A selection of popular science books for children from 3 years old

Books were, are, and probably always will be the best gift. This seemingly already hackneyed phrase includes a deep meaning. The book world opens before us another reality, parallel worlds and gives food for the mind. What can we say about children who learn the world through various sources of information.

It depends on adults that the sources are of high quality, correctly presenting reliable information in an accessible format, exciting and interesting. The editors of the site "Ya Nashla" have prepared for you a review of the best popular science books for children from 3 years old.

When your child has grown up, and the fairy tale "About Ryaba the Hen" is no longer so exciting for him, along with more complex fairy tales, you can add literature to his personal library that will develop him in one direction or another.

This article will acquaint you with how to choose, what to look for, what mistakes to avoid, which one is better to buy.

Criteria for the selection of popular science literature

These books are good as a birthday present, timed to coincide with any date, just as a stepping stone to the unknown. Good, well-chosen, they can become a doorway to other magical worlds.

By following a few rules when choosing, you can avoid buying a copy that will only collect dust on the bookshelf.

What you should pay attention to:

For what age

Usually, age differentiation conventionally divides children into:

• toddlers of preschool age (3-7 years old);
• primary school students (8-11 years old);
• teenage teenagers (11-14 years old);
• high school students (14-18 years old).

Age division is conditional, because every child is an individual. But if the text does not correspond to the level of development of the little reader and his age, then it will be extremely difficult for him to understand the meaning of what he is reading, he will not understand it, he will not be interested.

Registration

It is important that it is age appropriate:

• for the little ones, colorful, beautifully designed editions with many pictures, interactive, with large print are suitable.
• for older people, the size of the letters is smaller, and the number of pictures is also smaller.

Illustrations

Should correspond to the text: the smaller the reader, the larger they are. So that the baby can consider them alone; invent your own stories, looking at each one yourself.

Interests of the child

The topic should be in the interests of the child. But keep in mind that children trust those they love and respect.

Perhaps the book, taken according to your interest, will be able to interest the baby for a long time.

Thus, you will have a common topic for study and discussion.

How many pages contains

Their number will depend on age, perseverance, love of reading, immersion in this topic. Those. if your child is already interested in a topic and needs to expand it, then, of course, he will need more information.

And vice versa. For small readers who are just learning to read and write and who need help from their parents to assimilate what they have read, take the edition with smaller texts.

The year of publishing

The date of writing may affect the reliability of the facts presented, their correspondence to the modern world. For some areas this is not essential (ancient history, nature). For other sciences, in which there is constant research, discoveries, the use of new technologies, etc. (space, engineering, nanotechnology), dating is extremely important.

Author

You should always remember that:

The way the material is presented affects thinking, the development of the reader's speech, broadening his horizons, the ability to separate minor things from the main ones.

Each writer has his own writing style, pay attention to it. It should be convenient, understandable, easy to understand.

A text written in a complex, scientific language is unlikely to interest a small reader for a long time.

Authors can also be Russian and foreign.

When choosing between foreign or Russian, make a choice in favor of domestic authors. They are always better and more accessible to convey the idea than just translators of foreign languages.

But here is already a matter of preference for tastes: you can pick up books with high-quality translation.

How much is

The price includes the quality of paper, binding, illustrations and their quantity, type of font, size of the book copy, etc.

Between choosing an expensive or a budget book, choose an expensive, high-quality copy.

The aesthetic side will have a positive effect on the perception and feelings of the child. Indeed, for children, this is an acquaintance with the world through an intermediary (a book), and his current attitude will depend on him. May it remain good. A purchase in the online store will help you to save a little.

Reviews

Don't forget about reviews, reviews, critical reviews. They will help form an opinion about the written work, the correct choice of the author and topic. Each opinion is subjective, but it is still worth listening to.
Your acquaintances, parents and friends of the child, articles on book sites, reviews and annotations in the books themselves can help you with this.

