Best STEM Books 2020

For those of us, adults and kids alike, that shy away from science and math, books featuring STEM concepts are a great way to be introduced to these themes. The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has partnered with the Children’s Book Council (CBC) for the second time to create a list of the “Best STEM Books of 2020”.

And because I’m not a scientist by any stretch of the imagination, although I do a fair amount more math than I ever thought I would, I’m going to share some information from their website.

“STEM is more than a concept diagram with connections among four (or more) subject areas. It’s a unique way of knowing and exploring the world. The STEM approach involves the essence of the practices of science and engineering. Tools like mathematics, technology, and communication skills are interwoven in STEM explorations.” (nsta.org)

If you’ve got a kid at home who would prefer to read nonfiction over fiction, or who’s always asking, “Why?” these are the books for you. From a deep look into inventions, to biographies of scientists, research about animals, and so much more this is a list that will encourage kids to see themselves and the world around them in new ways.

Best STEM Books 2020

• Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner by Janice N. Harrington
• A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon by Suzanne Slade
• All in a Drop: How Antony van Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World by Lori Alexander
• The Crayon Man: the True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons by Natascha Biebow
• Born Just Right by Jordan Reeves
• A Dream of Flight: Alberto Santos-Dumont’s Race Around the Eiffel Tower by Rob Polivka and Jef Polivka
• The Electric War: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Light the World by Mike Winchell
• Full of Beans by Peggy Thomas
• Elon Musk: A Mission to Save the World by Anna Crowley Redding
• Guitar Genius: How Les Paul Engineered the Solid-Body Electric Guitar and Rocked the World by Kim Tomsic
• The First Dinosaur: How Science Solved the Greatest Mystery on Earth by Ian Lendler
• The House That Cleaned Itself: The True Story of Frances Gabe’s (Mostly) Marvelous Invention by Susan Romberg and Laura Dershewitz
• From an Idea to Lego: The Building Bricks Behind the World’s Largest Toy Company by Lowey Bundy Sichol
• How to Become an Accidental Genius by Frieda Wishinsky and Elizabeth MacLeod
• Instructions Not Included: How a Team of Women Coded the Future by Tami Lewis Brown, Debbie Loren Dunn
• Save the Crash Test Dummies by Jennifer Swanson
• Karl’s New Beak: 3-D Printing Builds a Bird a Better Life by Lela Nargi
• Saving the Tasmanian Devil: How Science Is Helping the World’s Largest Marsupial Carnivore Survive by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
• Prairie Boy: Frank Lloyd Wright Turns the Heartland into a Home by Barb Rosenstock
• Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge by Rachel Dougherty
• Samuel Morse, That’s Who!: The Story of the Telegraph and Morse Code by Tracy Nelson Maurer
• Titan and the Wild Boars: The True Cave Rescue of the Thai Soccer Team by Susan Hood and Patthana Sornhiran

If you’re looking for STEM books for a little bit of a younger crowd, check out this extensive list for preschoolers I created – 60 STEM Titles for 3-6 Year Olds.