Science and Exploration Books for Kids

Kids are some of the most curious creatures on the plant. Their inquisitive nature has them asking an abundance of questions very early on in life. Ongoing questions – deemed silly or not – display a kid’s deep desire to learn and understand. As parents, we never want to diffuse this spark for learning. In an attempt to answer their profusion of questions, educational but captivating books have been created to satisfy their curiosity. Here are two informative books that kids will enjoy browsing and gleaning some insight.

Smithsonian Explorers

The Smithsonian Explorers Amazing Tales of The World’s Greatest Adventures will take kids on voyages, treks, and odysseys around the globe and beyond. It features the most adventurous explorers that experienced setbacks and unsurmountable situations, only to prevail in a journey of a lifetime. These are the forefathers and foremothers that set the pace and desire for exploration and remarkable discoveries.

The explorers are listed in three different sections, Sea & Ice, Land, and Air & Space. Each explorer is highlighted with their accomplishments, hardships, dates, the history they created and the effects it had on the land, people and animals. This inspiring book will teach, remind and recount explorers exploits that kids may have learned about in school. It will also introduce them to explorers they may never have heard about, like Bungaree. He was an Aboriginal Australian explorer from 1775 – 1830.

But not all explorers are deceased, Sung-Taek Hong was born in 1966 and has achieved unimaginable feats of human endurance. Or Mae Jemison who is an astronaut, engineer, and a doctor! She was the first African American woman to blast into space in 1992 on the space shuttle Endeavour. These high achievers will inspire the young and the old to reach for their dreams. The included images feature photos and illustrations – from shipwrecks to polar landscapes to Moroccan geography – will set the scene and allow young readers to visualize the explorer’s experience. The Smithsonian Explorers is a wonderful book filled with so much history that it’s hard to put down. It’s perfect for a family library.

Ask a Scientist

Ask a Scientist features Professor Robert Winston answering 100 big questions from kids around the world. The book is divided into six subjects, Chemistry, Human Body, Physics, Natural Science, and lastly Earth and Space. They are color-coded so kids can spot at a glance, which subject it is under. Each section covers a variety of questions with detailed answers that kids can embrace and understand.

Some of the questions asked are, Why do stars twinkle? Do aliens exist? How do you make toilet paper? How do bodies heal? Did dinosaurs have wings? Each question is explained with content, explanations, diagrams, illustration, and images. What I like about this book is that it not only responds to the questions, but makes kids aware of any global impact and the responsibility they have to help sustain the planet and its inhabitants. It’s fun to read and kids will find the information intriguing and captivating.

Disclaimer: I received complimentary products to facilitate a review. All opinions are my own, yours may differ.