Reddit mentions: The best children reference books

My father got me started in astronomy. When I was five we moved to the high dessert in California, a small town no one ever heard of named Ridgecrest. At the time, the skies there were great, and the last time I was back, in 2008, they still weren't too bad. Soon after we moved into the house and my dad had gotten a lawn going in the back yard, he'd take me out at night, lay out a blanket or sleeping bag, and we'd lay out and he'd show me the stars. I learned my first constellations that way. He'd also often bring out his 7-15x50 binoculars and we'd use those to look at various bright deep sky objects, mostly open clusters.

My dad always wanted a telescope, but never got around to buying one. He thought anything less than a 14" wasn't worth getting. Honestly, I don't think he really even knew anything about Dobs, just the Celestron and Meade SCT's of the day.

When I was six or seven (six, I think), PBS's NOVA aired the original run of Carl Sagan's Cosmos over 13 consecutive weeks. He let me stay up past my bedtime to watch it with him (though, honestly, I fell asleep during most of the episodes). All through growing up, I remember us watching astronomy programs together on TV. For a while, we had a subscription to Astronomy magazine and would both dig through it every new issue. Astronomy was a deep interest we both shared and bonded over.

We lost him in February of 2008. Not long after, I purchased my first telescope, joined the Houston Astronomical Society, and became more active in the pursuit. For me, it's been a way to commune with him, even though he's gone. When I'm out under the stars, I feel closer to him and his memory.

Physics tells us energy is neither created nor destroyed, only changes forms. I like to think about the fact that, regardless of one's religious beliefs, the energy that animates a human body, that makes us alive and active, still exists - it has just changed forms, let loose into the cosmos in another form. It comforts me to know that that energy that was my father's, for lack of a better term, spirit is still out there.

As for your scope and your son...

At his age, I don't think he's going to have the attention span to really do much other than glance at things like Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon. Most deep sky objects are going to be lost on him. However, this is a great age to start prepping him, like my dad did with me.

Take him out under a clear sky and point out the constellations and bright stars. If you don't know them yourself, well that's just a good reason to learn them. To that end, there's two books I'd definitely recommend, both by H.A. Rey, the same author who wrote the Curious George kids books. Rey was an amateur astronomer as well and wrote The Stars: A New Way to See Them in 1952. One of his reasons was to re-draw the traditional constellation lines which he felt were not very intuitive. His re-imagining of the constellation lines for several constellations such as Gemini and Leo have been widely adopted by others and are now often found in other publications.

I would start with Find The Constellations, which is a simplified editing of his book and great for getting kids started. The original book The Stars: a New Way to See Them is a bit more in depth and may be too much for a young child to digest.

I would also strongly consider looking for a local astronomy club. Most likely there is one near you. He may be a bit young for it, but that won't last long and this way you can get a head start so you can teach him even more. Most astronomy clubs have regular star parties, and when he's in his older grade-school years, these will be great events to take him to.

In the meantime, you might well want to consider upgrading your telescope. it's a bit large for him right now, but he'll definitely grow into an 8" Dobsonian. Several people in my club have 6" and 8" Dobs for their kids, and they're one of the best starter telescopes I can think of. A 12" Dob like the one /u/theattackpanda mentioned is even better, but also much heavier and harder to move out to the yard. By the time he's 10 or so, an 8" Dob should be no problem for him.

And I'd also definitely recommend renting/buying a copy of the DVD series for Cosmos by Carl Sagan. The newer version with Neil Degrasse Tyson isn't bad, but the Sagan one is simply amazing. I re-watch it every now and then and always seem to get more out of it. It's not just about astronomy... it's science in general, philosophy, history... it's a lot of great stuff all in one. He won't understand it all now... but in time he will.

Good luck and clear skies!

I don't know a lot of titles for the youngest ages, though the Junie B. Jones and Magic Treehouse books are favorites of my mother's elementary-aged students. Speaking of magic, you can't go wrong with The Magic Schoolbus. Oh! And Where the Wild Things Are.

As suggested by /u/jpop23mn, the Berenstein Bears are great books for young readers (I loved them so much as a kid), and Dr. Seuss is classic.

For middle-schoolers, I recall enjoying Maniac Magee (though I don't recall much about it), lots of Bruce Coville's monster books, the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series, and one of my favorites, The Phantom Tollbooth. My sister enjoyed the Warriors series (and still reads them now as a college student). Then there's classics like Where the Red Fern Grows and Bridge to Terabithia, though those books cover some difficult subject matter (death).

Ghost stories are much beloved, and if you can find folklore and fable specific to various cultures, you can learn about other cultures while enjoying a good story!

Some other fantastic books to have around are The Daring Book for Girls and The Dangerous Book for Boys, both of which teach all kinds of fantastic information and skills while also being entertaining. I especially urge you to get the Daring Book for Girls if you have a daughter, because it not only teaches useful skills like changing tires and woodworking, but it also teaches about strong, independent, successful women through history. It promotes independence, self-esteem and self-confidence, which (in my opinion) are vital to any young person's upbringing, but especially women, since so much of the media and society seems bent on making women insecure, dependent and subservient. (Please excuse my politics.)