A well-chosen book will make the child want to read more.

Selection errors

1. Dark, yellow pages will cause a bad feeling, unwillingness to read;
2. A hard-to-read solid text in small print (for adults) will seem complicated, quickly discourage interest in the work;
3. Age mismatch: the book will seem either stupid or too abstruse;
4. Glossy pictures impair vision;
5. Bad binding doesn't make a book last long.

Always remember that:

Any storytelling has two effects on the child: how he perceived the book, what impact the book had on him.

Collecting a bright, interesting children's library, you contribute to the development of his cognitive abilities, desire for self-development, discipline, imagination, literate speech skills, and a good memory.

Let's get acquainted with the description of popular science books recommended for reading by children of different ages.

Rating of educational books for preschoolers (3 - 7 years old)

According to LivelyLib (eBook Library)

This age is characterized by the transition from infancy to childhood.During this period, children love to listen to how adults read to them about the world around them. They ask many unexpected questions to adults, and the books that answer them will be of interest to them.

Together with knowledge, they develop thinking, speech. Stories about animals, adventures, natural phenomena, the ancient world, the human body, the arrangement of objects. Something incredible, for example, unusual trees, houses, etc. All this will interest the little man.

Light, truthful, simple storytelling, combined with high-quality, realistic illustrations, will support and develop activity in gaining knowledge from the child.

Interactive educational publications, compiled in the form of a game, including small tasks by text, are well suited.

Encyclopedias are perfect for this age. They will answer all the questions for a reason: Who? Where from? Which one? What for? How many? and many others, satisfying the curiosity, interest of little ones.

"Encyclopedia for kids"

This is a whole series of educational books for little curious. Baby books are a whole series about the world around them, combining 7 different topics:

• "Your body";
• "Town";
• "History";
• "Nature;
• On the Farm (about animals);
• "Your Land";
• "Space".

Bright and understandable pictures; simple text written in a language understandable for kids. After reading with the help of parents or adults, curious why will receive answers to many questions, expand their horizons.

They will also be interested in solving riddles, performing developmental tasks that are presented in the publication and do not divert attention.

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"Big Encyclopedia for Little Why"

Edition from the series "For the little clever girls", released in 2015, publishing house "AST". The content in the form of a questionnaire-answer will help parents in revealing the topics of the surrounding world to the baby. Collected a large number of questions often asked by little inquisitive minds and answers in an accessible format.

The book supports the child's curiosity, encourages new questions.

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average price: Paper edition 160 pages from 508 rubles. - up to 561 rubles., Electronic version 249 rubles. No audiobook.

"Encyclopedia of Animals for Little Why"

Published by Ripol Classic in 2014, 144 pages in volume. It contains many answers to questions from curious animals related to the world of animals. Children are always interested in this topic.

This work will be a good acquisition in the child's knowledge of the world of fauna.

Here you will find answers to a wide variety of children's questions: what does a little turtle eat? Which bird sings the most beautiful of all? Why doesn't the polar bear wear beads and where is his homeland?

The fastest, largest, smallest, most unusual and rare species - this encyclopedia will tell you everything. She will become a source of new knowledge.

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average price: from 480 rubles. - up to 585 rubles.

Augmented Reality Encyclopedia for Toddlers

Authors Baranovskaya I.G., Lobanova L.L., Khomich E.O. Publishing house "Malysh", 2018
In a fun way, the book will tell you about the diversity of the surrounding world.

Each page is devoted to a separate topic - space and space phenomena, the universe and space bodies, modern animals and extinct dinosaurs, useful robots and machines.Which plane flies without pilot control. What does an eared elephant, a formidable lion or a marsupial kangaroo look like?

The highlight of the encyclopedia is the revitalization of pictures using the installed application.

A fountain of emotions will accompany the kid when he can revive the jumping monkey; see a whale tumbling into the sea; lets a fountain on the back of a whale; will be able to catch up and feed the dinosaur; arrange a volcanic eruption or eclipse of the sun; he will assemble the car and much more.

