STEM books for kids
35 hand-picked books from the Bookbear catalogue tagged “STEM”, with Indian authors first. Each one has an age range, a short description, a heads-up on any sensitive topics and a link to buy in India.
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Birds on the Brain
Ages 8–11Indian author
Eleven-year-old Veeran is obsessed with birds — which makes everything else in his life, including school, rather complicated. A funny, warm chapter book about a child with a passionate, unusual love. Duckbill's beloved hOle Book series.
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Wings of Fire: An Autobiography (Young Readers Edition)
by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Ages 12–15Indian author
India's 'Missile Man' and beloved President tells his own story — from a Tamil Nadu fishing village to leading India's space programme. Abridged for young readers.
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Kalpana Chawla: A Life
by Anil Padmanabhan
Ages 10–13Indian author
The story of the first woman of Indian origin in space — from a small-town Haryana childhood to the space shuttle Columbia. Told with warmth and detail.
Heads-up: Death & grief
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En Iniya Iyanthira (My Dear Robot)
by Sujatha (R. Rangarajan)
Ages 10–14Indian author
Tamil Nadu's most beloved science fiction writer imagines a future where humans and robots must find a way to coexist. A landmark of Tamil sci-fi — accessible, witty, and thought-provoking.
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Women in Science (Learning TO BE)
by Pervin Saket
Ages 6–10Indian author
Celebrating pioneering Indian women scientists including botanist Janaki Ammal and physicist Bibha Chowdhuri — told in accessible, inspiring language for young readers.
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Chakmak: Science Readers (Selection)
Ages 11–14Indian author
Eklavya's flagship children's science magazine — published since 1985 from Bhopal — now sold as yearly bound volumes. Playful experiments, nature observations, and curiosity-first science in Hindi and other Indian languages.
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What if the Earth Stopped Spinning? And 24 Other Mysteries of Science
by Roopa Pai
Ages 9–13Indian author
Twenty-five curious science questions answered in short, accessible chapters for young readers.
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Alphabet Soup For The Young Environmentalist
by Meena Raghunathan
Ages 5–9Indian author
An A-to-Z of environmental ideas and eco-habits, introduced playfully for young readers just starting to think green.
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Why Are You So Colourful?
by Shruti Hemani
Ages 8–10Indian author
Why is a red munia red? How does a painted stork get its pink colour? A lively illustrated look at coloration across birds, mammals, and mushrooms.
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Ta Ka Dhi Mi 2358
by Shyama Panikkar & Radhika Tipnis
Ages 6–10Indian author
Rhythm meets maths: a playful picture book that connects the rhythmic syllables of Indian music (ta-ka-dhi-mi) with the Fibonacci sequence, by music educator Shyama Panikkar.
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Naturalist Ruddy
Ages 9–14Indian author
A ruddy mongoose turns nature detective in the forests of central India, solving 'crime scenes' that turn out to be the strange, true behaviour of lesser-known animals, insects and plants. A witty comic that mixes natural history with whodunnit, from the creator of Green Humour.
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'Carri-on', Ruddy!
Ages 9–14Indian author
Naturalist Ruddy, Kanha Tiger Reserve's resident mongoose detective, is back. Claw marks on trees, cannibal bees, lichens that threaten lizards: Ruddy travels across India to crack nature's oddest cases. The sequel to Naturalist Ruddy.
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Bird Business
Ages 8–14Indian author
Illustrated, funny glimpses into the daily lives of about 100 Indian birds: how they hunt, court, feed, fly and raise their young. Residents, migrants, endemics and endangered species, drawn with Green Humour's mix of art, science and jokes.
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Ramanujan: From Zero to Infinity
Ages 10–13Indian author
Young Srinivasa Ramanujan only wants to do maths at school in Kumbakonam, but this year there's no maths teacher. Instead, a string of odd substitutes has the boys lifting iron ingots, measuring milk and frying fish, and Ramanujan's team is drawn into a maths challenge he simply has to win. A funny story about the great mathematician as a boy, with puzzles to solve. Great Minds at Work series.