The Chronicles of Narnia are fantastic, if you don't mind that they're a religious allegory. When I was a kid, I read them for fun, and didn't give a damn about the religious aspect. (I'm agnostic.) Another good series is the Dark Materials series, though some parents avoid it because of Pullman's anti-religious sentiments. Again, I didn't care about that, I just enjoyed a good story.

Hopefully, with a big enough selection of books, your kids will be able to choose their own books by high school. But it's still nice to keep around some young adult and adult novels for the kids to explore. The Dragonlance novels are fantasy novels set in a D&D-inspired world, but this setting has more of a chivalric, idealistic mood, which is good for young adult readers as well as adults. You've also got the Harry Potter series, which is kind of a given...

The challenge is finding adult novels that are appropriate for your kids. If you are trying to avoid exposing your children to certain ideas before a certain age, then you'll have to personally read and consider each book before you put it on their shelf. If you're the kind of parent who allows their kid to read what they want to read, doing your best to answer their questions and put the stories into context, then it's a little easier. If your kid reads Jurassic Park, they're going to be exposed to an awful lot of violence, but they're also going to learn some fascinating scientific information as well. Crichton's books are science-fiction with a strong scientific background, so they're educational as well as thrilling, but they've got adult themes that might be better for more mature readers. (That being said, I was reading them at a young age.)

I hope this is a decent start. There are lots of good lists online, too. I'd suggest checking out GoodReads and various Amazon lists. Just remember that it's up to you to choose what you want your kids to be exposed to.

Edit: As a male, I have a distinct lack of experience with books aimed at young females. I would like to think that a good book can be enjoyed by boys and girls alike, but some books have more of a gender-focus than others.

Update:


Thank you all for your suggestions!! I bought a few of the ones mentioned here as well as some others. I went a little overboard, but I figure I can space out the gifts for later in the year, and some are for her little brother too.

1. Nancy Drew (1-5) I LOVED these when I was younger, they're such a classic and Nancy's take charge attitude taught me so much.
   
   
2. Little Pea (for her brother) A cute little kids book about a young pea who has to eat all of his candy for dinner, so he can have veggies for dessert! It's so charming and silly and is a fun reversal for kids who don't want to eat their veggies :)
   
   
3. The Planets in Our Solar System (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science) Thanks for the suggestion /u/tectonicus!
   
   
4. The Daring Book for Girls - a fun reference for knowledge and classic kids games, always ideas for fun stuff to do!
   
   
5. Getting To Know The World's Greatest Artists - These art history books for kids gave me such a decent foundation in art history that when I finally took it in college I got my first A+ at a university level. Not to mention, having that knowledge made my time at art museums for field trips and such so much more relevant as I grew up! Also, I give these books full credit for my success in Jeopardy studio auditions :)
   
   

• >Van Gogh
  
• >Monet
  
• >O'Keefe
  
• >Da Vinci
  
• >Rockwell
  
• 
  
  
  
  
  (She's French born, so I made sure to include some American artists in there too.)
  
  

6. The Paper Bag Princess - another one of my favorites that my dad used to read to me when I was younger. I loved it because when the Dragon strikes, it's the princess who has to outsmart him to save the bratty prince :)
   
   
7. The Magic School Bus Lost In The Solar System, and The Magic School Bus On The Ocean Floor. Classics! Thank you /u/tectonicus, /u/mariposamariposa, and /u/caemin!
   
   
8. The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak - couldn't tell too much about this one, but it's supposed to be very clever and leave a lot to the kid's imagination, fun to read out loud!
   
   
9. Annie Oakley: Young Markswoman (Childhood of Famous Americans). Another book I enjoyed as a girl about a young woman who who "broke the mold" - stepping outside of social boundaries and working hard at something she was incredibly talented at.
   
   
10. The Way Things Work - This one looks great!
    Thank you /u/mariposamariposa, and /u/moration!
    
    
    Edit: For the commenters saying I should just give her princess stuff if that's what she likes - I have and will continue to. This year I spent over 100 hours making her an Elsa from Frozen dress for her birthday. This should be proof enough that I encourage and share her enthusiasm. http://imgur.com/a/ga9DQ

We are not "dead." When someone posts, it might take a day or so to get a few replies, but we get relevant posts and replies pretty darn often for having shy of a thousand subscribers. We have many valued contributors which I have awarded flair so everyone knows who they are (and if anyone ever sees anything super-awesome, just send me a message pointing it out, and I will either put it in the sidebar or award them "active member" flair).

Also: Moms are certainly welcome here, and I like to think that we will have more resources and knowledge about developmentally appropriate activities than the average parent (and that's not to say that parents can't know, just that usually they are going by their own experiences (not based in science) and are biased towards their own ideology).

Anyways, It sounds like you have a really curious three-year-old and in addition to the other good suggestions, I have some ideas.

My First Atlas is a really good book for any child ready for the information, which it sounds like you little one is, already.

