Science Children's Books
Elementary science children's books are located in two main sections. To see more detailed information on either the fiction or non-fiction section, select a link below to be auto-scrolled to that section of this page.
- TMC Easy - Fiction Picture BooksA section for fiction picture books organized by author's last name that may exhibit scientific topics or principles. Learn how to find materials in this section and see some examples.
- TMC DeweyA section of informational materials organized by subject using the Dewey Decimal System. Learn how to find informational books for science elementary and see examples.
- NoveList Plus Help VideosFor more detailed searching, learn how to use the database, NoveList Plus to find science children's books.
- Beyond MilnerLinks to Metcalf School Library, Normal Public Library, and Bloomington Public Library as additional places to find science children's books.
TMC Easy - Fiction Picture Books
The TMC Easy section is for fiction picture books generally fewer than 32 pages that may exhibit scientific topics or principles. These books are organized by author's last name. When looking for books for elementary science in this section they are not all located next to each other on the shelf, so it is easiest to search for them online.
To search for TMC Easy Books:
- Begin with a search for materials in the TMC Easy section of Milner by clicking here.
- Near the top left, select 'Search Criteria' to open the advanced search.
- In the top line that begins with "Keyword contains..." enter your search term(s). Keep this simple with words or phrases like; magnet, gravity, season, etc.
- Select search to see results.
You will want to take note of the call numbers for each book you find and use that to locate each book on the shelf.
Marsha Is Magnetic
TMC Easy FER
Usha and the Big Digger
TMC Easy KNI
Wonder Walkers
TMC Easy ARC
Wildfire!
TMC Easy WOL
If Winter Comes, Tell It I'm Not Here
TMC Easy CIR
Amara and the Bats
TMC Easy REY
Ada Twist, Scientist
TMC Easy BEA
Old Rock (Is Not Boring)
TMC Easy PIL
A Stone Sat Still
TMC Easy WEN
The Nest That Wren Built
TMC Easy SON
Snow Angel, Sand Angel
TMC Easy YAM
Etty Darwin and the Four Pebble Problem
TMC Easy SOL
TMC Dewey
The TMC Dewey section is organized by subject using the Dewey Decimal System. For science non-fiction materials in the Teaching Materials Center, most will be in TMC 500-599 which is dedicated to natural sciences and mathematics.
| Call Number Locations | Subject |
|---|---|
| TMC 500-509 | Natural sciences |
| TMC 520-529 | Astronomy & allied sciences |
| TMC 530-539 | Physics |
| TMC 540-549 | Chemistry & allied sciences |
| TMC 550-559 | Earth sciences |
| TMC 560-569 | Paleontology & Paleozoology |
| TMC 570-579 | Life sciences |
| TMC 580-589 | Botanical sciences |
| TMC 590-599 | Zoological sciences |
Other areas of Dewey such as biographies (TMC 921) and applied sciences (TMC 600s) may be of interest.
Sun! One in a Billion
TMC 523.7 MCA
If You Take Away the Otter
TMC 599.769 BUH
Fossil Hunter
TMC 921 ANN
I Heard a Sound
TMC 534 WAR
Packs
TMC 591.56 SAL
Honeybee
TMC 595.79 FLE
Earth Is Big
TMC 550 TOM
Inside In
TMC 591 SCH
Forces
TMC 531 DIE
Queen of Physics
TMC 921 WU
I'm Trying to Love Rocks
TMC 552 BAR
Monarch Butterflies
TMC 595.78 HOB
Science Nonfiction Series
There are two recommended elementary non-fiction science series that cover many different topics. These are:
- Scientists in the FieldBooks in this series explore the efforts of working scientists and share engaging and adventurous stories about them to make science more accessible.
- Let's-Read-and-Find-Out ScienceThis series is divided into 2 stages; stage 1 focuses on observable phenomena for Pre-K and kindergarten children and stage 2 explores more challenging scientific topics for older elementary students.
Help Videos: NoveList Plus
- NoveList PlusFull text book reviews for children's and young adult literature (fiction and non-fiction). Also includes reading level indicators (Lexiles) for readability.
You can search for books by topic, evaluate books, and find related reading in the database, NoveList Plus.
NoveList Plus is a database of literature that provides synopses and reviews of books, teaching ideas, and a Lexile Ranking (independent readability).
Watch the NoveList Plus Overview video to learn about how to find NoveList on the Milner website and an overview of the main features on NoveList.
You can also open the NoveList Plus database directly using the link below.
Watch the Basic Search for a Title Video to learn about how to search for a book by title on NoveList Plus.
Watch the Determining Readability of a Text/Lexile Levels Video to learn about where to find a book's lexile number on NoveList Plus and how to convert that to an approximate grade level.
Watch the Advanced Searching Video in NoveList to get an overview of search limits (date, audience, grade, awards, etc.), how to narrow results, and find related lists and articles.
Beyond Milner
While Milner Library's Teaching Materials Center has wonderful options for science children's books, you may want to also consult three other places:
- Thomas Metcalf School Library: Books are browsable using the Milner Library catalog, but you have to set up an appointment with the Metcalf librarian to pick them up.
- Normal Public Library: Get a library card as a student and search their catalog or in-person to find relevant resources. This card will also let you check-out materials at Bloomington Public Library.
- Bloomington Public library: Get a library card as a student and search their catalog or in-person to find relevant resources. This card will also let you check-out materials at Normal Public Library.