Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science
The Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Books series, originally published by Crowell, now HarperCollins, is an American children's book series designed to educate preschoolers and young elementary school students about basic science concepts.
Many Let's Read and Find Out titles have either been reillustrated (sometimes more than once) or reissued under different titles. Some of these titles may be duplicates because of the renaming.
Early editions of the series included the following boilerplate:
- A MESSAGE FROM ROMA GANS
- Professor Emeritus of Childhood Education, Teachers College, Columbia University.
- Children want to be up-to-date.
- As a child reads or is read to, he feels himself stretch in importance. This is a feeling that each child should have in growing up. Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Books are designed to help him acquire this feeling. They are planned for the child who is eager to know.
- LET'S-READ-AND-FIND-OUT SCIENCE BOOKS
- present basic science information
- are written with an understanding of how children think
- are brief enough for the young child to cope with
- are long enough to challenge him.
Since the 1990s, the series has been divided into two levels. Stage 1 books "explain simple and easily observable science concepts for preschool- and kindergarten-age children." Stage 2 books "explore more challenging concepts for children in the primary grades and include hands-on activities that children can do themselves."
Let's Read and Find Out Science book list
Title | Author | Illustrator(s) | Year Pubd. | Summary | Topic | Stage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A Baby Starts to Grow | Paul Showers | |||||
A Drop of Blood | Paul Showers | Robert Galster | Human body | Stage 2 | ||
A Jellyfish Is Not a Fish | John E. Waters | |||||
A Map Is a Picture | Barbara Rinkoff | |||||
A Nest Full of Eggs | Priscilla Belz Jenkins | |||||
A Tree Is a Plant | Clyde Bulla | Lois Lignell | Plants and animals | |||
Air Is All Around You | Franklyn Branley | World around us | Stage 1 | |||
All Kinds of Feet | Ron and Nancy Goor | |||||
Almost Gone: The World's Rarest Animals | Steve Jenkins | |||||
An Octopus Is Amazing | Patricia Lauber | |||||
Animals in Winter | Henrietta Bancroft and Richard Van Gelder | |||||
Ant Cities | Arthur Dorros | Plants and animals | Stage 2 | |||
Archaeologists Dig for Clues | Kate Duke | |||||
Baby Whales Drink Milk | Barbara Juster Esbensen | Plants and animals | Stage 1 | |||
Bats in the Dark | John Kaufmann | |||||
Be a Friend to Trees | Patricia Lauber | |||||
Bees and Beelines | Judy Hawes | |||||
Before You Were a Baby | Paul Showers and Kay Showers | |||||
Big Tracks, Little Tracks | Millicent E. Selsam | |||||
Birds at Night | Roma Gans | |||||
Birds Eat and Eat and Eat | Roma Gans | |||||
Birds Are Flying | John Kaufmann | |||||
Bird Talk | Roma Gans | |||||
Bits and Bytes: A Computer Dictionary for Beginners | Seymour Simon | |||||
Bugs Are Insects | Anne Rockwell | |||||
Cactus in the Desert | Phyllis S. Busch | Harriet Barton | 1979 | Explains how cactus survive in the deserts where there is very little water. | ||
Camels: Ships of the Desert | John E. Waters | |||||
Caves | Roma Gans | |||||
Chirping Crickets | Melvin Berger | |||||
Comets | Franklyn M. Branley | Outer space | Stage 2 | |||
Corals | Lili Ronai | |||||
Clouds | Anne Rockwell | |||||
Cockroaches: Here, There and Everywhere | Laurence P. Pringle | James and Ruth McCrea | 1971 | |||
Corn Is Maize: The Gift of the Indians | Aliki | Plants and animals | Stage 2 | |||
Danger--Icebergs! | Roma Gans | Richard Rosenblum | 1964 | Explains how icebergs are formed from glaciers, move into the ocean, create hazards to ships, and melt away. | Earth science | Stage 2 |
Day Light, Night Light: Where Light Comes From | Franklyn M. Branley | Stacey Schuett | 1975 | Discusses the properties of light, particularly its source in heat. | ||
Did Dinosaurs Have Feathers? | Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld | |||||
Digging Up Dinosaurs | Aliki | Dinosaurs | Stage 2 | |||
