Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats

By Ann Earle
Illustrated by Henry Cole
1995

An engaging, detailed read-aloud about bat behavior and characteristics. I especially like how the book tries to dispel negative stereotypes of bats and teach how much they help the environment.
The illustrations are life-like drawings, and there are some plans for building a bat house at the back of the book!

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf

By Lois Ehlert
(1991)

I like this book because it lends itself to the idea of making a science notebook, or journal. The illustrations are colorful, bold collages of cut paper and real leaves/seeds--lots of texture.
The story is about a child who plants a sugar maple tree, and how the tree grows and changes throughout the seasons.

Swirl by Swirl

Spirals in Nature
By Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by Beth Krommes
2011

This beautifully illustrated book simply explores spirals in nature; in animals and plants, spiderwebs and waves, tornadoes and galaxies-- spirals appear all around us because they work well in nature.

Compost Stew

An A to Z Recipe for the Earth
By Mary McKenna Siddals
Illustrated by Ashley Wolff
2010

This is a clever ABC book with a wonderful theme: a "recipe" for Compost Stew. Told in verse, with beautiful collage illustrations, it is a great guide for making a compost pile, and building an ecological foundation.

Actual Size

By Steve Jenkins
2004

If you've never seen one of Steve Jenkins books, definitely check them out. They are all wonderful.
I particularly love this one, and I have read it to students from preschool up to 8th grade--seriously, it engages everyone!
Each page introduces an animal or two, or perhaps just part of an animal (giant squid eyeball, for example) in actual size. There is very little text, just a sentence or so plus the height, weight, length, etc.of the featured animal.
At the back of the book , you can see full-body pictures of each animal and read a little more about each one.
This is a perfect read-aloud for any age group!

Danger! Volcanoes

By Seymour Simon
2002

This little book is a nice introduction to volcanoes for younger readers.
With great photos, the book is engaging and is a good read-aloud. It has some nice non-fiction text features like bolded words, but no table of contents or index (like many of S. Simon's books).

The Drop in My Drink

By Meredith Hooper
Illustrated by Chris Coady
1998

This is an older book as far as science resources go, but it is a gem! It tells the story of the water cycle as a riveting narrative--comets, dinosaurs, giant pythons, caves--the whole nine yards. The story begins and ends with a boy holding a glass of water and considering where each drop has been. Really lovely for an upper-grade read-aloud.