The best science books for kids that are also great for adults

Why am I passionate about this?

Science is truth and always evolving as we discover new things. Like a child, scientists are always asking "Why this? Why that?" Great scientists like great artists are childlike or at least manage to harness the wonder of their childhood self. If a child is interested in the world around them they will never be bored. It will set them up for life and that's a truly precious thing.


I wrote...

Oscar and the Bat: A Book about Sound

By Geoff Waring,

Book cover of Oscar and the Bat: A Book about Sound

What is my book about?

Six simple stories for younger readers about six different science subjects. Oscar was based on my own cat, whom we had to leave in the UK when we moved to Australia for two years to do my day job (as the Art Director of Vogue Australia). 

Oscar is a curious cat, and in each book, he meets a different character who explains different science concepts to him. Frog explains how life is created from eggs in animals and seeds in plants, while Moth explains what light is, and Cricket shows him how and why things move... To keep the look of these books simple, Korean, Spanish, Swedish, French, Dutch, and Irishsing the same software (Indesign), I was designing magazines on in my day job. 

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of You Are Here: A Portable History of the Universe

Geoff Waring Why did I love this book?

For everyone who bought A Brief History of Time and was even more confused by the end, this is for you. There are no pictures, just lovely words, lots of incredible facts, and some lovely connections between seemingly unconnected things.

It's a great dipping book, too, as each chapter deals with different aspects of why and how we got to where we are.

By Christopher Potter,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked You Are Here as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“You Are Here is not just physics for poets, but as close to poetry or music as science is ever likely to get. Christopher Potter’s narrative is as imaginative, ingenious, and elegantly concise as it is user-friendly.” — Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind

“A personal, brilliant, and often amusing account . . . . An idiosyncratic, encyclopedic blitzkrieg of a book.” —The Boston Globe

“The Verdict: Read.” — Time

Christopher Potter’s You Are Here is a lively and accessible biography of the universe—how it fits together and how we fit into it—in the style of science writers like…


Book cover of The Story of Everything

Geoff Waring Why did I love this book?

I love a lift-the-flap book, and this is one of my favorites. Neale Layton manages to cram the Big Bang theory and the first 13 billion years of life in the universe into nine spreads fizzing with flaps and pop-ups drawn in his wonderful, scratchy, childlike sketches.

Science most definitely can be fun.

By Neal Layton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Story of Everything as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

This pop-up book is literally larger than life! Neal's unique perspective on Evolution, the beginnings of the world and the Big Bang theory presents life in a format accessible to even the very young - a perfect gift book for all. With pops, flaps and tabs.


Book cover of Supercrash: How to Hijack the Global Economy

Geoff Waring Why did I love this book?

It is not strictly a science book, but economics is a science, and science needs money to be able to do the incredible things it does, after all.

Cunningham is a comic book artist who deftly explains the complex realities of unchecked and rampant capitalism in his simple comic strip format. He skillfully explains in simple boxes how the poor always ultimately end up paying for the greed of the rich and powerful. 

By Darryl Cunningham,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Supercrash as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Darryl Cunningham’s latest investigation takes us to the heart of free-world politics and the financial crisis, as he traces the roots of bankrupt countries to the domination of right-wing policies and the people who created them. Cunningham draws a fascinating portrait of the New Right and the charismatic Ayn Rand, whose soirees were attended by the young Alan Greenspan. He shows how the Neo-Cons hijacked the economic debate and led the way to a world dominated by the market. Smaller countries, such as Greece, have paid the price for joining a club that held impossible membership rules. He examines the…


Book cover of The Way Things Work Now

Geoff Waring Why did I love this book?

This book is all about Macaulay's incredible draftsmanship, almost like Leonardo Davinci's.

It's full of wit and wisdom and has had to be constantly revised as new technologies emerge (I don't think we had VR Goggles in 1988). So, it's a bit like science itself.

By David Macaulay,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Way Things Work Now as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

A New York Times Bestseller

Explainer-in-Chief David Macaulay updates the worldwide bestseller The New Way Things Work to capture the latest developments in the technology that most impacts our lives. Famously packed with information on the inner workings of everything from windmills to Wi-Fi, this extraordinary and humorous book both guides readers through the fundamental principles of machines, and shows how the developments of the past are building the world of tomorrow. This sweepingly revised edition embraces all of the latest developments, from touchscreens to 3D printer. Each scientific principle is brilliantly explained--with the help of a charming, if rather…


Book cover of Everyone Poops

Geoff Waring Why did I love this book?

...And every child will LOVE this book! Taro Gomi is one of Japan's most prolific children's book creators.

His beautifully simple, childlike paintings of animals and their poos are funny yet informative, and especially for younger readers, they will help them start to develop an enquiring mind.

By Taro Gomi,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Everyone Poops as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 2, 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?

The beloved, bestselling potty-training classic, now re-released for a new generation!

An elephant makes a big poop. A mouse makes a tiny poop. Everyone eats, so of course: everyone poops!

Taro Gomi's classic, go-to picture book for straight-talk on all things "number 2" is back, as fresh and funny as ever.

• Both a matter-of-fact, educational guide and a hilarious romp through poop territory
• Filled with timeless OMG moments for both kids and adults
• Colorful and content-rich picture book

The concept of going to the bathroom is made concrete through this illustrated narrative that is both verbally and…


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Book cover of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

Michael Bungay Stanier Author Of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Coaching is a wonderful technology that can help people be a force for change… and is often wrapped up in mystic and woo-woo and privilege that makes it inaccessible and/or unattractive to too many. I want being more coach-like—by which I mean staying curious a little longer, and rushing to action and advice-giving—to be an everyday way of being with one another. Driven by this, I’ve written the best-selling book on coaching this century (The Coaching Habit) and have created training that’s been used around the world by more than a quarter of a million people. I’m on a mission to unweird coaching.

Michael's book list on unexpectedly useful books about coaching

What is my book about?

The coaching book that's for all of us, not just coaches.

It's the best-selling book on coaching this century, with 15k+ online reviews. Brené Brown calls it "a classic". Dan Pink said it was "essential".

It is practical, funny, and short, and "unweirds" coaching. Whether you're a parent, a teacher, a leader, or even a coach, you can stay curious longer.

By Michael Bungay Stanier,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Coaching Habit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Look for Michael's new book, The Advice Trap, which focuses on taming your Advice Monster so you can stay curious a little longer and change the way you lead forever.

In Michael Bungay Stanier's The Coaching Habit, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less hard and have more impact.

Drawing on years of experience training more than 10,000 busy managers from around the globe in practical, everyday coaching skills, Bungay Stanier reveals how to unlock your peoples' potential. He unpacks seven essential coaching questions to demonstrate how-by saying less and…


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