Dinosaur Babies | Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld | |||||
Dinosaur Bones | Aliki | Dinosaurs | Stage 2 | |||
Dinosaur Tracks | Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld | |||||
Dinosaurs Big and Small | Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld | |||||
Dinosaurs Are Different | Aliki | Dinosaurs | Stage 2 | |||
Dolphin Talk: Whistles, Clicks and Clapping Jaws | Wendy Pfeffer | |||||
Down Come the Leaves | Henrietta Bancroft | |||||
Down Comes the Rain | Franklyn M. Branley | James Graham Hale | 1963, 1983 | Rain, rainfall, clouds | ||
Ducks Don't Get Wet | Augusta Goldin | Plants and animals | Stage 2 | |||
Ears Are for Hearing | Human body | Stage 2 | ||||
Earthquakes | Franklyn M. Branley | Earth science | Stage 2 | |||
Eclipse | Franklyn M. Branley | Donald Crews | Outer space | Stage 2 | ||
Elephant Families | Arthur Dorros | 1994 | Describes the unique qualities, status as an endangered species, and familial behavior of elephants. | Plants and animals | Stage 2 | |
Energy from the Sun | Melvin Berger | |||||
Energy Makes Things Happen | Kimberly Bradley | |||||
Evolution: The Story of How Life Developed on Earth | Joanna Cole | Earth science | Stage 2 | |||
Falcons Nest on Skyscrapers | Priscilla Belz Jenkins | |||||
Fat and Skinny | Philip Balestrino | |||||
Feel the Wind | Arthur Dorros | Weather and the seasons | Stage 2 | |||
Find Out by Touching | Paul Showers | |||||
Fireflies in the Night | Judy Hawes | Plants and animals | Stage 1 | |||
Flash, Crash, Rumble and Roll | Franklyn Branley | Weather and the seasons | Stage 2 | |||
Floating and Sinking | Franklyn M. Branley | |||||
Floating in Space | Franklyn M. Branley | |||||
Flying Giants of Long Ago | John Kaufmann | 1984 | An introduction to prehistoric insects, birds and reptiles that flew. | |||
Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean | Arthur Dorros | Earth science | Stage 2 | |||
Follow Your Nose | Paul Showers | |||||
Forces Make Things Move | Kimberly Bradley | |||||
Fossils Tell of Long Ago | Aliki | |||||
From Caterpillar to Butterfly | Deborah Heiligman | |||||
From Seed to Pumpkin | Wendy Pfeffer | |||||
From Tadpole to Frog | Wendy Pfeffer | |||||
Germs Make Me Sick! | Melvin Berger | Human body | Stage 2 | |||
Get Ready for Robots | Patricia Lauber | |||||
Giraffes at Home | Ann Cooke | |||||
Glaciers | Wendell V. Tangborn | Earth science | Stage 2 | |||
Gravity Is a Mystery | Franklyn M. Branley | |||||
Green Grass and White Milk | Aliki | 1974 | Briefly descries how a cow produces milk, how milk is processed in a dairy, and how various other dairy products are made from milk. [Retitled Milk from Cow to Carton?] | Plants and animals | Stage 2 | |
Green Turtle Mysteries | John F. Waters | |||||
Hear Your Heart | Paul Showers | |||||
High Sounds, Low Sounds | Franklyn Branley | |||||
Honey In a Hive | Anne Rockwell | |||||
Hot As an Ice Cube | Philip Balestrino | |||||
How a Seed Grows | Helene Jordan | Plants and animals | Stage 1 | |||
How Animal Babies Stay Safe | Mary Ann Fraser | |||||
How Do Apples Grow? | Betsy Maestro | Plants and animals | Stage 2 | |||
How Do Birds Find Their Way? | Roma Gans | |||||
How Many Teeth? | Paul Showers | Human body | Stage 1 | |||
How Mountains Are Made | Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld | |||||
How People Learned to Fly | Fran Hodgkins | |||||
How To Be a Nature Detective | Millicent E. Selsam | |||||
How To Talk to Your Computer | Seymour Simon | |||||
How We Learned the Earth Is Round | Patricia Lauber | Megan Lloyd | 1990 | Explains various changes in humanity's beliefs about the shape of the earth, from the flat earth theories of the ancients to the round earth theories that were proven true by the voyages of Columbus and Magellan. | Earth science | Stage 2 |
How You Talk | Paul Showers | Human body | Stage 2 | |||
Hummingbirds in the Garden | Roma Gans | |||||
Hungry Sharks | John F. Waters | Ann Dalton | 1973 | A brief introduction to the physical characteristics and habits of the shark. | ||
Hurricane Watch | Franklyn M. Branley | Weather and the seasons | Stage 2 | |||
I Can Tell by Touching | Carolyn Otto | |||||