There's also a really cool demonstration you can do with him to demonstrate axial tilt.

You could also take him out to some different local landscapes and build them with him using paper mache, and help him name the land-forms. . .

And I also have to say that this is really mature subject matter for a three-year-old. It's a big concept. I personally never let that stop me from trying to explain things (with lots of analogies, visuals, and hands-on activities). He might not get everything exactly but that's OK. Later when he hears the information, he'll have a foundation on which to build it on. :)

Hope this helps, too. And if I think of more, I'll come back and edit.

Any books in the Dorling Kindersley series are great.

http://www.amazon.ca/Science-Encyclopedia-Dorling-JOANNA-Kindersley/dp/0756642965/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332634566&sr=1-2

www.amazon.ca/Dorling-Kindersley-Science-Encyclopedia/dp/0751356417/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332634566&sr=1-4

http://www.amazon.ca/Cool-Stuff-Exploded-Dorling-Kindersley/dp/0756673267/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332634605&sr=1-1

Any other books with exploded views are great.

More for when they're older but these books were amazing when I was a kid:

http://www.amazon.ca/Handy-Science-Answer-Book/dp/1578593212/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332634709&sr=1-2

Horrible science books are great too:

http://www.amazon.ca/Horrible-Science-Blood-Bones-Body/dp/0545993245/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332634757&sr=1-4

Big book of experiments are fun because you can read about them together at night and do them the next day. Definitely gets kids excited to do science and puts it in their head a little longer:

http://www.amazon.ca/Great-Science-Experiments-Dorling-Kindersley/dp/0756619181/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332634816&sr=1-1

There are bunch of other great resources too but I always found the best types of books are ones that are either very pictorial and visual, or ones that break complex subjects down into quick question and answer blocks. It's a great opportunity to learn, and to learn how to read, which I personally believe is the biggest key to being a great learner later in life.

Hello fellow Canuck. To be honest, there aren't a lot of actual telescope shops in Canada. You might find something at a hobby store that sells things like model airplanes and RC cars and the like, though. I bought my first telescope at London Drugs of all places. Relatively local telescope stores would be Focus Scientific and KW Telescopes. My preferred vendor is All-Star Telescopes, but they're all the way over in Alberta.


Anyway, for a 6 year old, I would recommend something like the Celestron Firstscope. Runs about a hundred bucks at Focus Scientific.

I have one of these myself (it was my first telescope), and it's pretty decent for the price. It's small (less than 5 pounds), easy to use, and pretty tough, so if your kid knocks it over, it won't be a big problem. You can see things like Jupiter's moons, the rings of Saturn, and the Orion nebula with it. and it would be good for the moon, too. Lots of star clusters and the like should be easily visible. Really won't be much good for galaxies, though.

It's really hard to find things in the sky if you don't know where to look, so you should also consider getting him a book like Find the Constellations; I have this book and it's an easy friendly read and he should be able to follow along with it.

Another book that comes recommended but I don't have any experience with is this Astronomy book by Rachel Firth.

Also buy him an eyepatch.

I think it's really normal at 4-5 for kids to be thinking about sameness and differentness and try to make sense of what they see.

The approach I take--after a lot of thought and research--is to teach and talk about skin color the same way we would about eye color or hair color. There are some good books that talk about the science of skin color - First Encyclopedia of the Human Body touches on it--my kid is obsessed with that book, All the Colors We Are takes a matter of fact and scientific approach. The book Children Just Like Me is another really useful resource when talking about different cultures and people.


I've also made a point to buy black, brown and Asian baby dolls and Barbies (not just the standard white ones) since she was about 2. At first I felt really self-conscious about doing this, but I think it's helped her see variety as the norm instead of thinking of her whiteness as normal and everything else as "other."

At this stage, that's the message you want to be instilling - everyone has lots of differences and they're all pretty darn normal and cool.

And finally--how to deal with loud kid comments in public. A few days ago my daughter shouted and pointed, "LOOK MOMMY! A little person!!! THAT'S NOT A KID!" I was embarrassed and felt bad and I told her in the moment that it's not nice to yell out people's differences because it might make them feel like everyone is looking at them--she got that--attention can be embarrassing.

When we got home we talked about dwarfism just like hair color or normal height -- it's something about you that get when you're born. I think I said something like, "even if a person is born to be a little person, their brain grows up just like yours or mine as they get older and when they're grown ups they have jobs and families just like any other grownup." She thought it was really really cool.

I'm sure she'll do it to me again. I don't know if there's a better way to handle it in the moment to be more respectful of others--but my main focus is trying to get a message of inclusiveness to my kid.

I dunno. This stuff is hard.