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Raman and Chandrasekhar: Lighting Up the Stars
Ages 10–13Indian author
Young Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar hates school, and his holidays are ruined when his uncle, the famous scientist C.V. Raman, comes to stay. Raman Chithappa pulls the eight children of the house into a string of physics experiments that disrupt everything. A funny introduction to two Nobel Prize-winning Indian scientists. Great Minds at Work series.
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Mae Among the Stars
by Roda Ahmed
Ages 4–7
Little Mae dreams of going to space, and her parents tell her she can. Inspired by Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space.
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The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin
by Julia Finley Mosca
Ages 6–10
Temple Grandin was told to be quiet and sit still. She became one of the world's most important animal scientists. A rhyming biography about the power of thinking differently.
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See Inside Your Body
Ages 5–9
Lift over 100 flaps to discover how your heart pumps blood, how your lungs work, and what happens when you eat. One of Usborne's all-time bestsellers for curious young readers.
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100 Things to Know About Science
Ages 8–12
One hundred fascinating science facts — from quantum physics to the human brain to deep ocean creatures — packed into one beautifully illustrated book. Perfect for children who want to know everything.
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See Inside How Things Work
Ages 5–9
Lift the flaps to find out how aeroplanes stay in the air, how computers think, and how bridges hold up. Usborne's tactile approach to engineering and physics for young minds.
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My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things
by DK
Ages 5–9
A vibrant first encyclopedia for curious young readers, covering animals, people, places, planets, and more with fun facts and colourful illustrations.
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The Way Things Work Now
by David Macaulay
Ages 8–12✈️ Import only (pricey)
David Macaulay's classic illustrated guide to how machines and technology work, updated with touchscreens, smartphones, and other modern tech.
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Children's Illustrated Atlas
by DK
Ages 7–9
A colourful world atlas for young readers, mapping countries, cultures, wildlife, and landmarks across every continent.
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Timelines of Everything
by DK
Ages 9–12
More than 120 illustrated timelines tracing world history from the Big Bang to the modern day, covering dinosaurs, Vikings, robots, and more.
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DKfindout! Dinosaurs
by DK
Ages 6–9
A photo-packed guide to the dinosaur age, from fossil formation to the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and modern birds, with quizzes and quirky facts.
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The Rithmatist
by Brandon Sanderson
Ages 12–16
In a world where certain people can bring chalk drawings to life for defense against deadly creatures, a boy without magical ability is determined to learn the craft anyway.
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition)
by William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer
Ages 10–14
The true story of a Malawian teenager who built a windmill from scrap to save his family's farm during a famine, becoming a self-taught engineer.
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Look Up!
by Nathan Bryon
Ages 4–8
Rocket loves space and wants everyone — including her wheelchair-using Grandad — to look up from their screens and marvel at the night sky. A joyful STEM adventure starring a Black British family.
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Football School Season 1: Where Football Explains the World
by Alex Bellos & Ben Lyttleton
Ages 8–12
A funny, fact-packed 'school' where every lesson — maths, science, history, geography — is taught through football.
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Chasing Vermeer
by Blue Balliett
Ages 9–12
Two Chicago sixth-graders use patterns, puzzles and pentominoes to track down a stolen Vermeer painting.
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Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World
by Rachel Ignotofsky
Ages 9–13
Illustrated profiles of fifty women scientists, from Hypatia and Marie Curie to Janaki Ammal and Katherine Johnson.
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Marie Curie (Little People, Big Dreams)
by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Ages 4–8
The Polish girl who loved learning and became the first person to win two Nobel Prizes.
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Jane Goodall (Little People, Big Dreams)
by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Ages 4–8
The girl who loved animals and grew up to study chimpanzees in the wild and protect them.
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Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition
Ages 9–13
The true story of the Black women mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped put astronauts into space.
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Wanda Hears the Stars
by Amy S. Hansen with Wanda Díaz Merced (illus. Rocío Arreola Mendoza)
Ages 6–9📱 eBook only in India
The true story of astrophysicist Wanda Díaz Merced, who lost her sight and found a new way to study the stars by turning data into sound.
