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Science & Technology Topic Booklists

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best books for children about science topics

Primary Science Topic Booklists

We’re here to help you find the best science books for children.

Browse our science topic booklists and brush up on all things STEM, from children’s books about human bodies and health to stories about maths or computer coding and the best space books for children. The experts at BooksForTopics have selected recommended lists of children’s books to bring science, maths and computing topics to life.

Each of our Science topic booklists contains a carefully curated selection of books to support the teaching of the curriculum. When we are assessing the quality of books to consider them for our website, we take into account a number of factors – including age suitability, quality of text, visual appeal, readability, level of interest for children, underlying values, curriculum relevance and print production quality. Our review panel of teachers and education experts is invaluable in providing information about which books support the curriculum effectively, as well as writing detailed reviews for some of the books that we feature too.

In addition to our Review Panel feedback, we work with a team of booksellers to make sure that the books on our lists are readily available from publishers in order to supply them to schools and classrooms. Schools can buy full packs of most of our topic booklists directly from Peters.

So, whatever you are learning about in Science – whether it’s getting the magnifying glass out to go minibeast-hunting, finding out about planting seeds or celebrating famous scientists, our booklists will help you to find the best science books for children. Browse the full list of science topic booklists below.

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Best Science, Maths & Technology Books for Primary Schools


KS2 Science Topic Booklists (Ages 7-11)


KS1 Science Topic Booklists (Ages 5-7)


EYFS Science Topic Booklists (Ages 3-5)


Computing Booklists


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Guidance: Primary Science Topic Books

What are the Science booklists for?

The science-themed booklists on the BooksForTopics website are designed to recommend carefully selected reading materials suitable for children, aligning with the primary school science curriculum. From the best books for learning about human bodies to children’s books about light and sound, our growing collection is regularly updated to highlight the best science books for children.

Our role is to find the best children’s books to recommend to you and we undergo this process very diligently. The books featured on our primary Science, Maths and Computing reading lists are chosen for children aged 4-11. Our book selection process combines a school-based review panel and a curriculum-matching approach to identify the most fitting books for each primary science topic. Our curation process places a strong emphasis on curriculum alignment, text quality and suitability for classroom use. The team’s working knowledge of the Science requirements for KS1 and KS2 helps us to select the most relevant books for schools teaching each of the topics.

Both teachers and parents use these Science book recommendation lists, whether it’s to support learning in the classroom or for interest and enjoyment at home. Schools can also purchase the full book packs from Peters to make sure they have quality books to enhance their Science and Maths curriculum offering.

What are the best Science books for children?

Science is a popular topic among many children, who find it fascinating to learn about scientific discoveries and explore the awe and wonder found in the natural world. Primary school children are often drawn to delve into the exciting details of scientific phenomena and the ongoing discussions and mysteries that continue to captivate scientists and researchers today, and high-quality books can provide an excellent window into world of science.

The BooksForTopics website is on a mission to find you the best non-fiction books that spark children’s curiosity with scientific information about the natural world or that assist children in making connections across various scientific concepts and methods.

Illumanatomy is an excellent choice of science book for children in KS2 and it uses different coloured lenses to enable readers to see the different layers of the human body, revealing how the body’s systems work together. For children wanting to learn about colour and light, Can You Get Rainbows in Space? is a fascinating book that explains what colour is and how we see it, before taking us on a journey of big questions. We also recommend Meet the Microbes, which is a captivating insight into the tiny creatures that live under our noses and have a massive impact on our lives despite only being visible through a powerful microscope. 

One of our very favourite science books here at BooksForTopics HQ is Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space. Fictional guide Professor Astro Cat walks his readers through some of the key questions that children might have about the universe, and many more that they’ve probably never even thought about before. This is a beautifully designed non-fiction book with illustrations by an artist whose use of bold shapes and retro colours draws readers right in to enjoy soaking up the information. Another favourite inspiring science book is I Ate Sunshine For Breakfast, an illustrated compendium that celebrates the plants you didn’t even know you used, from your toothpaste to your car tyres to the name of your great-great-aunt.

What are good Science books for children who like fiction?

There’s plenty of superb science-based fiction available for children, too.

Our favourite authors of science-themed fiction include Serena Patel, Andrea Beaty, Konnie Huq and Christopher Edge.

Children in KS2 looking for a fun, science-themed story series should try Anisha, Accidental Detective with its STEM-loving heroine, or Cookie!, which sees easy, relatable humour combined with integrated line-doodles and a passion for all things science. We also recommend Christopher Edge’s The Jamie Drake Equation for a blast of space science, Max Einstein for a fun story themed around scientific laws of relativity and motion, and Malorie Blackman’s Pig Heart Boy for older children ready to get stuck into the ethics of medical science.

Younger children looking for an entry point into Scientific concepts through picturebooks might enjoy Amy Gets Eaten, which is a gruesome yet hilarious book about a piece of sweetcorn, explaining what happens in our bodies when we eat food. The book won the EYFS category in the BooksForTopics Books of the Year award. For younger readers, we also recommend Rosa Explores Life Cycles for a simple introduction to growth and reproduction, and A Super Sticky Mistake for a story about a prolific inventor who accidentally discovers super glue through a process of trial and error.

Each of the books mentioned above features among our Science Topic booklists.

Which Science reading lists are available?

The Science curriculum booklists are based on different areas of the primary Science curriculum and we are regularly adding new lists to the available selection. You’ll recognise the most popular Science topics – like our list of Human Body Books for Children or Space Topic Books for KS2 – and you’ll also find more thematic lists to support broader scientific understanding, such as the Celebrating Science or the list of children’s books about Computing.

If you’re in search of children’s books that align with specific biology topics, try our lists of stories about growing plants and animal books for children  to texts about digestion and eating and Life Cycle stories for children. You’ll discover a wide range of carefully chosen book suggestions to enhance understanding of living things, growth and change.

Young learners with an interest in physics might like our KS2 booklist about Light and Sound or its KS1 equivalent list of children’s books about light and dark. Space is always a popular topic in primary science, so be sure to blast off into our lists of space books for children.

Our science booklists also encompass wider themes of material properties including rocks and soils booklists, books about the water cycle and stories about weather and seasonal change.

Where can I purchase the books on the BooksForTopics Science booklists?

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