Bill Bryson wrote a shorter version of his book that is aimed at kids. I did not read it, but I read his other work and it is fantastic, and the amazon reviews are very positive.
[A Really Short History of Nearly Everything](http://www.amazon.com/Really-Short-History-Nearly Everything/dp/0385738102/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1290524524&sr=1-1)

I would also recommend a simple children's encyclopedia like:

DK's First Encyclopedia

Scholastic Children's Encyclopedia

Although what I recommend is you get a nice little experiments book, and do experiments with him, that is simply the best and the most fun way to get a kid hooked on science. I suggest a chem kit, and you help him out and do experiments with him. Examples:

The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science

Theo Gray's Mad Science(WARNING:SERIOUSLY dangerous but really cool)

You can also look at this website and do experiments with him. I highly recommend this:

The Naked Scientists Kitchen Science

National Geographic's Big Book of Why is good. They also have other great science books. So it Time's Big Book of How.

Time, National Geographic and other companies do kid's almanacs that are great. My kid and his friends still devour them.

The Magic Schoolbus books are a good place to start.

Girls Think of Everything is a great book on women inventors.

The Way Things Work is great.

Sick Science Kits are neat. But I think younger kids might need a little oversight.

First Big Book of Why looks like an awesome book for my preschooler. She loves reading and learning, especially anything about animals.


One of my favorite things that I do with my daughter is the HIPPY (Home Instructions for Parents of Preschool aged Youngeters) program that was offered free through her preschool. We get a book and a packet every week. It teaches my daughter a variety of skills and she really enjoys her HIPPY time with mom. This week we learned what a matrix is and how to sort items in the matrix. The HIPPY activities my daughter liked best was making applesauce, making a clock with moving hands and making puppets out of socks.

Thank you for the contest.


forgot to proofread.

My Tiny Turtles and I love learning together, especially about the outdoors and nature. We enjoy bird-watching together, as well as ID'ing various flora and fauna on our many hiking trips.

One specific thing we did recent was dissect owl pellets, which my daughter enjoyed the most!

This NatGeo book would be great. Since it covers many topics, all three of my kiddos would find something to interest them. And being short tidbits of info, even my emerging-readers would enjoy it.

Thanks again! <3

Can't resist adding a few book suggestions - he's a bit young but I think you two would enjoy looking through something like David MacAulay's Way Things Work. A book of science questions and answers might be fun too, like How Come? or National Geographic's Why?; there's an equivalent for younger kids too but sounds like you guys might prefer the big kids version. Mistakes that Worked is another great book.

Ohhh! That sounds like such fun! I went through the same phase as a 7-9yo girl w/ a hovering mother. Went off into the woods behind my house with my cousin for a long weekend every year.

Scavenger hunt sounds fantastic! You could even get her a compass and a "map"(one you made of your back yard) for her to mark off what she found. One thing I would do, is have them involved in the things you have to do for safety, i.e. gather wood and set up the fire for you to light. Hey, and good job supporting your niece's interest in this. This is what fond childhood memories are made of.

Here are some books you might want to look at for your niece so she can "study" before her adventure: Camp Out!: The Ultimate Kids' Guide

This one is for a kids a little older Ultimate Explorer Guide for Kids

I have had a bunch of books, but I have given a lot away to another 3-year-old who loves bodies, so some of the out-of-print or rare books are not easy to find for me. I have this one:

http://www.amazon.com/First-Human-Encyclopedia-Reference-Series/dp/0756609976/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=14M5S3ATR6T05TJT3MTQ

I don't have the ones I listed below, but they look interesting. I have always had slightly "older" books than my kids, and let them look at the pictures and read what they were interested in. For example, my 4- and 7-year-olds have some books about the brain and are reading about neuroanatomy and neurotransmitters, and the central and peripheral nervous system, but sometimes they just pick up the books and look at the pictures and learn that the brain is responsible for all kinds of actions and thoughts and sensations.

http://www.amazon.com/Uncover-Human-Body-An-Book/dp/1571457895/ref=pd_tcs_compl_t_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0991ESGG92BTT0FW65QQ

http://www.amazon.com/Body-Science-Books-Patty-Carratello/dp/1557342113/ref=pd_sim_b_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=1MF77N2TKN3B7D84Y692

Finally, these videos look pretty interesting, but I have not tried them:

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/videos/humanbody.html

a copy of The New Way Things Work. (or something like it) nice pictures to help explain things to the people i gather around me to improve the quality of life. since i will not be able to communicate well. I can pull out book after establishing a good rep for making things better. once you get a couple dozen people making items to improve quality of life, you kick start a more advanced civilization.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473

If you like the advise if the comment above you, check out this book , "the way things work" it's under teen and young adult section but I (31, M.D) still check it every now and again because it explains how things work in a great and informative way, from a simple slope to a computer and everything in between.

It's a great starting point on each topic and once you get the basics of say a motor you can google and wikipedia the particular aspects that interest you the most.

I've been custom building and working in shops since I was... well technically too young to be legally employable.

Emily Dickinson factors in here: "The heart wants what it wants, or else it does not care".

​

As a competitive BMXer, my bent toward building was a product of necessity: I'd have a bike I liked, typically upgraded the cranks right out of the box, and would replace parts as I broke them, or as parts I liked the look of would be offered in trade from other bmxdiots. BMX kids aren't known for the depth of their pockets (maybe their individual parents are, but not the bmxdiot himself). So I learned valuable technical skills, and did what I had to do to keep my wheels spinning.

