voyage –Isaac Asimov
My Name Is Gene; Call Me Gene
Molecular Biology Made Simple and Fun
Double Helix: ...structure of DNA --James D. Watson (reads like a mystery,HS-adult)
Handbook of Nature Studies--Anna Comstock (reference with teaching suggestions)
Wild Days: Creating Discovery Journals --Karen Rackliffe
Crinkleroot’s Nature Almanac;Crinkleroot’s Guides--Jim Arnosky
Amateur Naturalist: Explorations and Investigations --Charles E. Roth (upper elem.)
Sky Tree: Seeing Science through Art --Thomas Locker (all ages)
The Monk in the Garden--Robin M. Henig
Carl Linnaeus: Father of Classification - -Margaret Anderson (upper elementary+) from the series, Great Minds of Science--Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, William Harvey, Marie Curie, etc.
A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf --John Muir (very CM)
Walden --Henry David Thoreau (classic for HS and up) also read his essay, "Walking"
Naming Living Things: The Grouping of Plants and Animals --Sarah Riedman (Jr. High)
Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat --Oliver Sacks (stories of mental illness, neurology, psychology [for thinking teens])
Wild Animals I Have Known - -Ernest Seton Thomas (not your modern naturalist)
Hollyhock Days: Garden Adventures for the Young at Heart --by Sharon Lovejoy
Nature in a Nutshell: Over 100 Activities You can Do in 10 Minutes or Less
Chipmunks on the Doorstep --Edwin Tunis (good read aloud for the family)
The Edge of the Sea --Rachel Carson (exquisite language, awe and wonder for creation, evolutionary content)
The Childhood of Famous Americans for 3rd-6th graders has biographies of Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison.
The Sower Series (5th grade and up) includes biographies of Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, Robert Boyle, Samuel Morse, and Louis Pasteur. (Focus on Christian faith)
The Origin of Species and the Voyage of the Beagle
Charles Darwin Voyaging; Charles Darwin: The Place of Power , biography Vol. 2
Ever Since Darwin
Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History
Hens’ Teeth and Horses’ Toes
Biodiversity
The Medusa and the Snail
Peterson Field Guides or Audubon Society Pocket Guides are useful reference tools.
Faber Book of Science --Donald Peattie (100 short, lively writings of scientists, arranged historically, for discriminating readers. Contains a strong anti-religion bias.)
Some novels by Jules Verne or Arthur C. Clark (2001) are entertaining.

Note: This list includes some evolutionary material; choose according to your world view.
(If you have a recommendation, please let me know. Disclaimer: I have not personally read every book on this list and do not guarantee these recommendations. New additions are in color.)
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