I'm Growing | Aliki | Human body | Stage 1 | |||
Icebergs | Roma Gans | |||||
In the Night | Paul Showers | |||||
Is There Life in Outer Space? | Franklyn M. Branley | |||||
It's Nesting Time | Roma Gans | |||||
Journey Into a Black Hole | Franklyn M. Branley | Outer space | Stage 2 | |||
Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home | Judy Hawes | |||||
Life In a Coral Reef | Wendy Pfeffer | |||||
Light Is All Around Us | Wendy Pfeffer | |||||
Little Dinosaurs and Early Birds | John Kaufmann | |||||
Look at Your Eyes | Paul Showers | Human body | Stage 1 | |||
Look Out for Turtles | Melvin Berger | |||||
Me and My Family Tree | Paul Showers | |||||
Meet the Computer | Seymour Simon | |||||
Millions and Millions of Crystals | Roma Gans | |||||
Mission to Mars | Franklyn M. Branley | |||||
Mushrooms and Molds | Robert Froman | |||||
My Daddy Longlegs | Judy Hawes | Walter Lorraine | 1972 | |||
My Feet | Aliki | Human body | Stage 1 | |||
My Five Senses | Aliki | Human body | Stage 1 | |||
My Hands | Aliki | Human body | Stage 1 | |||
My Pet Hamster | Anne Rockwell | |||||
My Visit to the Dinosaurs | Dinosaurs | Stage 2 | ||||
No Measles, No Mumps for Me | Paul Showers | |||||
North, South, East and West | Franklyn M. Branley | |||||
Oil: The Buried Treasure | Roma Gans | Giulio Maestro | 1975 | Briefly discusses how oil is formed, how it is recovered from the ground, and its many uses. | ||
Oil Spill! | Melvin Berger | |||||
On the Move! | Deborah Heiligman | |||||
Opossum | Kazue Mizumura | 1974 | ||||
Oxygen Keeps You Alive | Franklyn M. Branley | |||||
Penguin Chick | Betty Tatham | |||||
Plants in Winter | Joanna Cole | Kazue Mizumura | 1973 | |||
Pop! A Book About Bubbles | Kimberly Bradley | |||||
Rain and Hail | Franklyn M. Branley | |||||
Redwoods Are the Tallest Trees in the World | David A. Adler | Kazue Mizumura | 1978 | Describes the characteristics of the redwood trees. | ||
Rock Collecting | Roma Gans | Earth science | Stage 2 | |||
Rockets and Satellites | Franklyn M. Branley | Outer space | Stage 2 | |||
Roots Are Food Finders | Franklyn M. Branley | |||||
A Safe Home for Manatees | Priscilla Belz Jenkins | |||||
Salt | Augusta Goldin | |||||
Sandpipers | Edith Hurd | |||||
Seeds by Wind and Water | Helene Jordan | |||||
Shells Are Skeletons | Joan Berg Victor | 1977 | Describes how mollusks, such as clams, oysters, limpets, and snails, build their shells and use them. | |||
Shooting Stars | Franklyn M. Branley | The world around us | Stage 1 | |||
Shrimps | Judy Hawes | |||||
Sleep Is for Everyone | Paul Showers | |||||
Snakes Are Hunters | Patricia Lauber | Plants and animals | Stage 2 | |||
Snow Is Falling | Franklyn M. Branley | Helen Stone, Holly Keller | 1963, ?? | The world around us | Stage 1 | |
Sounds All Around | Wendy Pfeffer | |||||
Spider Silk | Augusta Goldin | |||||
Spinning Spiders | Melvin Berger | |||||
Sponges Are Skeletons | Barbara Juster Esbensen | |||||
Spring Peepers | Judy Hawes | Graham Booth | Plants and animals | |||
Starfish | Edith Hurd | Lucienne Bloch | ||||
Straight Hair, Curly Hair | Augusta Goldin | Ed Emberley | 1966 | |||
Streamlined | John Kaufmann | |||||
Sunshine Makes the Seasons | Franklyn M. Branley | Weather and the seasons | Stage 2 | |||
Switch On, Switch Off | Melvin Berger | Carolyn Croll | 1989 | Explains how electricity is produced and transmitted, how to create electricity using a wire and a magnet, how generators supply electricity for cities, and how electricity works in homes. | Earth science | Stage 2 |
Terrible Tyrannosaurs | Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld | Lucia Washburn | 2000 | Dinosaurs | ||
The BASIC Book | Seymour Simon | |||||
The Beginning of the Earth | Franklyn M. Branley | Giulio Maestro | 1972 | Describes what may have happened when the Earth began billions of years ago. | Earth science | Stage 2 |
The Big Dipper | Franklyn Branley | The world around us | Stage 1 | |||
The Blue Whale | Kazue Mizumura | |||||
The Bottom of the Sea | Augusta Goldin | |||||
The Clean Brook | Margaret Barlett | |||||
The Eel's Strange Journey | Judi Friedman | |||||
The Emperor Penguins | Kazue Mizumura | |||||