​

Fast forward a few surgeries later:

I have short extremities for my height, so once I got over my prejudice toward spandex and drop bars, Building up my Allez was basically a necessity, because I have a bent for shorter cranks and stem than most people my size. I also have very wide shoulders, which means wider bars than most people my size.

​

However, A Cannondale F29 (alloy, lefty fork) in size large fit me just fine out of the box, so I bought it, raced it, crashed it, killed it, and loved the living hell out of it while I still had it. Hated the bland colors, but I feel that made me more competitive because I wasn't afraid to chip the paint.

​

I'm a pro mechanic and I have been for years, one of the primary benefits to building is aesthetic. My Allez looks like something out of TRON or Rainbow Brite. I've also swapped the group on it multiple times. A close second is fit. For me, personally, It's all about the thrill of the build. In fact I frequently get bored with bikes once I get them dialed in. Coincidentally, This is the first book my parents ever got me. And it made an impression.

​

If you absolutely need your bike to be one of a kind, you have no choice but to build. If you absolutely have to have the latest and greatest fighter jet for racing purposes, out of the box options like SWORKS and things like Cannondale's Black INC are gonna be your go to.

​

Also, for clarification for those who do need to limit their budget: What I haven't factored in so far, is that I'm a trained professional and an expert when it comes to bicycle fuckery. I know exactly what I am doing when it comes to part compatibility, and specialty tools. This is how hotrods work! Hot rod culture came out of skilled, but underprivileged kids who had more hard earned knowledge than money for a fast car. If you don't have the skills, or the time (and primarily) humility to learn them, the path of least resistance (and lowest cost) to a sub 11 second quarter mile is to buy an off the showroom sports car.

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EDIT: Hope this helps and Keep Kickin'

Roald Dahl's Completely Revolting Recipes: A Collection of Delumptious Favourites is absolutely charming!

Cook It Together is beautifully illustrated and is a very good starting point.

Good luck! :D

since there are many many awesome books already up. Im going to vote for The Way Things Work as the absolute best book you can give to a child. this book is probably single handedly responsible for why people think im smart because i can fix basic machinery. i spent many a night reading it, still have it and hope to pass it on one day.

I highly recommend the book "Find the Constellations", by H.A. Rey.

http://www.amazon.com/Find-Constellations-H-A-Rey/dp/054713178X

You may recognize his name as the author of the Curious George books (he was an avid amateur astronomer as well). While this book is not about astrobiology, it is an amazing introduction to finding, classifying and naming stars as well as how to find certain nebulae and planets in the sky with her eyes or binoculars. It was written for her age group (2nd-3rd graders) but in that 1960s style where they used to not assume children were idiots. You'll know what I mean if you read it, I can't imagine an average 3rd grader today being reading this, more like a middle schooler, but your daughter sounds bright so I think she will be fine.

A friend got it for me to read to my son. He's only 20 months old so he isn't ready for it but I have read it and learned a ton and it has gotten me further into astronomy (it has star charts for the seasons assuming you live in the Northern Hemisphere).

I love this idea. However, I can't think of any that I know of aside from ones that I find through Googling "kids science magazines." I do, however, know a pretty neat book that I read as a child that really opened my mind to the way things worked (I assume this newer version is just as good). From what I remember, it doesn't really delve into stuff like religion, but satisfies that curiosity every kid probably had at one point regarding the why of everything. I can't say that this is what made me become as scientifically-minded as I am now, but I can say that this was a start.

Also your nephew will develop a strange love for mammoths.

working with a microcontroller will be a good way to have hands on learning about electronics backed up by your programming skill.

You could also look at the kids book http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473. It has mammoths, and is pretty fun, alongside being quite descriptive of the innards of technology. This is an update to the one I had. I still enjoy looking at my copy, and my son liked it when he was 4.

Books for Young Children

• Good Night, Sam
  
• Skippyjon Jones
  
• Skippyjon Jones in the Doghouse
  
• Those Darn Squirrels
  
• Oh the Thinks You Can Think!
  
• Bad Kitty Does Not Like Dogs
  
• The Itsy Bitsy Snowman
  
• The Littlest Elf
  
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
  
• The Good Dinosaur
  
  I Can Read - Books
  
  
• A Kiss for Little Bear
  
• Little Bears Friend
  
• Amelia Bedelia
  
• Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia
  
• Eloise Visits the Zoo
  
• Eloise Throws a Party
  
• May I Please Have a Cookie?
  