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average price: 755 rub. per copy 160 pages, size 26 cm * 20.5 cm.

“Great encyclopedia for preschoolers and junior schoolchildren. I want to be an excellent student! "

Author: Skiba T.V., Vladis publishing house, 2020

Content:

• "Universe";
• “Our planet is Earth”;
• "Animal world";
• "Human body";
• "Geography";
• "Research and travel";
• Science and Technology;
• "History";
• "Art and Literature";
• "Architecture";
• "Music, theater, cinema".

Who invented the car, plane or telephone, great travelers and their discoveries, Russian commanders and their battles, famous people of art and much more. Your child will learn from this publication.

The wide range of information presented will satisfy the child's deep interest in a particular area of ​​knowledge.

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average cost: 1065 rub.

Rating of the best popular science literature for primary school students (7 - 11 years old)

According to Livelab (eBook library)

At this age, children’s attitude towards books changes. It becomes a self-reading study guide. The text in it must be learned and memorized. During this period, children have a high perception and understanding of the information received, but still a low reading technique.

Books during this period should help develop vocabulary, think and guess, teach an independent search for answers to emerging questions.
Remember that the deep storytelling of the work will facilitate the rapid development of speech, memory and thinking.

Cognitive and educational books with topics about travel, various countries, objects and events from life, the arrangement of various things, processes, history, acquaintance with various professions are suitable. Not only according to the school curriculum, but also according to the interests and hobbies of the child.

"Secrets of Anatomy"

2016 edition, reissued bestseller in 1988, the publishing house "Pink Giraffe". This is the fourth reissue of the popular informational guide that many parents have grown up on. Written and illustrated by Carol Donner.
The author managed to keep on the fine line of simplicity of the anatomical image and detailing the functions of each organ of the human body.

A non-standard approach to the topic of information presentation explains the steady popularity of the work.

A narrative form in the form of an adventure of twins Max and Molly, who have become tiny. They fall inside the giant who swallowed them. They ride on erythrocytes, talk to different organs of different characters, perform their daily work, travel throughout the body.

The book is approved by professional doctors. May generate interest in a child's medical study.

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average price: from 829 rub. - up to 846 rubles.

“What is everything made of? Stories about the substance "

Edition 2011, "Yauza-Press". The author Strelnikova L. acquaints the young school student with the simplest chemistry without formulas and equations.

The basics of chemistry: substance, what is its beauty, what does it mean in human life.

For this work, the author received the Enlightener Prize.

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"In the world of a dolphin and an octopus"

Author Svyatoslav Sakharnov, 2016 ed., Meshcheryakov Publishing House. The book is constantly being reprinted due to its popularity.

A narrative in the form of a journey into the world of the ocean and its inhabitants.

Exciting stories about thorns instead of scales on the surface of some fish species. Who are the sloth seals and how the whale's heart rate affects them. How virtuoso dolphins dance and who taught them this. How the predator shark route is built.

These and many other interesting facts from the life of the aquatic world will capture and carry young oceanographers into the world of the depths.

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"Entertaining physics"

From the series "Pythagorean pants", 2016 publishing house, publishing house "ID Meshcheryakova". The author Yakov Perelman created this manual 100 years ago, and until now it is the most popular and accessible to young readers.

Lively, interesting, with a set of puzzles, tricky questions, funny paradoxes, interesting experiments and games, intricate tricks. It will be good food for the mind of young schoolchildren.

A budget version of popular science literature for primary school students.

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average price: 110 rub. for a book of 272 pages

"Myths about human evolution"

Author: Alexander Sokolov, published by the publishing house "Alpina non-fish", in 2015

The book is written in modern language, accessible and easy to understand. Includes 65 myths-delusions of mankind and their explanation in an easy-to-child form, with elements of humor.

