Elementary Students:
LRFO = Let’s Read and Find Out early readers
Recycling:
- Where Does the Garbage Go by Paul Showers (LRFO 2, K-4)
Medical:
- Louis Pasteur by Rae Bains (29 pp.)
- Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again by Craig Hatkoff (gr. P-3)
- Great Men of Medicine by Ruth Fox Hume (192 pp., Landmark Book)
- The Courage of Dr. Lister by Iris Noble (191 pp., Messner Biography)
Agriculture:
- Chocolate by Samuel G. Woods (gr. 3-5, 32 pp.)
Communication:
- Ahoy! Ahoy! Are You There by Robert M. Quackenbush (36 pp.)
- The Story of Thomas Alva Edison by Margaret Cousins (167 pp., gr. 3-7, Landmark Book)
Transportation:
- How People Learned to Fly by Fran Hodgkins (LRFO 2, K-4)
- To Fly: The Story of the Wright Brothers by Wendie C. Old (gr 1-4, 48 pp.)
- The Ultimate Guide to Paper Airplanes: 35 Amazing Step-By-Step Designs by Christopher L. Harbo (gr. 4+)
- Henry Ford: Young Man With Ideas by Hazel B. Aird (gr. 4-6, 192 pp.)
- The Wright Brothers: Pioneers of American Aviation by Quentin Reynolds (gr. 3-7, 160 pp, Landmark Book)
Manufacturing:
Construction:
- Building Our House by Jonathan Bean (PB, IP, gr. P-5)
- Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty (gr. P-3)
- Brooklyn Bridge by Lynn Curlee (gr. 3-6, 40 pp.)
Conservation:
- What’s So Bad About Gasoline? by Anne Rockwell (LRFO 2, gr. 1-3)
Tools:
- A Map Is a Picture by Barbara Rinkoff
- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (gr. 5.1)
Invention:
- So You Want to Be an Inventor by Judith St. George (PB, gr. 2-5)
- Baby Brains and Robo Mom by Simon James (gr. K-2)
- The Real Mccoy, The Life of an African-America Inventor by Wendy Towle (gr. P-3, 32 pp.)
- Papa’s Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming (gr. K-3, 40 pp.)
- Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty (gr. K+, 32 pp.)
- How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn Schanzer (gr. 1-7, 40 pp.)
Computers
- Computer Pioneers by Laura Greene
- Discovering Computers by Mark Frank
- Those Amazing Machines by Catherine O’Neill
- Dreaming in Code: Ada Byron Lovelace, Computer Pioneer by Emily Arnold McCully
- Poet of Science: Ada Lovelace, The First Computer Programmer by Diane Stanley
- Charles Babbage: Father of the Computer by Dan Halacy
- How Did We Find Out About Computers by Isaac Asimov
Books by Robin Nelson
- From Cement to Bridge
- From Cotton to T-Shirt
- From Cocoa Bean to Chocolate
- From Egg to Chicken
- From Flower to Honey
- From Foal to Horse
- From Kernel to Corn
- From Metal to Airplane
- From Peanut to Peanut Butter
- From Sea to Salt
- From Sheep to Sweater
- From Tree to House
- From Wax to Crayon
- From Leather to Basketball Shoes
- From Leather to Football
- From Plastic to Soccer Ball
- From Steel to Bicycle
- From Wood to Baseball Bat
Or, same series, different author:
- From Egg to Butterfly
- From Shoot to Apple
- From Tadpole to Frog
- From Grass to Milk
- From Maple Tree to Syrup
- From Milk to Ice Cream
- From Wheat to Bread
- From Iron to Car
- From Oil to Gas
Books by Inez Snyder
- Apples to Applesauce
- Berries to Jelly
- Grains to Bread
- Grapes to Raisins
- Milk to Ice Cream
- Oranges to Orange Juice
- Tomatoes to Ketchup
- Trees to Paper
- Beans to Chocolate
- Sand to Glass
- Sap to Syrup
- Wax to Crayons
Experiments:
- Janice VanCleave’s Engineering for Every Kid by Janice VanCleave (gr. 3+)
MS and HS Students:
Medical:
- Louis Pasteur: Disease Fighter by Linda Wasmer Smith (gr. 5-8)
- To Heal the Heart of a Child: Helen Taussig, M.D. by Helen Taussig (gr. 7+, 128 pp)
- Girl Doctor by Joanne Landers Henry, (about Elizabeth Blackwell)
- Clara Barton: Founder of the American Red Cross by Augusta C Stevenson
Agriculture:
- The Food of a Younger Land: A portrait of American food-before the national highway system by Mark Kurlansky
Communication:
- Charles Babbage: And the Engines of Perfection by Bruce Collier (computer)
- Alexander Graham Bell: An Inventive Life by Elizabeth MacLeod
- Always Inventing by Tom L Matthews (about Alexander Graham Bell).
- Ahoy! Ahoy! Are You There? A Story of Alexander Graham Bell by Robert Quackenbush
Transportation:
- Team Moon by Catherine Thimmesh (grade 4-7)
- Neil Armstrong; Young Pilot by Montrew Dunham
Manufacturing:
Construction:
- Building Big by David Macaulay (gr. 7+)
- Building Big: Bridges (DVD) by David Macaulay
Conservation:
- Cod by Mark Kurlansky (294 pp.)
- Salt by Mark Kurlansky
- see my page Geology, Water & Environment
Tools:
- Electrical Genius, Nicola Tesla by A. Beckhard
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba (320 pp.) (picture book edition here)
General Inventions:
- The Story of Inventions by Michael J. McHugh and Frank P. Bachman
- Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson
- How We Got to Now: Six Innovations that Made the Modern World by Steven Johnson
I encourage you to check out Biblioguides, which now offers an SMH partner guide. They provide a list of all of the books on SMH, but with added information, including (when available) images of the book’s cover, a complete description, a look inside, and links to available digital versions. Also, with advanced search capabilities, you can find books that meet your qualifications. “Biblioguides gives you the resources and tools to discover the right book for the right person at the right moment.” They offer a free trial, so do check it out.