• Pete the Cat: At the Beach
  
• Mac and Cheese
  
• Splat the Cat
  
  Books for Older Kids
  
  
• Disney Fairies, The Never Girls Collection
  
• Ivy + Bean’s Secret Treasure Box
  
• The Ramona Collection
  
• Pippi Longstocking
  
• Mr Popper’s Penguins
  
• The Chocolate Touch
  
• Magic Tree House Boxed Set
  
• Girls Think of Everything
  
• Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids
  
• Owl Diaries
  
• 5,000 Awesome Facts
  

The Baby University including Baby Loves Rocket Science (https://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Science-Babies-Baby-University/dp/1492656259/) and Baby Loves including Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering (https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Loves-Aerospace-Engineering-Science/dp/1580895417/) books might be good.

if she is serious, the real astronomers love. best book for adults and kids, by same author as curious george. Guaranteed satisfaction or I'll buy it back from you

https://www.amazon.com/Stars-H-Rey/dp/0547132808

I was lucky enough to stumble on Logic Gates while reading David Macaulay's amazing "The Way Things Work." I probably learned more from that book than I did in high school (Well, maybe not quite). It certainly was more interesting.

Something about them has always fascinated me though, ever since I saw them in his book. The idea that you can make all these gates, gates that do basic logic operations with electric signals, just by wiring a few transistors (and a diode or two I think?) together blows my mind. And then that you can take those gates and build...computers basically. That's what chips are (mostly at least): piles and piles of gates crammed into an incomprehensibly small space.

The fact that I could buy a cheap pile of transistors, diodes etc from radioshack, wire them together and build a calculator, from scratch, drove me crazy as a kid (in a good way). Still does.

Seconding this suggestion. Not just because anything in your original budget would be little better than a toy that might leave him uninspired (seriously, look at 114mm-130mm Dobs). But also, in my experience, leading by example is the best way to foster a lasting interest. Also recommended - picking up a few space books (example) to talk about what you're looking at, if he doesn't have any already.

I have several National Geographic books on my son's wishlist. He'll be 2 soon and I want to get him hooked on science as soon as possible. He's still quite little, but right now asking him to do chores has really started getting him to think. He drew on my bedroom door with chalk and I told him to erase it because we only draw on the chalk board. The look on his face totally showed that his gears were moving. In about a minute he was back from his room with the chalkboard eraser. When it didn't erase from the door well, he picked up a towel from my bedroom and wiped the rest of it off. It's the little things, right? haha.

Out of the books on his list, I'd say "The Big Book of Why" might get him thinking the most. Thanks for the contest!

Just made this comment in the same thread:

>When it initially exits the body, it is sterile. As time goes on, like you say, it accumulates germs.

>As a kid I had this book and recall a little tidbit in there claiming even Mahatma Gandhi may have begun the day by drinking his pee for whatever reason, but that it was "okay" because he drank it so soon after peeing that it was still sanitary. While it is very unlikely that Gandhi drank his own pee, as far as I'm aware, most of the other things they say about its properties are accurate. Even Nathan For You, one of my favorite shows, made a joke about this a few seasons back, for a shameless plug.

Pee is sterile, but just speaking as someone who gets squeamish about bodily fluids, I have a hard time believing that a germaphobe would be okay with something like that. At the same time, however, psychologically, it does make sense in a twisted way, therefore the reason for the second paragraph that listed off other examples of twisted fetishes that are polar opposites of what a person stands up and claims to believe publicly.

Good question. Maybe someone who knows better can chime in? I'm not even sure how the traditional configurations evolved. They seem to vary a bit from author to author, though they are often similar.

H.A. Rey (of Curious George fame and an avid stargazer) published a book in 1952 called The Stars. It has been very popular and re-edited and reprinted several times. It's still for sell on Amazon. In this book he suggests new configurations which actually suggest modern stick figure representations of the constellations, such as the one mentioned by /u/Other_Mike.

The different configurations use the same bright stars, but people may choose different dimmer stars. H.A. Rey, for example, occasionally chooses some rather dim 5th magnitude stars to make his figure come out the way he wants. He includes some 4th magnitude stars, but not others. But the bright stars (3rd magnitude and brighter) are the same for everyone and people are just connecting them differently.

Older version was one of my favorite books as a child. Got few others on electricity, lasers, optics and such specifically. Best... thing...ever! Sparked my interest in, well, everything :)

Awesome!

I'm always on the hunt for anything science or space themed for my girls.

It's harder to find than it should be.

There are also these cool science themed books for kids that my older girl loves. Here is one of them in the series that her uncle got her:

Rocket Science for Babies (Baby University) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1492656259/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_QPpFzbAY2FQJ5

http://www.amazon.com/New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473

Here's a great book on, well, how things work, that has a bunch of great infographics

i had the Daring Book for Girls as a child and i LOVED it! its full of empowering stories, knowledge on things “most girls dont know” like tying knots, survival skills, etc. Im so glad my parents bought me it!!

heres a link: The Daring Book for Girls https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062208969/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.z3-BbFEWK81F

The ones I grew up on may be a little dated at this point, but are still worth a read:

"The Stars" by H A Rey

"Stars and planets" by WS KALS (ISBN: 0-871561671-0)

"How to make a telescope" by Jean Texereau (ISBN:0-943396-04-2)

More on the math side, but still helpful: "celestial navigation step by step" by Warren Norville (ISBN: 0-87742-177-3)

"Field guide to the night sky" by National Audubon Society (ISBN: 0-679-40852-5)

[edit:] and I found the most recent one I bought, "atlas of the universe" by Sir Patrick Moore (ISBN: 1-55297-819-2)

This one was I actually used as a stand-in for the assigned college level astronomy course (mostly for accurate data)

[edit 2:] you may also want to study a little chemistry for a better understanding of the stars themselves

My almost 4 year old loves the First Science Encylopedia It has a whole section on atoms, really nice photography and is fun to just flip through.