It will be interesting for joint reading of an adult and a child, followed by joint discussion.

Will become a source of common reflections on the above topics: did the ancient people eat each other or not? Did humanity come from dolphins? Did giants ever really live on Earth? And many others.

A budget version of popular science literature for children.

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average price: from 244 rub. - up to 251 rubles.

Popular science publications for teenagers (11-14 years old)

Age of transition from childhood to adulthood. The formation of the child's personality takes place. The book should teach beautifully the ability to beautifully express one's thoughts, the development of the gift of persuasion, confidence in communication, the development of self-control skills while speaking in front of an audience.

At this age, there is a greater interest in history, historical figures who have accomplished feats. To those who were involved in the development of science, discoveries in various fields.

During this period, cognitive literature differs into 2 main categories:

• for girls;
• for boys.

It is very important that during the teenage period the child does not plunge into the world of TV, modern gadgets and everything connected with them: the Internet, social. networks, video cameras.

At this age, it is necessary to continue building brick by brick the foundation of the "book world" laid in childhood.

"Alice in the Land of Mathematics"

A book written by Lev Gendenstein, published in 2013.publishing house "Nigma", part of the series "Entertaining lessons."

The author acquaints the reader with history from ancient mathematics to modern.

The story takes place in the form of a journey into the world of mathematics, into which the heroes of the famous fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland", widely known to many children, fall.

It will help make an incomprehensible subject entertaining and reconsider the child's attitude towards it, look at mathematics from the other side.

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average price: from 378 rub. - up to 796 rubles.

"The Mysteries of Life and the Dirty Socks of Jos Grothies of Drila"

The book with the original title was created by the Dutch author Jan Paul Schütten, ed. in 2016, publishing house "Belaya Vorona" (Albus Corvus).

Complex information about the Big Bang, the emergence of amino acids, natural selection, the issue of heredity.

What is the difference between a ciliate shoe and a pumped-up, modern robot? Are bacteria tasty? What are the relationships between atoms and molecules? A recipe for your own planet? There are answers to these and many other questions in this popular science source. Including the most important one: who is Jos Groties and why he has dirty socks.

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average price: from 668 rub. for a book of 160 pages, size 20.5 cm * 26 cm - up to 1136 rubles.

"Celestial Mechanics"

Popular science work for children, created by astrophysicist and writer N. Gorkav. Ed. in 2016, publishing house "AST". Included in the series of books "Prodigy Library".

High-quality children's science-pop includes knowledge from astronomy, mathematics, various stories related to the life of great historical figures and their discoveries.

Narrative in the form of fairy tales, tales intertwined with mathematical expressions, scientific ideas and theorems.

At the end of each story, a glossary with explanations.

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Series "I get to know the world"

Multivolume work of the author S. Istomin, publishing houses "AST", "Astrel", "Olympus", "Family Library", "Vneshsigma", "Harvest".

Compiled from a whole collection of publications covering a variety of scientific topics from different fields. Here are just a few of them:

• about the mysteries of our world;
• description of interesting events related to history;
• on the creation of aviation and aeronautics;
• automotive theme;
• about the world of amphibians;
• knowledge in English;
• about the nature and climate of the Arctic, Antarctic;
• information on biology, botany, astronomy,
• archeology, anatomy;
• about great composers;
• famous travelers;
• personalities who changed history;
• about existing mountains;
• about the types of precious stones;
• about different types of martial arts;
• about the great writers of history, etc.

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average price: from 195 rubles. - up to 228 rubles. for one book.

"Tanks and self-propelled guns"

Author Chernenko G.T. Edition for adolescent children. Released in 2007 by the Baltic Book Company. Included in the series "Explore the World".

He will tell the child about the history of the invention of tanks, tank building, strategies for conducting combat tank operations.

The author shares his experience in military affairs, reveals the topic of self-propelled guns.

