Five of the best science books for kids

Need some brilliant science books for children? Dust off the safety glasses, don your lab coat and get stuck into these good books for the budding scientist in your life.

Whether describing the camel’s search for water or the animals that live beneath the shadow of a mountain, all the environments are beautifully illustrated by Hvass&Hannibal.

And if poems aren’t your thing, there is also a final section in the book that goes into further detail about how humans are impacting these wild worlds.

By Angela McAllister

Illustrated by Hvass&Hannibal

Ages 4 to 7

Quarto Kids, £11.99

• Buy from Abe Books, Amazon UK and Waterstones

Although this book is primarily aimed at adults, it is full to brimming with easy to understand diagrams, illustrations and infographics that will spark the imagination of anybody that picks it up, young or old.

Teens cramming for an exam will love the fact that every page is dedicated to a specific part of science, for example the quantum world, machines, special relativity or the carbon cycle, while for the rest of us this is probably the best science book if you need a quick refresher.

The science will be too advanced for younger children, but the pictures will be enough to get them hooked.

DK, £16.99

• Buy from Amazon UK, Foyles and Waterstones

Professor Astro Cat is back from floating around in space and this time is going on an epic mission to explore something just as mysterious – the human body.

The retro of the illustrations that fill every glorious page will appeal to anyone who picks it up, and it goes into surprising detail in a science book for kids aged 7-11 (how many children do you know who are experts in the lymphatic system?).

It is a little weird having a space suited rabbit explain how bones work, or reproduction described by a bacteria-riding kitten, but that’s half the fun of kids’ book, and when it comes to learning science the weirder the better we say!

By Dr Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman

Ages 7 to 11

Flying Eye Books, £15.99

• Buy from Amazon UK, Foyles and WHSmith

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Want to know how volcanoes form, what is happening to the planet on the equator, or who is living in our ecosystems?

Destination: Planet Earth is a fact-filled adventure across the planet and is a fantastic book for anyone who want to know about Earth science.

With illustrations that are a nod to 90s cartoons, each page covers a different part of the planet’s geography, including the impact humans are having and what the future holds.

It even has a fold-out map in the back for any budding explorers.

By Jo Nelson

Illustrated by Tom Clohosy Cole

Ages 8 to 11

Quarto Kids, £12.99

• Buy from Amazon UK, Foyles, Waterstons and WHSmith

Kids love making things, especially when it involves mess, explosions, and anything that makes you go “wow” (fun fact: so do we).

Professor Robert Winston (the scientist with a very fetching moustache that presented the seminal BBC TV show The Human Body) introduces this 160-page book filled with wonderful experiments that are easily made using household items, but show off some seriously fun science.

How does making a geode from eggs sound? What about building a water rocket? There are loads of entertaining ways to release your inner boffin, and all of the experiments have a time and difficulty rating, as well as the actual science behind what is happening.

By Professor Robert Winston
DK, £12.99

• Buy from Amazon UK, Waterstones and WHSmith