When presented in storybook format, even young kids can grasp potentially complex concepts with surprising ease. That’s why I really have been enjoying the Science Storybook series.
Originally published in Korea and translated into English, these books are written for young children – preschool through 2nd grade in particular, although I think they can be great tools for even older students and terrific picture books for toddlers as well.
The three books in the series that I got to check out were Fossils Tell Stories, The Flow of Water, and Will it Rain or Snow? Not only are these books filled with short, easy to understand texts that teach about the topic they are about, but also with gorgeous, full colour artwork on each page. At the end of each book is a short page that reviews the topic, gives you questions to expand thinking, and also a related activity to do together.
Fossils Tell Stories
This book explains what fossils are (and aren’t), how they were made, and what they can tell us. The artwork is in a collage style, and shows lots of dinosaurs and their bones, plus there’s even a page of actual photographs of fossils such as dinosaurs eggs and skin. The activity at the end teaches you how to make your own fossil.
The Flow of Water
This book explores the water cycle and how water changes during its journey. Many of the pages feature a young girl semi-hiding and this really appeals to my youngest reader who enjoys the challenge of finding her. Since the water cycle is typically a hard-to-see process, the artwork has done a great job of showing the steps in a creative way. The final project includes observing what happens to rainwater that you collect.
Will it Rain or Snow?
This book is all about the weather. Of the three that I’ve read, the artwork in this book is my favourite. Done in a soft watercolour painting style, the pages explain how the creatures around us can give us great clues as to the weather that’s coming soon – ants moving to higher ground, bunnies turning white, the behaviour of seagulls, etc. I like that on several of the pages with these animals there is a little note in addition to the story that explains a bit more detail about what these behaviours mean. The activity for this book is to become a weather observer.
These fun, educational books are a great addition to your bookshelves. I recommend them.
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