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.
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." Subjects covered in Stage 1 titles include the human body, plants, animals and "the world around us."
Stage 2 books "explore more challenging concepts for children in the primary grades and include hands-on activities that children can do themselves." Subjects covered in the Stage 2 titles including the human body, plants, animals, dinosaurs, space, weather and the seasons, our earth and "the world around us."
Let's Read and Find Out Science book list
Title Author Illustrator(s) Year Pubd. Summary Topic Stage Baby Starts to Grow, A Paul Showers Rosalind Fry1969 Drop of Blood, A Paul Showers Robert Galster 1967 1989 Human body Stage 2 "Sid The Science Kid: A Cavity Is A Hole In Your Tooth" Jodi Huelin2010 Jellyfish Is Not a Fish, A John E. Waters Kazue Mizumura1979 Map Is a Picture, A Barbara Rinkoff Robert Galster1965 A Nest Full of Eggs Priscilla Belz Jenkins Lizzy Rockwell 1995Plants and animalsStage 1 A Tree Is a Plant Clyde Bulla Lois Lignell 1960 2001 Plants and animalsStage 1 Air Is All Around You Franklyn Branley Robert Galster 1962 The world around us Stage 1 All Kinds of Feet Ron and Nancy Goor1984 Almost Gone: The World's Rarest Animals Steve Jenkins2006 An Octopus Is Amazing Patricia LauberHolly Keller1990 Animals in Winter Henrietta Bancroft and Richard Van GelderGaetano di Palma1963Plants and AnimalsStage 1 Ant Cities Arthur Dorros 1987 Plants and animals Stage 2 Archaeologists Dig for Clues Kate Duke1996Our Earth Baby Whales Drink Milk Barbara Juster Esbensen Lambert Davis 1994 Plants and animals Stage 1 Bats in the Dark John Kaufmann1972 Be a Friend to Trees Patricia LauberHolly Keller1994 Bees and Beelines Judy HawesAliki1972 Before You Were a Baby Paul Showers and Kay ShowersIngrid Fetz1968 Big Tracks, Little Tracks Millicent E. SelsamMarlene Hill Donnelly1998Plants and AnimalsStage 1 Birds at Night Roma GansAliki1968 Birds Eat and Eat and Eat Roma GansEd Emberley1963 Birds Are Flying John Kaufmann1979 Bird Talk Roma GansJo Polseno1961 Bits and Bytes: A Computer Dictionary for Beginners Seymour Simon1985 Bugs Are Insects Anne RockwellSteve Jenkins2001Plants and animalsStage 1 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 Reynold Ruffins 1974 Describes the physical characteristics of camels that enable them to withstand the heat of the desert for days at a time without water. Plants and animals Caves Roma GansGiulio Maestro1976 Chirping Crickets Melvin Berger Megan Lloyd 1998 Describes the physical characteristics, behavior, and life cycle of crickets while giving particular emphasis to how they chirp. Plants and animals Stage 2 Comets Franklyn M. Branley Giulio Maestro1984 Outer space Stage 2 Corals Lili RonaiArabelle Wheatley1976 Clouds Anne RockwellFrane Lessac2008Stage 1 Cockroaches: Here, There and Everywhere Laurence P. Pringle James and Ruth McCrea 1971 Corn Is Maize: The Gift of the Indians Aliki 1986 Plants and animals Stage 2 Danger--Icebergs! Roma Gans Richard Rosenblum 1964 1987 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 ZoehfeldLucia Washburn1999 Dinosaur Bones Aliki Dinosaurs Stage 2 Dinosaur Tracks Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld Dinosaurs Big and Small Kathleen Weidner ZoehfeldStage 1 Dinosaurs Are Different Aliki 1986 Dinosaurs Stage 2 Dolphin Talk: Whistles, Clicks and Clapping Jaws Wendy PfefferHelen Davie2003 Down Come the Leaves Henrietta BancroftNonny Hogrogian 1961 Down Comes the Rain Franklyn M. Branley James Graham Hale 1963, 1983 Rain, rainfall, clouds Ducks Don't Get Wet Augusta Goldin Leonard Kessler helen K. Davie 1965, 1999 Describes the behavior or different kinds of ducks and, in particular, discusses how all ducks use preening to keep their feathers dry. Plants and animals Stage 2 Ears Are for Hearing Paul ShowersHolly Keller1990 Human body Stage 2 Earthquakes Franklyn M. Branley Richard Rosenblum1990 Our Earth Stage 2 Eclipse Franklyn M. Branley Donald Crews 1973 1988 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 BergerGiulio Maestro1976 Energy Makes Things Happen Kimberly BradleyPaul Meisel2002 Evolution: The Story of How Life Developed on Earth Joanna Cole Aliki1987 Earth science Stage 2 Falcons Nest on Skyscrapers Priscilla Belz JenkinsMeagan Lloyd1996 Fat and Skinny Philip Balestrino Pam Makie 1975 Feel the Wind Arthur Dorros 1989 Weather and the seasons Stage 2 Find Out by Touching Paul ShowersRobert Galster1961 Fireflies in the Night Judy Hawes Kazue Mizumura, Ellen Alexander1963 1991 Plants and animals Stage 1 Flash, Crash, Rumble and Roll Franklyn Branley Ed Emberley, True Kelley1964 1985 Weather and the seasons Stage 2 Floating and Sinking Franklyn M. BranleyRobert Galster1967 Floating in Space Franklyn M. BranleyTrue Kelley1998Stage 2 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 1993 Earth science Stage 2 Follow Your Nose Paul ShowersPaul Galdone1963Stage 2 Forces Make Things Move Kimberly Bradley Paul Meisel 2005 