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Astronomy books for children?

jpridgel

New Blood
J
Joined
Sep 4, 2005
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3
I need to get some recommendations for some GOOD astronomy/science books for little kids (about the 4-6yo range). Since most of my friends know me as their friendly neighborhood Skeptic/science geek I get frequent requests for book recommendations...but now I have some friends asking me if there are any good starter books for the little ones. I don't have any kids so this is a little out of my comfort zone. A little help please? Thanks
 
My kids, ages 6 and 7, love the Magic School Bus series. There is one called Lost in the Solar System. http://www.amazon.com/Magic-School-...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240542184&sr=1-1 They have books on just about every other aspect of science you could think of - the human body, hurricanes, dinosaurs, electricity, the weather and on and on. This is really a great series and a lot fun.

They also really like the series of books by Dan Green/Basher. We have Physics: Why Matter Matters, just recently bought Biology: Life as We Know It, and now they are asking for the one about the Periodic Table. Not sure what it is about these books but the kids just love them, they are entertaining and very basic.

http://www.amazon.com/Physics-Matter-Matters-Dan-Green/dp/0753462141
 
I appreciate the info on Amazon, but I'm looking for some personal recommendations...I'd like some feedback on some specific books. If I'm going to recommend a book I want to make sure that it truly represents an accurate scientific point of view. I'm afraid to suggest a book that may lead someone in the wrong direction.
 
I did suggest the Magic School bus series though...I remember watching that when I was in college (Hey, I had a little too much free time on my hands...LOL!)...I think that is a good place to start.
 
You might try Stephen & Lucy Hawkings book George's Secret Key to the Universe (yes, that Stephen Hawking) but I haven't read it so this is not a personal recommendation either.
 
jpridgel said:
I did suggest the Magic School bus series though...I remember watching that when I was in college (Hey, I had a little too much free time on my hands...LOL!)...I think that is a good place to start.
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I think these are really great books for 4-6 year olds. I also recommend Highlight magazine for fun science in general for kids.

Here are some of the books my kids like. There are mostly written in story form so capture the interest of the little kids: Floating in Space (from the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out-Science series) by Franklin Branley

The Best Book of Spaceships (Scholastic series)

And for 6-8 year olds (or older):

If You Decide to Go to the Moon by Faith McNulty - written as though the child is taking a trip to the moon, discusses the experience of the astronauts, describes space, how the moon was formed, overall good quality.

Our Solar System by Seymour Simon (Scholastic Books) - neat book, a little complex for very little kiddos, though my 7-year-old loves to have it read to him. Full of facts.

I'm always on the look out for good quality science books for them. If I find anymore, I'll update here.

The one by Hawking sounds interesting. I wonder if any other astronomers/physicists/scientists have written books for kids.
 
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