BOOKS FOR YOUR BUDDING ARCHITECT, INVENTOR, OR ENGINEER...

Yesterday, while at my friend's house, I was directed by her young cartographer son, Jude, to look on her refrigerator door at an amazing hand drawn aerial "map" of their house.  His mom told me that he had also drawn a map of the whole floor plan of Smart and Final (a huge grocery store.)  They plan on photo-copying the artwork and giving it to the store manager!  

I love supportive parents like my friend, who encourage and applaud their kids' talents and interests!  Books are also a great way to help ignite these sparks of interest (or fuel the fire that may already be there!)   If you have a little engineer or architect in-the-making, you should check out some of these great CHILDREN'S books on PHYSICS, TECHNOLOGY, INVENTIONS, AND ENGINEERING:

The Lever and The Pulley by Hal Hellman (ages 4-8)

Mickey’s Magnet by Franklyn M. Branley and Eleanor K. Vaughan.  One of my kids' favorites!  (ages 4- 8)

How Do you Lift a Lion? by Robert E. Wells (ages 4-8)

Wheels At Work by Bernie Zubrowski (ages 9-12)

Diary of an Early American Boy by Eric Sloane.  This is a reprint of an actual early-19th-century diary  of a 15-year-old boy.  The concise notebook is accompanied by Sloane's 72 drawings and explanatory narrative. (ages 10 and up)

Robots, What They Are, What They Do by Fredericka Berger (ages 4-8)

The Phone Book:  Instant Communication from Smoke Signals to Satellites and Beyond by Elizabeth MacLeod  (ages 8-12)

The New Way Things Work by David Macauley (And his others: City, Castle, Cathedral, Pyramid, Underground, Ship, Mill, Building Big.  (ages 6 and up - young children will love just looking at the pictures; the story/text is written more for ages 10 and up).

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton (ages 4-8)

Amazing Impossible Erie Canal by Cheryl Harness (ages 8 and up)

Eureka! It’s an Automobile by Jeanne Bendick  (ages 8 and up)  Out of print - look at the library for it.

Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick.   Another of our family's favorites. (ages 9-12)

Rocket: How a Toy Launched the Space Age by Richard Maurer.  (ages 9-12)

Story of Inventions by Frank P. Bachman (ages 10 and up)

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham.  Fascinating biography of Nathaniel Bowditch, an eighteenth-century nautical wonder and mathematical wizard.  (ages 10 and up)

SCIENCE IS FUN!

Even a four-year-old can sometimes stump a parent with "why" and "how" inquiries... kids love to ask questions and there are some great non- fiction picture books available that can help you answer them! One author, in particular, has written some very informative and interesting books on science, for kids aged 4-8.

Dr. Franklyn M. Branley (1915-2002) is the author of over 100 books about science for kids. He was Astronomer Emeritus and former Chairman of the American Museum-Hayden Planetarium. He was dedicated to explaining science and encouraging young children to explore their world through his series, Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, which he originated in the 1960's.

What I appreciated about Dr. Branley's books is that they are simple and well thought out - not dumbed-down, but not too complex. Some of the books have easy, hands-on experiments.

Here's a list of Franklyn M. Branleybooks available on Amazon.


NOTE: We've read a few of these and they were GREAT! Just make sure you preview them - not sure how he deals with evolutionary issues...