Simple language and humorous illustrations show how forces make things move, prevent them from starting to move, and stop them from moving Stage 2 Fossils Tell of Long Ago Aliki1972 1990 From Caterpillar to Butterfly Deborah HeiligmanBari Wrissman1996Plants and animalsStage 1 From Seed to Pumpkin Wendy PfefferJames Graham2004Plants and animalsStage 1 From Tadpole to Frog Wendy PfefferHolly Keller1994Plants and animalsStage 1 Germs Make Me Sick! Melvin Berger Marylin Hafner1985 Human body Stage 2 Get Ready for Robots Patricia LauberTrue Kelley1989 Giraffes at Home Ann Cooke Robert Quackenbush1972 Glaciers Wendell V. Tangborn Marc Simont1965 1988 Earth science Stage 2 Gravity Is a Mystery Franklyn M. BranleyDon Madden1970 1986 Green Grass and White Milk Aliki 1974 Briefly describes 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 Mamoru Funai1972 Hear Your Heart Paul ShowersJoseph Low Holly Keller1968 2001 High Sounds, Low Sounds Franklyn Branley Paul Galdone 1967 Explains how every sound we hear is made by something that is moving, and how the vibrations are carried through the air to our ears and so produce sound. Honey In a Hive Anne Rockwell S.D. Schindler 2005 An introduction to the behavior and life cycle of honeybees, with particular emphasis on the production of honey. Plants and animals Stage 2 Hot As an Ice Cube Philip BalestrinoTomie dePaula1971 How a Seed Grows Helene Jordan Joseph Low, Loretta Krupinski1960 1992 Plants and animals Stage 1 How Animal Babies Stay Safe Mary Ann Fraser2001Plants and AnimalsStage 1 How Do Apples Grow? Betsy Maestro Giulio Maestro2000 Plants and animals Stage 2 How Do Birds Find Their Way? Roma GansPaul Mirocha1996 How Many Teeth? Paul Showers True Kelley1962 1991 Human body Stage 1 How Mountains Are Made Kathleen Weidner ZoehfeldJames Graham Hale2003Earth scienceStage 2 How People Learned to Fly Fran HodgkinsTrue Kelley2007 How To Be a Nature Detective Millicent E. SelsamMarlene Hill Donnelly1958 1963
1995 How To Talk to Your Computer Seymour Simon1985 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 Robert Galster1966 Human body Stage 2 Hummingbirds in the Garden Roma Gans1969 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 Giulio Maestro1985 Weather and the seasons Stage 2 I Can Tell by Touching Carolyn OttoNadine Wescott1994 I'm Growing Aliki 1992 Human body Stage 1 Icebergs Roma GansBobri1964 In the Night Paul Showers Ezra Jack Keats1961 Is There Life in Outer Space? Franklyn M. BranleyDon Madden1984Stage 1 It's Nesting Time Roma GansKazue Mizumura1964 Journey Into a Black Hole Franklyn M. Branley Marc Simont1988 Outer space Stage 2 Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home Judy HawesEd Emberley1967 Life In a Coral Reef Wendy PfefferSteve Jenkins2009Stage 2 Light Is All Around Us Wendy PfefferPaul Meisel2014Stage 2 Little Dinosaurs and Early Birds John Kaufmann1977 Look at Your Eyes Paul Showers Paul Galdone1962 Human body Stage 1 Look Out for Turtles Melvin Berger Megan Lloyd 1992 2000 Describes the remarkable turtle that can live almost anywhere, eat almost anything, range in size from tiny to gigantic, and live longer than any other animal. Me and My Family Tree Paul ShowersDon Madden1978 Meet the Computer Seymour SimonBarbara Emberley1985 Millions and Millions of Crystals Roma Gans Giulio Maestro 1973 Describes the characteristics, formation, and uses of various types of crystals. Mission to Mars Franklyn M. BranleyTrue Kelley2002 Mushrooms and Molds Robert Froman Grambs Miller 1972 Describes the mysterious world of fungi and explains their function in the cycle of growing things. My Daddy Longlegs Judy Hawes Walter Lorraine 1972 My Feet Aliki 2001 Human body Stage 1 My Five Senses Aliki 1962 Human body Stage 1 My Hands Aliki 1960 1992 Human body Stage 1 My Pet Hamster Anne RockwellBernice Lum2002Stage 1 My Visit to the Dinosaurs Aliki 1969 1995 Dinosaurs Stage 2 No Measles, No Mumps for Me Paul ShowersHarriett Barton1980 North, South, East and West Franklyn M. Branley Robert Galster 1966 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 BergerPaul Mirocha1994 On the Move! Deborah Heiligman Lizzy Rockwell 1996 Human body Stage 1 Opossum Kazue Mizumura 1974 Oxygen Keeps You Alive Franklyn M. BranleyDon Madden1971 Penguin Chick Betty Tatham Helen K. Davie 2002 Stage 2 Plants in Winter Joanna Cole Kazue Mizumura 1973 Pop! A Book About Bubbles Kimberly BradleyMargaret Miller2001Stage 1 Rain and Hail Franklyn M. BranleyHarriet Barton1963 1983 Redwoods Are the Tallest Trees in the World David A. Adler Kazue Mizumura 1978 Describes the characteristics of the redwood trees. Let's Go Rock Collecting Roma Gans Holly Keller1984 1997 Earth science Stage 2 Rockets and Satellites Franklyn M. Branley Al Nagy, Bill Sokol1961 1970 Outer space Stage 2 Roots Are Food Finders Franklyn M. Branley Joseph Low 1975 Explains in simple terms the function and importance of roots and root hairs on a plant Plants and animals A Safe Home for Manatees Priscilla Belz JenkinsMartin Classen1997