The International Space Station | Franklyn M. Branley | |||||
The Listening Walk | Paul Showers | |||||
The Long-Lost Coelacanth And Other Living Fossils | Aliki | 1973 | Describes the coelacanth, a fish thought to have been extinct for seventy million years until one was discovered in 1938, and other examples of plants and animals known as "living fossils." | |||
The March of the Lemmings | James R. Newton | Charles Robinson | 1976 | Discusses the physical characteristics and habits of those rodents of the far north whose periodic massive marches to the sea continue to baffle scientists looking for a reason. | ||
The Moon Seems to Change | Franklyn M. Branley | Outer space | Stage 2 | |||
The Planets in Our Solar System | Franklyn M. Branley | Outer space | Stage 2 | |||
The Skeleton Inside You | Philip Balestrino | Human body | Stage 2 | |||
The Sky Is Full of Stars | Franklyn Branley | Outer space | Stage 2 | |||
The Sun: Our Nearest Star | Franklyn Branley | Outer space | Stage 2 | |||
The Sunlit Sea | Augusta Goldin | |||||
The Wonder of Stones | Roma Gans | |||||
Tornado Alert | Franklyn M. Branley | Weather and the seasons | Stage 2 | |||
Turtle Talk: A Beginner's Book of LOGO | Seymour Simon | |||||
Twist, Wiggle and Squirm: A Book About Earthworms | Laurence P. Pringle | |||||
Upstairs and Downstairs | Ryerson Johnson | |||||
Use Your Brain | Paul Showers | |||||
Volcanoes | Franklyn M. Branley | Marc Simont | Earth science | Stage 2 | ||
Watch Honeybees with Me | Judy Hawes | |||||
Water for Dinosaurs and You | Roma Gans | |||||
Water Plants | Laurence P. Pringle | Kazue Mizumura | ||||
Weight and Weightlessness | Franklyn M. Branley | |||||
What Color Is Camouflage? | Carolyn Otto | |||||
What Happened to the Dinosaurs? | Franklyn M. Branley | Dinosaurs | Stage 2 | |||
What Happens to a Hamburger? | Paul Showers | Human body | Stage 2 | |||
What Happens to Our Trash? | D.J. Ward | |||||
What I Like About Toads | Judy Hawes | |||||
What Is the World Made of? All About Solids, Liquids and Gases | Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld | |||||
What Lives In a Shell? | Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld | |||||
What Makes a Magnet? | Franklyn M. Branley | |||||
What Makes a Shadow? | Clyde Bulla | The world around us | Stage 1 | |||
What Makes Day and Night? | Franklyn Branley | Outer space | Stage 2 | |||
What the Moon Is Like | Franklyn M. Branley | True Kelley | 1963, 1986 | Imagines sights and experiences on a moon visit. | Outer space | Stage 2 |
What Will the Weather Be? | Lynda DeWitt | Weather and the seasons | Stage 2 | |||
What's Alive? | Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld | |||||
What's It Like To Be a Fish? | Wendy Pfeffer | |||||
What's So Bad About Gasoline? Fossil Fuels and What They Do | Anne Rockwell | Paul Meisel | ||||
When Birds Change Their Feathers | Roma Gans | |||||
Where Are the Night Animals? | Mary Ann Fraser | |||||
Where Did Dinosaurs Come from? | Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld | |||||
Where Do Chicks Come From? | Amy E. Sklansky | |||||
Where Do Polar Bears Live? | Sarah L. Thomson | |||||
Where Does Your Garden Grow? | Augusta Goldin | |||||
Where Does the Garbage Go? | Paul Showers | Earth science | Stage 2 | |||
Where the Brook Begins | Margaret Farrington Bartlett | |||||
Who Eats What? Food Chains and Food Webs | Patricia Lauber | Holly Keller | ||||
Who Lives In an Alligator Hole? | Anne Rockwell | |||||
Why Are the Icecaps Melting? The Dangers of Global Warming | Anne Rockwell | |||||
Why Do Leaves Change Color? | Betsy Maestro | |||||
Why Frogs Are Wet | Judy Hawes | |||||
Why I Sneeze, Shiver, Hiccup and Yawn | Melvin Berger | Paul Meisel | 1983, 2000 | An introduction to the reflex acts that explain why we sneeze, shiver, hiccup and yawn. | ||
Wild and Woolly Mammoths | Aliki | Dinosaurs | Stage 2 | |||
Wiggling Worms at Work | Wendy Pfeffer | |||||
You Can't Make a Move Without Your Muscles | Paul Showers | |||||
You're Aboard Spaceship Earth | Patricia Lauber | |||||
Your Skin and Mine | Paul Showers | Human body | Stage 2 | |||
Zipping, Zooming, Zapping Bats | Ann Earle |