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Popular science works for older children (14-18 years old)

This age requires individual literature that will prepare a grown-up child for adulthood, developing his talents, inclinations, abilities, hobbies.

Sean Carol “Eternity. In Search of the Ultimate Theory of Time "

The book tells the reader about the origin of time and space.

Secular, fundamental theories of the existence of other spaces and universes are considered. The concepts of the past, the future, their differences are explained.

What to do to get back in time. A story about black and white holes, 4-dimensional space. The concept of the Big Bang, the events preceding it.

The author explains complex things in an accessible, visual, detailed way, without missing anything, covering the topic as much as possible.

Full immersion of the reader in the topic of the chapter, after which there is a desire to stop and return "to reality" to understand and rethink the new thoughts received.

Reviews: A mind-bending and inspirational book. Finding, delight, applause.

average price: from 510 rub. - up to 1031 rubles.

Timothy Verstinen and Bradley Voiten “Zombie Brain. A scientific approach to the behavior of the walking dead "

In a comic form, but with a grain of salt; with elements of black humor, but within the limits of what is permitted; with a slight irony, but putting everything on the shelves, the authors reveal the topic of the relationship between the state of the brain, thinking and human behavioral factors.

Changes in behavior, new perception of familiar things, consciousness, thinking as a result of injuries of the central nervous system and impaired brain activity.

The study of these patterns allows research in neuropsychology and its development. On the basis of which scientists are studying ways to treat this important human organ.

Reviews: Fascinating, not standard, cool.

average cost: 565 rub.

Steven Strogatz "The Pleasure of X"

Small, only 6 pages, this book will help your child to love and become interested in mathematics.

In each section, the reader learns new information. The usefulness of numbers; beauty of geometry; the beauty of integrals, sines, cosines; the need for statistical research; the essence of infinity.

Complex mathematical concepts are explained smoothly, simply, not boringly. With the addition of examples.

6-part step-by-step storytelling:

• about numbers;
• about figures;
• about ratios;
• about calculus;
• data processing;
• about the limits of the possible.

Fascinating, you will definitely not get bored and understand why math is so exciting for others.

Reviews: Second chance to love math.

average price: 210 rub.

Michio Kaku "Einstein's Cosmos"

Translated from English, 2015 ed.

A story about the theories, predictions of the greatest and most influential scientist of the millennium, Albert Einstein.

An investigation into the initial roots of his works, which still excite mankind. The former predictions of the legendary scientist still bring fame and Nobel Prizes to modern scientists who investigate them.

Even the scientific predictions of this genius of science, which were previously considered errors, now bring a global contribution to the development of modern science and are recognized by scientists.
The study of the rich heritage left by Einstein to his descendants, his way of thinking, the sources of his inspiration are presented in this popular science work.

The many unknown facts about the man who so often shows us the language from numerous banners and commercials will undoubtedly be of interest to high school students.

The multifaceted personality of a talented person will open before them.

Reviews: Very, very, very exciting. Introduces little-known facts from the life of a genius.

average price: from 458 rub. - up to 616 rubles.

More works by this author: "Physics of the Impossible", "Hyperspace", "The Future of Mind".

Jim Al-Khalili "Paradox"

Immersion in the fascinating world of physics, explanation of the inexplicable, not consistent with common sense - paradoxes. In total, the author tells about 9 physical phenomena from the existing set in various fields:

• about the paradox of the theory of probability;
• about the photometric paradox;
• about the paradox of the theory of relativity;
• about the time paradox, etc.

Written in the most popular language, easy to understand, it immerses you in physical theories and makes you want to dive even deeper and learn as much as possible.

Tells how exactly paradoxes affect the development of sciences, their progress.

A real intellectual, fascinating journey into the world of physical laws can push the reader to independent discoveries in this area.

The author gives the reader the opportunity to first reflect on the solution to the paradox, and only then gives a ready-made answer.