The Way Things Work looks like a good choice. There's an updated version... from 1998. Well, I guess physics don't update that often, so it's all good.

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1D5PAH7X04JQNKQ0DQD9

If you don't have The Stars by H. A. Rey, that's a great place to start.

Yes, it's by the guy who wrote Curious George, but it's a highly used and respected book.

It's hard to define great nonfiction books because they're not books kids cherish and read for years to come. The books are severely limited by the target age of the reader. Whereas, I'm sure my daughter will still own her Harry Potter set when she's 25-years-old.

1. A Street Through Time (Mostly pictures, but fascinating. There's also A City Through Time.)
   
   
2. Castle part of a series, similar to A Street Through Time, but black-and-white.
   
   
3. The (New) Way Things Work by the Castle author, although maybe too advanced for a 7-year-old.
   
   
4. Stephen Biesty's Incredible series -- Meticulous drawings and small print notes breaking down objects and processes.... the interior of a race car, the architectural sections of a cathedral, how wigs are made, how medieval armor is made, etc.
   
   
5. National Geographic Young Explorers. Specifically, the books from the 1980s found now at thrift stores. It seems every school and library once carried them. Maybe written too young for a 7-year-old, not sure. See if your library still carries the series.
   
   
6. Other multi-part 'How does X work?' books. I have one out-of-print series in mind I'll pull the title from after my kids are at school.
   
   
7. Ranger Rick magazine. Here's a Flash preview magazine. It has no advertising. In comparison, NatGeo Kids is packed with advertising and pop culture articles that have nothing to do with geography or the natural world. Tip: Google Ranger Rick and click the Google Ad to subscribe for $15 instead of $20.
   

I gunna guess this Lego book. Looks like a pretty cool book actually .. http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Minifigures-Encyclopedia-Daniel-Lipkowitz/dp/1465401725/ref=wl_it_dp_v_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=VAYXJSFW4ICM&coliid=I24RDQ383VO1NE

That item looks mighty fine

Spanish version: http://imgur.com/RRJ4V.jpg , some of the character generation ideas have been reused.

Looks like there is a new version around, it's been honorably added to my wish list. http://www.amazon.com/New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473

Books.
The Way Things Work is a must have.
The Dangerous Book for Boys is pretty good too. Might be a little over his head although the first amazon review claims their six year old loves it.

The Way Things Work is pretty awesome.

There is this book: https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Physics-Babies-Baby-University/dp/1492656224

And this paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0510032

But in my (biased) opinion, it's hard to appreciate quantum science without the mathematics. I think it would make sense to just keep your kids interested in science in general, and then as they mature mathematically/scientifically introduce some quantum. It makes no sense to talk about quantum with someone who doesn't know what probability is or possibly even what an electron/photon is or maybe even what a wave is.

I think there are definitely some prerequisites needed in order to actually discuss quantum physics properly.

Not an engineer, but I did love this book when I was a kid.

You should buy your son this book:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1406322229/


I believe he would enjoy it immensely. I know I enjoyed reading The Way Things Work when I was his age. (Note that the latter link goes to the 2nd edition. I read the first edition.)

batman lego

book

year one

sticker

MY PARENTS ARE DEEEEEEEAAAAAD!!!!

anything new here? =)

So, I think the book ya'll were deprived of this wonder in your childhoods, The Way Things Work

Gorgeous illustration, combined with diagrams that a 5 year old can understand, i5's a great way to learn some basic science!

Love those books.

Depending on how old you are if you saw it growing up, it could have been [The Way Things Work] (https://www.amazon.com/New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473) or possibly the How Stuff Works [book itself] (https://www.amazon.com/How-Stuff-Works-Marshall-Brain/dp/0785824324/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1491399864&sr=1-1&keywords=how+stuff+works)

You can start by giving him a copy of children's encyclopedia, such as this one. I was given a whole series of children's encyclopedia (in my native language, that is), which made me be inquisitive.

I will definitely do the same to my kids if I ever have one. I think this country needs to raise a lot more kids who are willing to question.

If you want to observe the sky, get The Stars: A New Way to See Them and a good pair of binoculars. Buying a telescope as a first step in astronomy is like buying a microscope as a very first step toward becoming a zoologist.

From the Amazon page:

>... this installment of the Baby University board book series is the perfect way to introduce basic concepts to even the youngest scientists. After all, it’s never too early to become a quantum physicist!

I loved this cookbook when I was a kid; you should check it out!

There's actually a Roald Dahl cookbook with a recipe for the chocolate cake. My son and I made it together it was delicious! But we both agreed it would have been too much to eat alone and in one sitting. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140378200/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_WMBNzbR2SJQT6

The Way Things Work FTW! There's a sequel that just came out, too. Must put it on my Christmas list.

