Children are naturally curious. They want to know why the sky is blue, what dinosaurs actually ate, how robots think, and what happens inside a black hole. The right book doesn't just answer those questions – it opens up a whole world of new ones.
We've brought together a collection of science and nature books that we think do exactly that. Not textbooks. Not test prep. Books that are genuinely beautiful to hold, fascinating to read, and that children come back to again and again as their thinking deepens. Whether you're looking for a gift for a nature lover, a budding engineer, or a child who just asked you something you couldn't answer, there's something here.
Books about the natural world
Some of the most striking books in our illustrated non-fiction collection are about animals and the natural world – and it's easy to see why. These are subjects children discover in their own back gardens and on family walks, which means a good book on wildlife meets them exactly where they already are.
Minibeasts: Under the Magnifying Glass from Magic Cat Publishing takes a close-up look at the small creatures that most children are absolutely fascinated by – beetles, spiders, caterpillars, ants. The illustrations are detailed and beautiful, giving even familiar garden insects a sense of wonder and strangeness. It's the kind of book that sends children outside to look more carefully at the world around them, which is one of the best things a book can do.
Minibeasts: Under the Magnifying Glass by Magic Cat Publishing
For children captivated by animals more broadly, Wild: A Child's Guide to the Animal Kingdom is one of our bestsellers – and it's easy to see why. Also from Magic Cat Publishing, it covers the animal kingdom with the same combination of striking illustration and clear, engaging text that makes their books so enjoyable to read and to give.
If the environment and conservation matter to your family, Weird and Wonderful Ways to Save the Planet from Flying Eye Books takes a refreshingly hopeful approach. Rather than dwelling on problems, it celebrates the inventive, sometimes surprising solutions that scientists, engineers, and communities around the world are finding. It makes a wonderful gift for children who want to feel like the future is something they can help shape.
Weird and Wonderful Ways to Save the Planet by Flying Eye Books
Books about space and the universe
Space is one of those subjects that captures children's imaginations almost effortlessly. The sheer scale of it – the distances, the ages, the strangeness of what's out there – naturally invites the kind of open-ended curiosity that the best educational gifts encourage.
Our Galaxy from Phaidon Press approaches the cosmos with the visual ambition you'd expect from one of the world's great illustrated publishers. It's a book that rewards slow, careful reading as much as casual browsing – the kind you'd find on a coffee table as readily as a bookshelf. A genuinely beautiful gift for children aged 7 and up who have started asking bigger questions about what's out there.
Glow: A Child's Guide to the Night Sky from Magic Cat Publishing takes a warmer, more intimate approach to the same subject – a guide to looking up and knowing what you're seeing. For children who have ever lain on their backs in a garden or a field and wondered what all those points of light actually are, it's the perfect companion. We'd also suggest pairing it with the Glow: 30 Star Gazing Cards from the same series – a set of beautifully designed cards for taking outside on clear evenings.
For children who want to go deeper into how the universe actually works, What About: The Universe from Twirl tackles the really big questions – space, time, matter, and energy – in a way that's clear and thought-provoking without ever talking down to its readers. It's part of a series well worth exploring for children aged 10 and up who want to understand more than just the facts.
Dinosaurs and prehistoric life
Dinosaurs occupy a special place in children's reading lives. They're creatures real enough to be fascinating and strange enough to feel almost mythological – and the questions they prompt (how did they live? why did they vanish? what came before and after?) naturally lead children towards bigger ideas about time, evolution, and the history of life on Earth.
Tales of the Prehistoric World: Adventures from the Land of the Dinosaurs from Neon Squid brings a narrative energy to the subject that goes beyond what you find in most reference books. Rather than simply cataloguing species, it puts readers in the world – the sounds, the scale, the drama of prehistoric life. Neon Squid consistently produce books that make you feel as well as learn, and this is no exception.