Reviews: Suitable for all quest lovers, reads in one breath in 2 days, takes your breath away.

average price: from 460 rubles. - up to 473 rubles.

Ian Stewart "Incredible Numbers"

For everyone who is not friendly with mathematics, the book will tell about it in such a way that it will be simply impossible not to fall in love.

Designed for those who always "freeze" or fall into a "mental coma" in the form of integrals, logarithms, fractals and other mathematical abracadabra.

Compiled from separate self-contained chapters that can be read out of order. It reveals to the reader the essence, the mystery of numbers; their invisible, secret relationship.

Explains that in fact, ordinary, simple, not interesting numbers simply do not exist.

The story is based on various examples from the history of their occurrence to the unusual facts associated with calculus that exist in our time.

After reading, the fear of mathematics will definitely disappear somewhere.

Reviews: Unusual, interesting.

average cost: from 661 rub. - up to 722 rubles.

Brian Greene "Elegant Universe"

This book is a Bestseller, designed for reading those who are not well versed in physics and mathematics, as well as for advanced admirers of these sciences.

The book is based on superstring theory, which contains the basis of our entire universe. Hard-to-understand concepts are explained using the example of available analogies that open up a different view of the Universe.

Using similar examples and metaphors, the author explains how scientists have compiled the existing data about the universe.

To help the reader, a dictionary of scientific terms has been compiled for a better understanding of the text. But it is not oversaturated with complex scientific expressions.

For inquisitive minds, the author has provided notes with deeper explanations.

A description of the latest achievements, the relationship of space and time, the hidden dimensions of the quantum universe, knowledge of the world, and much more will be very interesting for inquisitive minds that require food for thought.

Reviews: Interesting, captivating story. Inspires, gives an optimistic attitude.

average price: 655 rub.

More works by this author: "The fabric of the cosmos", "Hidden reality".

Rating of major literary publishers

compiled according to Rospechat data:

1. "Eksmo-AST", includes: "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber"; "Bustard"; "Ventana-Graf"; "Liters" (library of e-books); "New book - Bukvoed".
2. OLMA Media Group / ID Education;
3. "ABC - Atticus, which includes:" ABC ";" Foreigner ";" Hummingbird ";" Swallowtail ".
4. Egmont Russia, part of the Danish publishing house Egmont International Holding;
5. "Exam";
6. Rosman;
7. Ripol Classic;
8. "Phoenix";
9. Flamingo;
10. Juventa.

Science pop novelties

according to the publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber":

• “Organized Mind” - Levitin D .;
• A Brief History of Everything - Wilber K .;
• “DNA is not a sentence” - Stephen Hoyne;
• The Taming of Infinity - Ian Stewar.

Best sellers

Physics
Genius by James Glick. Biography of the creator of quantum theories.

Maths

• "Strategic games", "Game theory" - D. Avinash. The art of strategic thinking.
• "Who Needs Math?" - Litvan N., Raigorodsky A.
• “How not to be wrong. The Power of Mathematical Thinking ”- J. Ellenberg. About mathematics in life.
• The Simpsons and Their Math Secrets - Simon Singh. Mathematical jokes from futurama, for fans of the series.
• "The magic of numbers" - Benjamin A., Shermer M. Instant mental computation and other tricks.

Interest in books is reviving. Existing various types of information carriers - paper, electronic, audio, find their admirers.

Always remember that:

reading books will always lead those who prefer television to them

In this article, we tried to introduce you to the most interesting popular science collections of books for children of different ages, hoping that they will interest you too.

Then joint reading in the home circle will become a unifying, rallying and inspiring factor for self-development, broadening one's horizons, new discoveries, a more in-depth study of topics, and their joint discussion.

So we will grow up new geniuses, professors, scientists, inventors and just good people who will change our bright, multifaceted world for the better.

If you have experience in creating a home science library for children; if you are familiar with the books described in the rating or more interesting editions, tell us about it in the comments.