Like I said, people are not ignorant, just lazy. I was implying that a parent ought to impart the mental tools needed to explore the world themselves.

I was taught to read and to ask questions. My parents played the "why" game with me till I was so invested in my stubbornness that they handed me an "encyclopedia for kids" and I actually read it.

I started reading this when I was in the 2nd grade. Reading on and off again I finished it in the 4th grade. The Way Things Work.

newer version: The New Way Things Work

As a kid at that age I loved, "The way things work".

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473

Perhaps the book The Way Things Work? I loved this book when I was a kid.

1. Realizing that I didn't care about what people thought. It has freed me up to be myself and to do whatever I like.
   
   
2. I've been wanting [this] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0756697875/ref=mp_s_a_1_22?qid=1397425262&sr=8-22&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70) for a while now.
   
   
3. I_Define_Me

Firstly, fucking adorable.

Secondly, buy her this:

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473

This is such a fun book for learning a wide array of basic scientific principles.

I recently bought the updated version after seeing a post like this a while ago. Here is a link to Amazon.

How well are their reading skills? This has been a life-saver for a while: https://www.amazon.com/Camp-Out-Ultimate-Kids-Guide/dp/0761141227/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538072538&sr=1-5&keywords=camping+for+kids

For two boys, they can feed off each other and try things in the book. Just be careful when they get really quiet.

Also, camp/park closer to the bathrooms than you normally would. Wait, you have boys though....nevermind.

Quantum Physics for Babies

https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Physics-Babies-Baby-University/dp/1492656224

You're welcome.

Did you mean this? This book was my favorite when I was a kid

I don't have any kids... but I think every kid and LEGO fan should have this book.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HDATZ

If you're ok with used, you can pick one up for less than $5 on Amazon

Might I recommend: For Boys
And For Girls

I have two nieces and two nephews.

Hah, these are quite different to our baby girls first books that we got at our baby shower!

My Dad Thinks he's funny

Quantum Physics for Baby

and Avocado Baby

I'm looking forward to reading our girl "My dad thinks he's funny", because my god I do all those things already.

This will help.

http://www.amazon.com/Stars-H-Rey/dp/0547132808/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324559707&sr=1-1

• The Daring Book for Girls
  
• The Dangerous Book for Boys
  
  Check the "Customers Who Bought This Also Bought" section for lots of fun stuff.

The Daring Book for Girls?

Maybe something like this: Oh, Yuck: The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty

Most of them do not look much like what they're supposed to be. H.A. Rey came up with alternative versions of the same constellations which look more like what they depict. I had this book as a child and I now see some constellations with the classical shapes, and some with Rey's.

The font and illustrative style reminds me of The Way Things Work by David Macaulay, except there are no mammoths.

My favorite book as a kid, by the way.

Lego Minifigures: Character Encyclopedia

That item looks mighty fine.

There are lots of chemistry sets out there. Also, the toy rockets that you build and launch - tons of different kits with different difficulty levels.

Oh, and I always liked these books - The Way Things Work and The New Way Things Work

May I suggest this important book for babies on quantum physics?

The New Way Things Work

Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes

The Stars by H. A. Rey

http://www.amazon.com/Stars-H-Rey/dp/0547132808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322713066&sr=8-1

Like this?

Are you familiar with Quantum Physics for Babies ?

This? New Way Things Work by David Macaulay

The Way Things Work

https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Physics-Babies-Chris-Ferrie/dp/1492656224

Quantum Physics for Babies https://www.amazon.com/dp/1492656224

kvantemekanik for begyndere

You can try National Geographic First Big Book of Space.

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473

Were there mammoths? Could be The New Way Things Work

Gotta get 'em this book:

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473

for me it was this minus the 'new'

The New Way Things Work

Revolting Recipes Used $4.00 Prime. From Cooking and A Museum Mystery for Kindle from Kindle Stuff $5.99

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Space

National Geographic Kids Ultimate Space Atlas

National Geographic Kids: Space Encyclopedia

Go For Launch by Abby Garrett

It exists, apparently. https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Physics-Babies-Baby-University/dp/1492656224

Used copies shipped for under $5:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0395938473/ref=tmm_hrd_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=&sr=

Not sure if it’s the right book but reminds me of Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes, illustrated by Quentin Blake: https://www.amazon.com/Roald-Dahls-Revolting-Recipes-Dahl/dp/0140378200

https://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Science-Babies-Baby-University/dp/1492656259

Sorry, couldn’t resist. ;-). I’ll see myself out now.

(Seriously though, the whole series is kind of awesome.)

...Like Roald Dahl? Because I've never felt right living in a world where I can't eat my wallpaper. Fortunately the hard work has already been done for you anyway.

/r/flatearth

/r/theworldisflat

It's dangerous to go to these subreddits. Take this!

EDIT funny how you are getting downvoted. I wonder by who

YES! Just gave my copy to my nephew, but then I realized it horribly out of date and they made a new one!