Tales of the Prehistoric World by Neon Squid
Children who are drawn to dinosaurs often find themselves equally captivated by the people who discovered them. If that's the case, you might also consider Tales of Ancient Worlds: Adventures in Archaeology, also from Neon Squid – a companion volume that takes a similarly immersive approach to the story of how we uncover the past.
Science and technology – how things work
For children who want to understand the mechanisms behind the world – engines, circuits, code, structures – our STEM book selection offers some genuinely exciting options.
The Inventor's Workshop from Magic Cat Publishing celebrates the creative, problem-solving spirit that drives discovery and innovation. It's a book that treats invention as a human story as much as a technical one – the curiosity, the false starts, the moments of breakthrough. A wonderful gift for children who like making things or taking things apart to see how they work.
The Inventor's Workshop by Magic Cat Publishing
The world of computing and AI is one that increasingly shapes children's daily lives, even if they don't always know it. Robots: Explore the World of Robotics and AI from Neon Squid and See Inside AI from Usborne approach the same territory in different ways. The Neon Squid title takes a broader view of robotics and what it means; the Usborne lift-the-flap format is ideal for younger readers who learn best through active, hands-on engagement with a book.
See Inside Evolution, also from Usborne, uses the same approachable lift-the-flap format to explore one of the most important – and most misunderstood – ideas in all of science. The result is a book that introduces big concepts gently and memorably, perfect for children aged 5 and up. The Usborne lift-the-flap series more broadly is one of the most reliable starting points we know for children just beginning to ask questions about how things work.
Scientists and the people who changed our world
The best science books don't just teach facts – they tell stories. And some of the most compelling stories in science are about the people who refused to stop asking questions, even when the world told them to.
Marie Curie: Sticker Life Stories from Magic Cat Publishing introduces one of history's most remarkable scientists through an activity format that makes the story genuinely engaging for younger readers. It's a book that celebrates curiosity and persistence as much as achievement – which is exactly the right emphasis for a gift.
Marie Curie: Sticker Life Stories by Magic Cat Publishing
Eurek-Her! Stories of Inspirational Women in STEM from B Small broadens the view, celebrating the contributions of women across science, technology, engineering, and maths. The stories it tells are ones that deserve far wider recognition, and the book tells them with warmth and clarity. A meaningful gift for children aged 7 and up who are interested in where ideas come from – and who makes them.
Choosing the right book – a simple age guide
Our science and nature collection covers a wide age range, and it's worth thinking about where a child is in their reading journey when choosing.
For children aged 5 to 7, the Usborne lift-the-flap books are wonderful starting points. Lift-the-Flap: How Your Body Works and Lift-the-Flap: Engineering both reward repeated reading and the kind of active, tactile engagement younger children love. The Sticker Life Stories format from Magic Cat Publishing is also ideal at this age.
From 8 upwards, children are ready for longer, richer texts and more complex ideas. Minibeasts, Wild, Tales of the Prehistoric World, The Inventor's Workshop, and Weird and Wonderful Ways to Save the Planet all hit their stride in this range, combining beautiful illustration with writing that genuinely challenges and rewards.
For 10 and 11 year olds and the older readers in our older children's collection, Our Galaxy, What About: The Universe, and Eurek-Her! are particularly well-suited – books that reward the kind of critical thinking that starts to emerge at this stage. For an ambitious 12-year-old, the advanced readers section has more to explore.
Browse our Science & Nature collection
All of the books featured here are part of our Science & Nature collection, which you can browse in full. You'll also find many of them in our bestsellers and award-winning books collections. If you're looking more broadly, our full books collection and illustrated non-fiction range are good places to keep exploring.
We offer premium gift wrapping using FSC-certified, sustainable paper in nine beautiful designs, with every gift hand-wrapped in plastic-free packaging. Add a personalised message and we can send directly to the recipient – perfect for birthdays, Christmas, or any time a child deserves something genuinely worth reading.
And if you'd like help choosing, we're always happy to help. The right book at the right moment can spark a curiosity that lasts a lifetime.
